Raye leads the shortlists for this year’s Brit Awards with a record seven nominations – after leaving her label and taking a gamble as an independent artist.
The singer-songwriter is up for prizes including best new artist, artist of the year, and album of the year for her debut record, My 21st Century Blues, and also has two entries in the song of the year category.
Image: Dua Lipa, who is up for three awards, will perform once again at the ceremony. Pic: Brit Awards
Rayedescribed it as a “miracle” after it was announced she has broken the Brit Awards record for the most nominations received by a single artist in any one year. The record was previously six and was jointly held by Robbie Williams (1999), Craig David (2001) and Gorillaz (2002).
“A year-and-a-half ago as far as the industry was concerned, I was down and out,” she said. “The ultimate goal was to find my way somehow to the Brit Awards.”
In a message to her fans, she added: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Image: Central Cee has four nominations. Pic: Brit Awards
Image: J Hus is also nominated for four Brit Awards in 2024. Pic: Brit Awards
Central Cee and J Hus follow Raye with four nominations each, while Blur, Calvin Harris, Dave, Little Simz, Olivia Dean, Young Fathers and four-time winner Dua Lipa – the first star to be revealed as one of the performers on the night this year – are all up for three awards.
Blur’s The Ballad Of Darren, J Hus’s Beautiful And Brutal Yard, Little Simz’s No Thank You and Young Fathers’ Heavy Heavy compete with Raye for the album of the year award, while Little Simz and J Hus also join her on the shortlist for artist of the year.
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What is the gender balance this year?
Image: Olivia Dean is up for three awards, including artist of the year. Pic: Brit Awards
More than half (55%) of this year’s nominations feature women – either as a solo artist or as part of female groups – rising to 57% when women in mixed-gender groups are included.
Dua Lipa also makes the shortlist for best artist, along with Central Cee, Dave, Fred Again.., Arlo Parks, Jessie Ware and Olivia Dean – and in the best group category, Blur and Chase & Status are up against Headie One & K-Trap, Jungle and Young Fathers.
Image: Young Fathers are in the running for three prizes, including group of the year. Pic: Brit Awards
Image: Blur are also nominated for three gongs. Pic: Reuben Bastienne-Lewis/Brit Awards
Many of these names appear again on the song of the year shortlist of 15 tracks – with Central Cee, like Raye, also making the list twice, and Lewis Capaldi‘s Wish You The Best, Ed Sheeran‘s Eyes Closed, and Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s Miracle among the hits recognised.
Up against Raye for best new artist are Mahalia, Olivia Dean, PinkPantheress and Yussef Dayes.
International stars up for awards
Image: Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?, from the Barbie soundtrack, is up for international song of the year. Pic: Reuters/Mike Blake
In the international categories, Burna Boy, Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are among the solo stars in the running, while Foo Fighters, Paramore and Gabriel are included in the bands shortlisted for international group of the year.
Billie Eilish‘s What Was I Made For?, Tyla’s Water, Cyrus’s Flowers, Noah Kahan’s Stick Season and SZA’s Kill Bill are among the tracks up for international song of the year.
The number of genre categories – which are voted for by the public – has been expanded this year, with fans now able to choose their favourite alternative/rock act, pop act, RnB act, dance act, and hip-hop/grime/rap act.
Becky Hill, Charli XCX, Romy, Barry Can’t Swim, Casisdead, Mahalia, Jorja Smith and Cleo Sol are among the additional artists up for awards in these categories.
This year also sees the first Brit nomination for The Rolling Stonesin more than a decade – for best alternative/rock act, thanks to their chart-topping comeback in October – with the band having been nominated four times previously in 1977, 1995, 1996 and 2013.
Indie-rock group The Last Dinner Party – Abigail Morris, Lizzie Mayland, Emily Roberts, Georgia Davies and Aurora Nishevci – have already been revealed as the winners of the rising star award, which recognises up-and-coming talent.
They follow in the footsteps of the likes of Adele, Florence & The Machine, Sam Smith, Sam Fender, Celeste and last year’s winners FLO, who all picked up the prize as they were getting started in their careers.
Meanwhile, the winners of the songwriter of the year and producer of the year awards will be revealed over the coming weeks, along with other show announcements, ahead of the ceremony at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday 2 March.
Snoop Dogg says he hopes to set up a burger van at Celtic’s stadium and wants to serve fans himself.
The US rapper, 53, has described the football club’s supporters as “special” and the best fans in European football.
And Snoop, who played Glasgow‘s OVO Hydro arena in 2023, has also said he strongly identifies with the club’s mascot Hoopy the Hound.
He said a fast-food van at Celtic Park would become a foodie “Paradise” which is a nickname for the ground in the Parkhead area of the city.
Image: Celtic Park. Pic: AP
Snoop told the Sunday Mail: “I would love to bring a pop-up burger [van] to a sports stadium to show fans that food at stadiums can be good.
“It’s got to be Celtic Park, man. The secret to a good burger is the love in the preparation. The ground beef has got to be mixed with some secret spices, then add a good quality cheese and some maple-cured bacon.
“The Celtic fans are gonna love it, and to make sure they are just right, Snoop is going to be serving them himself.”
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But he said he would not be taking his culinary ventures to Rangers – Celtic’s Old Firm rivals at Ibrox.
The Drop It Like It’s Hot star told the paper: “Am I going to bring my burgers to Rangers as well? Nah, I think we will give that a miss.”
The musician has previously spoken of investing in Celtic, similar to Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds’s involvement with Wrexham FC.
Snoop has already published a cookbook and claims to have spoken to chef Gordon Ramsay about a possible venture in Glasgow together.
The keen sports fan worked as a correspondent for NBC at the Paris Olympics last year, and has launched two youth football leagues, as well as being a vocal advocate for pay equality for female athletes.
Dawn French has apologised and taken down a video she posted about the war in Gaza after facing backlash.
The popular actress and comedian said she apologised “unreservedly” after posting a video in a “mocking tone”.
In the original 40-second clip, the Vicar of Dibley star said: “Complicated, no, but nuanced. But bottom line is no.”
Then, using a different tone, she went on: “Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to us, yeah but no.
“But we want that land… and we have history… No.
“Those people aren’t really even people, are they really? No.”
On Saturday afternoon, she issued an apology, saying that in an effort to convey “an important message” she had “clumsily used a mocking tone”.
“My intention was NEVER to mock, or dismiss, or diminish the horror of what happened on 7 October 2023,” she posted on X and Instagram.
She said her intention was to “point the finger of shame at the behaviour of the cruel leader on ALL sides of this atrocious war”.
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Actress Tracy-Ann Oberman said she was “saddened” by it.
She said: “This mocking voice ‘bad thing’ of October 7 that Dawn (who I revere by the way) appears ro [sic] be mocking involved the most horrific terrorist attack.”
MP Rosie Duffield responded to Oberman’s post, saying: “One can, and should hate what is happening in Gaza and also condemn the hideous events of October 7th.
“It is agonising to see events unfold, and requires extremely careful, measured and well-considered comments and actions. This is not that.”
Some social media users tried to pressure M&S, who French voices adverts for, over the incident.
In October 2023, Hamas led other militant groups in a cross-border attack, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 people hostage.
Since then, Israel has launched a number of large-scale campaigns in the region, including in Gaza where over 54,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave.
Many of these are said to be women and children.
Israel claims to be targeting militants and blames collateral deaths on Hamas fighters positioning themselves in densely populated areas.
Sir Rod Stewart says he is devastated to have to cancel a series of US concerts, blaming lingering flu for the decision.
It affects four shows in Nevada, along with a further two in California, which he plans to reschedule.
They were due to take place over the next eight days.
“So sorry my friends. I’m devastated and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience to my fans. I’ll be back on stage and will see you soon,” he wrote in a message on Instagram.
Sir Rod, 80, has been struggling to recover from flu and this week had already cancelled two concerts at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, he disclosed that his doctor had “ordered” him to take “a bit more rest”.
The star is in the midst of his epic One Last Time Tour.
In May, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the American Music Awards (AMAs).
Image: Sir Rod performing at the 2025 American Music Awards in Las Vegas. Pic: Reuters
In a sign of how seriously the singer takes his health, last month he was also spotted in Italy attempting to avoid conversations to preserve his voice.
He wore a message attached to a lanyard which read: “Sorry. Cannot talk. Having vocal rest.”
In 2024, he promised he would not retire but confirmed his 2025 European and North American shows would bring an end to his “large-scale world tours”.
The performer, best known for songs including Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?, Every Beat Of My Heart, and Maggie May, said he plans to focus on more intimate venues instead.
Sir Rod has faced other health challenges in the past.
In May 2000, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had surgery. In 2017, he underwent successful treatment for prostate cancer.