Singers Lola Young, Olivia Dean lead BRIT Awards nominations

LONDON – Young talent led nominations for the BRIT Awards on Wednesday, with singers Olivia Dean and Lola Young receiving five nods each for Britain’s pop music honours.

Young, 25, was recognised for artist of the year, breakthrough artist, alt/rock act and pop act, while her chart-topping hit “Messy” is up for song of the year.

Dean, 26, is also a contender in that category with two tracks “Man I Need” and “Rein Me In”, a collaboration with rocker Sam Fender. She is also nominated for artist of the year, pop act and album of the year for her record “The Art of Loving”.

Fender, 31, has three additional nods: artist of the year, alt/rock act and album of the year for “People Watching”.

Rappers Dave and Jim Legxacy, singer Lily Allen and producer Fred again… have three nominations each.

“It’s fantastic to see British talent doing so well across the board, especially a next generation of brilliant artists who have broken through with such impact on the global stage in the past 12 months led by Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Sam Fender, PinkPantheress, Skye Newman, among others,” Jo Twist, chief executive of the BRITs organisers, the British Phonographic Industry, said in a statement.

Around 70% of the nominations feature women and non-binary people as solo artists or in mixed groups, organisers said, adding that was “the highest representation of women and non-binary people yet”.

British band Pulp, who found fame in the mid-1990s Britpop wave, are in the running for group of the year, their first nomination since 1996. The band topped the charts last year with “More”, their first album since 2001.

Movies were also recognised with actor Cynthia Erivo nominated for song of the year for her rendition of “Wicked” track “Defying Gravity”, while “Golden”, from Netflix phenomenon “KPop Demon Hunter”, is up for international song of the year.

This year’s BRIT Awards will be held in the northern English city of Manchester on February 28.