Former One Direction star Harry Styles leads the nominations for this year’s Brit Awards.
The full list of nominations was released on Thursday (January 12), as the show previews on February 11 live from The O2 arena in London.
Harry Styles and Indie Rock band Wet Leg have bagged four nominations, including nods for the coveted best album award.
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Elsewhere, rapper Stormzy, Cat Burns, Indie band The 1975 and dance producer Fred Again are just a little behind with three nominations each.
Pop sensations Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will fight it out in the international categories, while Sam Ryder is in the running for best new artist and is the first Eurovision act ever to be recognised in the category.
(Image: PA)
However, critics have slammed the event as female acts have missed out on the show’s most prestigious event – Artist of the Year – as no women have been nominated for the category.
As the nominations were announced, it documented that 42% of this year’s nominations went to female artists or female-fronted bands, comparable to last year’s figure of 46%.
A year ago organisers scrapped gendered categories, merging best female and best male into an overall best artist category.
The decision to go gender-neutral came after criticism of the 2021 ceremony by non-binary singer Sam Smith, whose gender identity meant they couldn’t be nominated in the male or female artist awards.
He said: “I look forward to a time where awards shows can be reflective of the society we live in.”
(Image: Getty Images)
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Here are the full lists of nominees:
Song of the Year
Aitch and Ashanti – Baby
Dave – Starlight
Cat Burns – Go
Ed Sheeran and Elton John – Merry Christmas
Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal – B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)
George Ezra – Green Green Grass
Harry Styles – As It Was
Lewis Capaldi – Forget Me
LF System – Afraid to Feel
Sam Smith and Kim Petra – Unholy
Artist of the Year
Fred Again
George Ezra
Stormzy
Central Cee
Harry Styles
(Image: Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Best New Artist
Kojey Radical
Mimi Webb
Rina Sawayama
Sam Ryder
Wet Leg
Group of the Year
1975
Arctic Monkeys
BBCC Bad Boy Chiller Crew
Nova Twins
Wet Leg
International Artist of the Year
Beyonce
Burna Boy
Kendrick Lamar
Lizzo
Taylor Swift
International Group of the Year
Black Pink
Drake and 21 Savage
First Aid Kit
Fontaines D.C
Gabriels
Best Hip/Hop/Grime/Rap Act
Aitch
Central Cee
Dave
Loyle Carner
Stormzy
Best Dance Act
Becky Hill
Calvin Harris
Fred Again
Eliza Rose
Best Rock/Alternative Act
The 1975
(Image: Getty Images)
Arctic Monkeys
Nova Twins
Tom Grennan
Wet Leg
Best Pop/R&B Act
Cat Burns
Charli XCX
Dua Lipa
Harry Styles
Sam Smith
Album of the Year
The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
(Image: Stefan Jerrevång/TT/REX/Shutterstock)
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Stormzy – This is What I Mean
Fred Again – Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)
The BRIT Awards will take place on February 11 and will broadcast live on ITV1 and ITVX – from The O2 arena.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
