The Brit Awards are looked upon with quite a fondness by the UK public. Perhaps it’s because it’s our only real high-profile music awards ceremony compared with the thousands that the US has, or perhaps it’s because at some point during the ’90s they were actually made out to be something of a big deal.
In truth, they’ve always been unbearable to watch, but at least back in the heady days of Blur vs. Oasis and the Spice Girls, it always had the potential to be a bit exciting. This could largely be attributed to practically everyone in that decade being on cocaine, but at least they were more fun than the parade of middling singer/songwriters and tiresome James Corden jokes we’re now “treated” to.
Last year the Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner delivered his “that rock ‘n’ roll, eh?” speech. It was awful.
If you needed any further proof that British pop music in the 21st century is dull as dishwater, then one need only look towards the nominees this year, which reads out like a who’s who of people we couldn’t care less about. Moon-faced crooner Sam Smith is the frontrunner this year with five nominations, while the likes of Ed Sheeran and One Direction fill out the rest of the line-up.
Take a look at the full list of nominees below, and try not to fall asleep.
Best British Solo Male:
- Damon Albarn
- Ed Sheeran
- George Ezra
- Paulo Nutini
- Sam Smith
British Solo Female:
- Ella Henderson
- FKA Twigs
- Jessie Ware
- Lily Allen
- Paloma Faith
British Group:
- Alt-J
- Clean Bandit
- Coldplay
- One Direction
- Royal Blood
British Breakthrough Act:
- Chvrches
- FKA Twigs
- George Ezra
- Royal Blood
- Sam Smith
Critics’ Choice winner:
- James Bay
British Single:
- Calvin Harris – “Summer”
- Clean Bandit ft Jess Glynne – “Rather Be”
- Duke Dumont ft Jax Jones – “I Got U”
- Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
- Ella Henderson – “Ghost”
- George Ezra – “Budapest”
- Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
- Route 94 ft Jess Glynne – “My Love”
- Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
- Sigma – “Nobody To Love”
Mastercard British Album of the Year :
- Alt-J – This Is All Yours
- Ed Sheeran – X
- George Ezra – Wanted On Voyage
- Royal Blood – Royal Blood
- Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour
British producer of the Year:
- Alison Goldfrapp & Will Gregory
- Flood
- Jake Gosling
- Paul Epworth
British artist video of the year:
- Calvin Harris – “Summer”
- Charlie XCX – “Boom Clap”
- Duke Dumont ft Jax Jones – “I Got U”
- Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
- Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars – “Uptown Funk”
- One Direction – “You & I”
- Rita Ora – “I Will Never Let You Down”
- Route 94 ft Jess Glynne – “My Love”
- Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
- Sigma – “Nobody To Love”
International Male Solo:
- Beck
- Hozier
- Jack White
- John Legend
- Pharrell Williams
International Female Solo:
- Beyonce
- Lana Del Rey
- Sia
- St Vincent
- Taylor Swift
International Group:
- 5 Seconds of Summer
- The Black Keys
- First Aid Kit
- Foo Fighters
- The War on Drugs
