BRIT Awards: Charli XCX leads nominations for Britain's pop music honours

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - Singer Charli XCX, whose album "Brat" inspired a cultural phenomenon last summer, leads nominations for Saturday's BRIT Awards in London, where the Beatles' last song is also competing for a prize at Britain's pop music honours.

Charli XCX has five nominations overall, including artist of the year, dance act and pop act, while her single "Guess", featuring Billie Eilish, is up for song of the year.

"Brat", which inspired fans to film themselves dancing to its tracks and whose lime green cover look was adopted by U.S. presidential hopeful Kamala Harris' campaign on social media after the singer referenced her in a post, will compete for the coveted album of the year prize.

The 32-year-old pop star won her first BRIT, songwriter of the year, earlier this week. Her longtime collaborator A.G. Cook was named producer of the year.

"Charli's songwriting is distinctive, bold and relentlessly innovative, and, having been one of the UK's leading songwriters for a number of years now, has taken her craft to new heights with her global phenomenon 'Brat'," Damian Christian, chair of the BRIT Committee for 2025, said in a statement.

Also up for best album are singer Dua Lipa's "Radical Optimism", jazz quintet Ezra Collective for "Dance, No One’s Watching" and indie rock band The Last Dinner Party's "Prelude to Ecstasy". All three acts have four nominations each.

Completing the list is "Songs Of A Lost World" by The Cure, who were last nominated for a BRIT award in 1993, and are also in the running for group of the year and best alternative/rock act.

The Beatles, who were last nominated at the inaugural 1977 BRIT Awards, are contenders for song of the year with "Now And Then".

Billed as the last Beatles song, the single features the voice of late member John Lennon and was developed using artificial intelligence. It also features parts recorded by surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as the late George Harrison.

The BRITs feature gender neutral categories with 10 nominees for both artist and international artist of the year, after organisers doubled the number following criticism, including from Charli XCX, over an-all male list of best artist contenders at the 2023 awards.

Among those nominated for international artist of the year are Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar.

"Espresso" singer Carpenter has already been named as the first international recipient of the global success award, which recognises artists with "phenomenal global sales", following in the footsteps of One Direction, Adele, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith.