Brit Award nominations 2019: The 1975, Little Mix, George Ezra and Jorja Smith among nominees

The 2019 Brit nominations have been announced, with George Ezra, Little Mix, Jess Glynne, Dua Lipa and Jorja Smith among the most recognised acts.

Glynne and Smith are competing against Florence + the Machine, Anne-Marie and Lily Allen for Best British Female, while Ezra is nominated for Best British Male along with Sam Smith, Craig David, Aphex Twin and Giggs.

Smith, who won the Critics’ Choice award in 2018, is also in the running for British Breakthrough this year, as are singers Ella Mai, Tom Walker and Mabel, and punk rock band Idles.

Over in the British Group category, Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Years & Years, The 1975 and Little Mix have all been recognised.

The 1975 are also up for the most prestigious award of the night, for Best Album, with their latest record A Brief Enquiry into Online Relationships. Rounding off the five nominees are Florence + the Machine (High as Hope), Ezra (Staying at Tamara’s), Smith (​Lost and Found​) and Anne-Marie (Speak Your Mind).

This year’s set of nominations is largely female-led, with more women acts than men up for awards in the Best Single, Video, Breakthrough and Album categories. There also appears to be more of an attempt to acknowledge genres other than rock and pop, reflected in nods for rapper Giggs, R&B singers Jorja Smith and Ella Mai, electronic artist Aphex Twin and jazz musician Kamasi Washington.

The Brits take place on 20 February in a ceremony at the O2 Arena in London and will be broadcast live on ITV. Jack Whitehall will reprise his role as host for the evening, and there will be a number of performances across the night.

In the nominations announcement, which was aired on ITV and presented by Clara Amfo, singer-songwriter Sam Fender was presented with the Critics’ Choice award, after being revealed as the winner in December last year.

“I think the Brits are very aware that things needed to improve, and I’ve seen a purposeful change in who’s chucked into the ring [over the past few years],”Amfo told The Independent. “Across genres, across gender lines… clearly it’s a very female-led year, which I’m very happy about. Women have been making great music, we’ve been loud, and I’m glad that’s being acknowledged.”

Here are the nominations in full:

Best British Female

Florence + the Machine
Jorja Smith
Anne-Marie
Lily Allen
Jess Glynne

Best British Male

Sam Smith
Craig David
Aphex Twin
Giggs
George Ezra

Best British Single

“One Kiss” – Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris 
“Shotgun” – George Ezra
“These Days” – Jess Glynne, Rudimental, Macklemore and Dan Caplan
“IDGAF” – Dua Lipa
“2002” – Anne-Marie
“Solo” – Clean Bandit ft Demi Lovato
“Lullaby” – Paloma Faith, Sigala
“Barking” – Ramz
“I’ll Be There” – Jess Glynne
“Light On” – Tom Walker

Breakthrough Artist

Mabel
Idles
Ella Mai
Tom Walker
Jorja Smith

Best Group

Arctic Monkeys
Gorillaz
The 1975
Little Mix
Years & Years

Best Video

“2002” – Anne-Marie
“One Kiss” – Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris
“Solo” – Clean Bandit ft Demi Lovato
“IDGAF” – Dua Lipa
“Breathe” – Jax Jones ft Ina Wroldsen
“Rise” – Jonas Blue ft Jack & Jack
“For You” – Liam Payne, Rita Ora
“Woman Like Me” – Little Mix
“Let You Love Me” – Rita Ora
“These Days” – Rudimental, Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplan

Best International Group

The Carters
First Aid Kit
Brockhampton
Nile Rodgers and Chic
Twenty One Pilots

Best International Male Solo

Drake
Eminem
Kamasi Washington
Shawn Mendes
Travis Scott

Best International Female Solo

Cardi B
Camila Cabello
Christine and the Queens
Ariana Grande
Janelle Monáe

Album of the Year

Lost and Found – Jorja Smith
A Brief Enquiry into Online Relationships – The 1975
High as Hope – Florence + the Machine
Speak Your Mind – Anne-Marie
Staying at Tamara’s – George Ezra

The 39th annual Brit Awards take place on 20 February 2019