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Ex-boybander Harry Styles and Isle of Wight indie rock band Wet Leg lead this year’s Brit Awards race, with four nods each.

Pop megastar Styles played a large part in boosting music industry sales last year, with his smash hit As It Was, spending 10 consecutive weeks at number one on the Official Singles Chart and becoming the only track to surpass 180 million streams during 2022, according to analysis of Official Charts data by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Harry Styles performing on the main stage during the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend at the War Memorial Park in Coventry. Picture date: Sunday May 29, 2022.
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Styles played a big part in boosting the music industry last year

Wet Leg are among the 2022 Mercury Prize nominees. Pic: Hollie Fernando
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Wet Leg – Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Pic: Hollie Fernando

Styles was also behind 2022’s top album with his Grammy and Mercury shortlisted Harry’s House.

Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg – Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers – have had massive critical and commercial success since signing with their record label in 2021, with their debut single Chaise Longue going viral.

They were shortlisted for last year’s Mercury Prize, nabbed five nominations at this year’s Grammys, and count Barack Obama and Iggy Pop as fans.

South London singer Cat Burns, whose song Go went viral on TikTok last year and was the fourth most streamed single of the year, received three nominations.

Stormzy, Fred Again and The 1975 also got three nods.

Central Cee, George Ezra, Arctic Monkeys, Nova Twins, Aitch, Dave, Eliza Rose, Beyonce, Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith all received two nods each.

The nominations were announced online by presenters Vick Hope and Jack Saunders.

Brits rising star 2023 nominee Cat Burns
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South London singer Cat Burns

There are a host of first-time nominees in the mix, including four-piece K-Pop girl group Blackpink, Cat Buns, Eliza Rose, Nova Twins, Sam Ryder, Jack Harlow and Kojey Radical.

Speaking in a pre-recorded video during the nomination reveal, best new artist nominee Rina Sawayama – who was born in Japan but moved to the UK with her parents aged five – admitted she hadn’t initially been eligible to be part of the awards because she didn’t have a British passport, but said that after campaigning the rules were changed to allow her to take part.

R&B girl group FLO – featuring Renee, Jorja and Stella – had already been announced as the winner of the highly coveted rising star award, following in the footsteps of the likes of Adele, Sam Smith and Celeste.

The Brits announced that they would be scrapping their male and female award categories in 2021, going gender-neutral in an attempt to make their music prize more inclusive.

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Four public voted genre awards introduced last year – Alternative/Rock, Dance, Hip Hop/Grime/Rap and Pop/R&B – will also be continuing this year.

Mo Gilligan will be hosting the Brits, after making his debut last year, which he called “one of he most phenomenal moments of my life”.

The first acts who will perform on the night were also announced, with Wet Leg on the bill as well as a duet from Sam Smith and Kim Petras.

For the first time the ceremony will take place on a Saturday, in a bid to reach a wider audience.

Blackpink, from left, Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie, and Ros.. arrive at the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, in Newark, N.J. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
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Blackpink, from left, Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie, and Rose

The awards follows a stellar performance from British music in 2022, with last year’s UK recorded music consumption increasing for the eighth consecutive year.

The 2023 BRIT Awards takes place on Saturday 11 February at the O2 Arena and will be broadcast live on ITV and ITVX.

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Glastonbury Festival announces changes to ticket buying process

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Glastonbury Festival announces changes to ticket buying process

Glastonbury is changing the way fans can buy tickets for the world-famous festival.

While the booking process itself will remain the same, the way people join it is different.

Organisers warned hopefuls to log in “at least a few minutes” before the sale opens on 14 November, to avoid refreshing the page and not to attempt to game the system by using multiple devices.

Fans must be registered by 5pm GMT on Monday 11 November.

Tickets for the annual event at Worthy Farm in Somerset cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, and are sold exclusively through the See Tickets website, with no third-party sellers involved.

The sale follows chaos earlier this year when tickets for the Oasis reunion went on sale, seeing a multitude of disappointed fans as well as those who felt cheated after being charged hundreds of pounds more for their tickets than was originally advertised.

The festival website explains: “Rather than refreshing the holding page to attempt to access the booking page, this year, when the ticket sale begins (at 6pm or 9am respectively) everyone who is already on the glastonbury.seetickets.com page will randomly be assigned a place in a queue to access the booking process.

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“Anyone who logs on once the sale has started will automatically be added to the back of the queue, so it’s important to make sure you are online ready at least a few minutes before the sale opens.

“Once you are in the queue, a progress bar will indicate how close you are to reaching the booking page.

“Please do not refresh this page or use multiple devices or tabs or you may lose your place in the queue.”

Pic: Glastonbury Festival website
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Pic: Glastonbury Festival website

Once fans reach the front of the queue and enter their registration details, they will be able to purchase a maximum of six tickets – but they will not have long to do so.

The site warns: “You will have 10 minutes to complete this page before your session expires, however tickets are not allocated at this point.”

It also cautions: “Do not attempt to minimise the tab or open new tabs. If you move away from the tab you are on your session may expire”.

The advice also says that if the amount of traffic on the website is particularly high, users may see a “reduced version of the See Tickets booking site, with a minimal holding page”.

It adds: “This does not mean the site has crashed”.

The crowd at Coldplay's headline set at Glastonbury Festival. Pic: PA
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The crowd at Coldplay’s 2024 headline set at Glastonbury Festival. Pic: PA

The site discourages users from using multiple devices to increase their chances of getting tickets, warning it could actively harm getting through.

It says: “Refreshing the page, using multiple tabs or many devices can look like suspicious behaviour and can harm your chances of getting through by triggering anti-bot software; therefore you must stick to one tab/device per IP address and please do not refresh your page once you are in the queue”.

One exception to the refresh rule is if the message, “All available tickets have now been allocated” pops up, at which point refreshing the page will mean any orders that haven’t been processed will go back on sale, and so may become available to buy.

Once the message “SOLD OUT” appears, it’s game over, and no more tickets will be released back for sale.

Festival-goers leaving at the end of the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture date: Monday July 1, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SHOWBIZ Glastonbury. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
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Festival-goers leaving this year’s event. Pic: PA

There will be another chance, however, when any returned tickets go on resale in the spring, offering festival fans a second bite of the cherry.

While next year’s acts won’t be announced until after tickets go on sale, Oasis have already ruled themselves out of performing, telling fans: “Despite media speculation, Oasis will not be playing Glastonbury 2025 or any other festivals next year. The only way to see the band perform will be on their Oasis Live ’25 World Tour.”

2026 is likely to be a fallow year for Glastonbury (a year off), with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.

Glastonbury Festival takes place from 25 to 29 June 2025.

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Taylor Swift ‘shares extremely important reminder’ to her fans on US election

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Taylor Swift 'shares extremely important reminder' to her fans on US election

Taylor Swift has given a “friendly but extremely important reminder” to her American fans to vote in the presidential election.

The neck-and-neck race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – which is believed to be the closest since 2000 – has seen US stars throw their weight behind both candidates.

It had been widely speculated that Swift would appear at Ms Harris’s final rally in Pennsylvania – where the 34-year-old singer grew up.

However, the Shake It Off singer was at Arrowhead Stadium to support her boyfriend – NFL star Travis Kelce – who was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

US election latest: Voting begins for millions of Americans

Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga were the big names alongside Ms Harris at her final big event.

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Swift’s election reminder came in a post she shared on the eve of polling night, celebrating the wrap of the US leg of her Eras Tour, and sharing images from her last three gigs.

In the Instagram post, the singer wrote: “Thank you to everyone who came out to see us on our last three American shows.

“And here’s a friendly but extremely important reminder that tomorrow is the US election and your last chance to vote.”

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She will pick up her tour in Canada next week, with six shows in Toronto and three in Vancouver.

Her record-breaking shows – which have boosted the economy around the globe – will wrap on 8 December.

Swift publicly confirmed her support for Ms Harris in September, sharing the message on social media: “I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”

At the time, Swift also shared links to information on how to register to vote and find out early voting dates, reminding voters: “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make”.

Shared with a photo of the star cuddling one of her beloved cats, she signed off her post “Childless Cat Lady,” in a nod to Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance’s now infamous 2021 remarks.

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Quincy Jones: Oprah Winfrey, Elton John and Barack Obama among famous figures paying tribute to music legend

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Quincy Jones: Oprah Winfrey, Elton John and Barack Obama among famous figures paying tribute to music legend

Oprah Winfrey, Sir Elton John and Barack Obama among the famous figures who have paid tribute to Quincy Jones following his death at the age of 91.

Following the announcement of his death on Monday, a string of friends, collaborators and admirers have been speaking out to praise the music producer and composer.

TV host Oprah Winfrey said her life “changed forever for the better” after meeting Jones as he helped secure her role in the 1985 film adaptation of The Colour Purple, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Jones, the jazz musician known for collaborating with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, wrote the film score and also co-produced the film.

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Quincy Jones dies aged 91

Winfrey wrote on Instagram: “My beloved Q. The world’s beloved Q. The one and only Quincy Jones ‘discovered’ me for The Color Purple movie in 1985. My life changed forever for the better after meeting him.

“I had never experienced, nor have since, anyone who’s heart was so filled with love.

“He walked around with his heart wide open, and he treated everybody as if they were the most important person he’d ever met. He was the Light. No shadows.

“He was love lived out loud in human form and he was the first person I ever loved unconditionally.”

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10 things about Quincy Jones

Whoopi Goldberg, who was also in The Colour Purple, also wrote on Instagram: “I was lucky enough to have him in my life for all these years.

“My heart is breaking for his friends and his extended family who loved and adored him… my condolences.”

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Quincy Jones’s best-known collaborations

Former US president Barack Obama, who honoured Jones with the US National Medal of Arts in 2010, said: “For decades, Quincy Jones was music.

“From producing Thriller, to composing the score for The Color Purple, to working with Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles, it seemed like every big record – and every big film – had Quincy’s name on it.

“His music appealed to listeners of every race and every age. And by building a career that took him from the streets of Chicago to the heights of Hollywood, Quincy paved the way for generations of Black executives to leave their mark on the entertainment business.”

U.S. President Barack Obama congratulates musician, composer, record producer, and arranger Quincy Jones after presenting the 2010 National Medal of Arts during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 2, 2011. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT)
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Barack Obama honoured Quincy Jones with the US National Medal of Arts in 2010. Pic: Reuters

He added: “Michelle and I send our thoughts to Quincy’s friends, family, and everyone who has lived their lives to his songs.”

Sir Elton John remembered Jones as someone who had a more “incredible” career in music than anyone else.

He shared a photo with him at the Elton John Aids Foundation Oscar viewing party, and called him a “loyal supporter of this important fundraiser”.

The singer added: “Nobody had a career as incredible as Quincy Jones. He played with the best and he produced the best. What a guy. Loved him.”

Rapper Ice T hailed Jones as a “genius”, while US Grammy-winner Lenny Kravitz said he was “speechless”, but added: “What a life. What an expression of authenticity. What a teacher. I am humbled that I was given the gift of your openness and friendship”.

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Singers react to death of ‘hero’ Quincy Jones

Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland thanked Jones for being “such a wonderful teacher” and creating the soundtrack to “some of the most extraordinary moments” in her life.

Jones also helped to launch and was an executive producer on the popular US sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, starring Will Smith.

Jones with his daughter Rashida Jones and Will Smith in 2007. Pic: Reuters
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Jones with his daughter, actress Rashida Jones, and Will Smith in 2007. Pic: Reuters

Smith said: “Quincy Jones is the true definition of a mentor, a father and a friend. He pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me.

“He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly.”

Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers, who was friends with Jones, shared a video that said “Rest In Power Quincy Jones. The Greatest of All Time”.

Peter Hook, the bassist and co-founder of Joy Division and New Order, wrote on social media: “It’s so sad to hear about Quincy Jones. When he signed us to his label, he made us feel so welcome – inviting us to dinner at his home every time we were in town.

“He made us big in America. He was so humble & sweet that you immediately fell in love with him.”

Hook added: “And to this day I still got a lovely message from him every year on Christmas and birthday cards! A musical genius and a great, lovely man.”

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