Countdown to the BRITs: Your 2025 Nominee Guide

Our favourite evening each year is without a doubt The BRIT Awards, bringing a celebration of the year's standout achievements in music. This year's nominees showcase an impressive mix of emerging talent and household names, reflecting the diversity and creativity that defines the British music scene. Let's take a look at the artists in the running to get an iconic Britannia statuette; this year designed by Gabriel Moses, based upon his Nigerian heritage and childhood home.

Charli XCX

It is by no means a surprise to see Charli XCX receive the most BRITs nominations this year, with a grand total of five categories across the board. The international success of her sixth album released last summer had the phrase, 'BRAT', on everyone's lips, sending everyone to night clubs. Let's just say a bet placed on Charli for Mastercard Album Of The Year and Artist Of The Year with Mastercard would be pretty safe. The moment in which Charli began teasing a remix of 'Guess' with none other than Billie Eilish is a spotlight memory for the entire summer. Jaws fell to the ground across the nation when watching the now iconic music video featuring both artists, so to see this song up for Song Of The Year With Mastercard feels absolutely justified. A surprising combination of nominations is that of both Dance Act and Pop Act, truly highlighting Charli's strength in blending genres and crashing down barriers in the music industry.

Dua Lipa

An artist who is no stranger to The BRIT Awards is Dua Lipa, with seven wins already under her belt. Lipa's third studio album, 'Radical Optimism' was perfectly timed for summer holidays -- which we can absolutely say from experience. This album was a great exploration of navigating life with a glass half full attitude, which makes her nominations in both Mastercard Album Of The Year and Artist Of The Year with Mastercard categories well deserved. Much like Charli, Dua has been also nominated for Pop Act; a great year for the girlies. And after watching her performance of 'Training Season' at The BRIT Awards last year, we can understand its placement in running for Song Of The Year With Mastercard.

Rachel Chinouriri

We absolutely adore Rachel Chinouriri at BVHQ -- if you've missed it, we released an album review of her debut album, 'What A Devastating Turn Of Events', and also featured her in our artists to watch in 2025. Seeing Rachel twice on this year's nominations list felt as though a close friend had been nominated. Fresh off releasing 'Even' with Cat Burns, yearning for the music industry to treat women of colour with the equal level of respect and opportunities, this award feels perfectly timed. To be nominated for Best New Artist, as well as Artist Of The Year with Mastercard in the same year is a huge achievement, and one fully deserving of personalised flowers from Adele. We'll be cheering Rachel on very, very loudly.

JADE

Having seen this artist previously win varying Britannias with her former group, Little Mix, we were so excited to see JADE on the nominees' list for this year's BRITs. With only four tracks under her solo artist belt, yet over 2.5 million listeners on Spotify, JADE is truly pathing the way for how to seamlessly transform into a solo artist after making a name for herself in the iconic girl group. JADE is building an incredible discography, blending dance, pop and electrical genres, to ensure she maintains her space in the music industry in solid concrete. This absolutely will not be the last time that we see JADE nominated for Best Pop Act, and as people who have heard her iconic single, 'Angel Of My Dreams', in a club, we absolutely advocate for its position in the Song Of The Year With Mastercard category.

RAYE

Last year, RAYE absolutely smashed the record for most BRITs won in one evening, racking up a grand total of six wins. In 2024, she released a seven-minute track entitled 'Genesis' with three separate sonic parts. That same year, she headlined BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (her first headline slot!), supported Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium, and released her second live album including tracks from her performance at Montreux Jazz Festival. For an artist who wasn't on an album press tour last year, RAYE absolutely remained in the public mind, performing on huge stages and hitting major milestones. For an artist who probably had to get new storage for her many BRIT awards last year, RAYE is a strong contender for Best R&B Act.

Lola Young

Lola Young is a name that seems to be present on every festival line-up for 2025 revealed so far including Parklife, BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend and Roskilde Festival, and for all the right reasons. The success of the single 'Messy' has opened up doors for Lola internationally, recently making her debut appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and just this month receive her first number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. Lola Young recently shared with fans at a New York performance that she considers herself "your favourite rapper's favourite artist." This sentiment aligns with her recent collaboration on Tyler, The Creator's latest album, CHROMAKOPIA, where she features on the track "Like Him." These credentials alone prove her growing reputation within the music industry, so her BRIT Award nomination for Pop Act is no surprise. We are witnessing this singer reach stardom in real time, this is certainly just the beginning.

Artemas

Anybody who has been online this year has surely heard 'i like the way you kiss me' by Artemas -- and now it has been nominated for Song Of The Year With Mastercard. We at BVHQ have watched Artemas soar in popularity since discovering his music in 2022, and since then he as really honed in on creating a sound that is so uniquely his own, taking the most exciting parts of artists like The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and Crystal Castles to name a few, to form his own genre. This track has been monumental in defining his career so far, debuting on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first time and featuring on Barack Obama's 2024 Summer Playlist (not many possess these bragging rights!) Artemas, and this song, have taken the world by storm, with Clash deeming it a 'glossy piece of hyper-futuristic pop' that 'bubbles with the coy thrills of attraction'. Still riding the wave of the commercial success, it seems like this won't be the last BRIT Awards nomination for Artemas.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is a one of a kind artist, and everything she touches turns to gold, or platinum. Enjoying a stint as the artist with the most monthly Spotify listeners internationally following the release of her third studio album 'HIT ME HARD AND SOFT', it has been a remarkable year for Billie. Her music has brought together generations of listeners who remain in awe of her artistry and ability to convey a bredth of emotion that hits the mark every time. 'BIRDS OF A FEATHER' has amassed nearly 2 billion streams on Spotify alone, peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and solidified its place as one of the year's defining songs. The track earning a nomination for International Song Of The Year feels like a natural choice. Overall, this year we have witnessed Billie further solidiy her icon status and become the most authentic version of herself. She has already been named Apple Music's 2024 Artist Of The Year, will she also win the BRIT Award for International Artist Of The Year?

Chappell Roan

Your favourite artists' favourite artist, Chappell Roan, everybody. Chappell has created buzz internationally over the last year, following the monumental breakthrough success of her 2023 album 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess', which became almost an overnight sensation months after its release. Her follow up single, 'Good Luck, Babe!', has only made the conversation surrounding her artistry increase, with everyone awaiting her every move. Roan even drew in the largest crowd ever at her Lollapalooza set this summer. Music is only one part of the DNA that makes up Chappell, with the use of drag and performance fashion also being just as important of a tool to perfect her 'Chappell' persona. Only she could pull off the Statue of Liberty inspired look which made heads turn at the 2024 Govenor's Ball. Everything that she embodies has superstar written all over her, so of course Chappell has been nominated for International Artist Of The Year and International Song Of The Year at this year's BRIT Awards.

Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter is the definition of Short n Sweet. We have seen the sheer talent she possessed, being lucky enough to attend her 'emails i can't send' tour in 2023, and more recently her slot at the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend 2024. Explosive releases like 'Espresso', 'Please Please Please' and 'Taste' have dominated the charts, gaining traction from supporting Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour, and embarking on the first leg of her 'Short 'n Sweet tour' are just some of the pivotal moments that have made Sabrina a true household name. She has been in the game for a long time, and the dedication to her craft is surely paying off, now nominated for International Song Of The Year and International Artist Of The Year at the BRIT Awards. That's that her!

Gareth Cattermole/TAS18/Getty Images for TAS)

Taylor Swift

If you wanted an easy bet, you should have chosen Taylor Swift as a nominee in both International Artist Of The Year and International Song Of The Year categories this year. Honestly, this artist needs no introduction as she continues to reach new heights and hits new world records every year. However, in the context of the BRITs, Swift made a huge impact to British swifties in 2024, bringing her iconic Eras Tour to Wembley Stadium for eight nights, spread across June and August -- making her the first solo artist to play the classic venue for eight times in a single tour. With surprise guests including Gracie Abrams, Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch, Jack Antonoff and even Travis Kelce, it's safe to say that she left a kiss mark on the country's capital. Will we be blessed with her presence at the awards show? Or potentially a Reputation (Taylor's Version) announcement?

Tyler, The Creator

Tyler, The Creator has had an incredible year with the success of his eighth studio album, 'CHROMAKOPIA'. Tracks like 'Hey Jane' and 'Like Him' resonated with fans immediately, offering a deeper, more introspective look at Tyler as both an artist and an individual, reflecting on ideas of parenthood, relationships and his own evolving perspective throughout his experiences. Features were initially removed from the track-list upon release, creating an interesting, and effective, strategy to allow fans to fully engage with the music and form their own interpretations of the music without any preconceptions. Listeners could view the album based on its merit alone, but this also made the big reveal of featured artists, including Lil Wayne, Lola Young and Doechii, interesting after online speculation grew. Tyler took to Instagram after the album's release to ask fans to share how the music sat with them individually, and the meanings of each track that they perceived throughout the listening experience. Opening a wider discussion like this not only engaged with the fans, but allowed a space to acknowledge how art can resonate for different, yet equally significant ways. Tyler has been nominated for International Artist Of The Year, and this album is a testament to his creative growth, and longevity as a recording artist.

Fontaines D.C.

An album that truly shaped our summer was Fontaines D.C.'s fourth studio album, 'Romance'. With infectious and unique singles like 'Starburster', 'Favourite' and 'Bug', even music lovers who weren't familiar with the Irish band's stunning discography were welcomed into the Fontaines D.C. world. Since its release, the band have received two GRAMMY nominations for their album and performance -- could we expect a clear sweep of wins for Fontaines D.C. this award season? This is a band that is unapologetically themselves regardless of trends and societal pressures on the music industry, so to see them nominated for International Group is a great addition to the category.

Jack Harlow

Jack Harlow remains fairly withdrawn from the public eye, but knows just when to return to the mainstream and release something set to shake up the charts. Harlow utilised social media app TikTok to effortlessly tease his comeback single, 'Lovin On Me', gaining millions of viewers eagerly anticipating its release. The track became an instant viral sensation, soaring to number 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart and firmly reminding the world exactly who Young Harleezy is. Lovin On Me received a glowing review from Vulture, praising its 'surprisingly nimble flow and impeccable beat selection' and that 'Harlow rides the pocket of the song's hyphy percussion with charismatic ease.' With the rollout this track had, it's no wonder that it has been recognised by the BRIT Awards with its nomination for International Song Of The Year.