From ‘brat’ to The Beatles: The BRIT Awards 2025 nominees

45 years in, the BRIT Awards remains one of the most eagerly anticipated nights in British music; due to take the O2 by storm on March 1, the 2025 nominee list flaunts home-grown icons who’ve smashed the mould and flourished internationally. With some harsh international snubs, young rising stars, The Beatles’ vintage Liverpudlian pride, and Charli xcx’s relentless party girl energy, the 2025 BRITs will be a must-watch.

brat summer resurrects itself from Ibiza beaches as Charli xcx sweeps across the board with five nominations, falling just short of RAYE’s record-breaking seven nominations and six wins in 2024. xcx is joined by pop legend Dua Lipa for a ‘Best Album’ shout, despite Lipa’s Radical Optimism receiving middling reviews and a less-than-optimistic 19 weeks in the UK Top 100, compared to the 220 weeks of her 2020 release Future Nostalgia. Both trail-blazing Brits are also vying for the coveted ‘Best Artist’ award, competing against the likes of 2025’s dominating grime artist, Central Cee, and indie-rock darling Beabadoobee.

This year’s show also promises a farewell tribute to the late Liam Payne, a central member of another of Britain’s most successful and best-loved groups for his six-year stint in One Direction

Central Cee has equally steep competition for ‘Best Hip Hop/Grime/ Rap Act’, facing off against household name and three-time BRIT winner Stormzy and rap icon Little Simz – the only woman to be nominated in the category.

This trend is particularly noticeable in both the British and international ‘Group of the Year’ categories, with only three of the ten nominated groups featuring at least one female artist. Trailblazing for women in the category are 2024 BRIT ‘Rising Talent’ winners The Last Dinner Party, who reached the UK Top 20 with the quirky track ‘Nothing Matters’ and are now battling for ‘Best New Artist’. Another noteworthy entry in the ‘Group of the Year’ category is Brit icons The Cure, receiving their first nomination in over 30 years for their critically acclaimed first EP since 2008 – Songs Of A Lost World.

They aren’t the only vintage act receiving nods amongst a sea of Gen-Z and Millennial stars, with The Beatles receiving their first nomination since 1983 with 2023’s ‘Now and Then’. This AI-aided psychedelic single could secure The Beatles their first win since 1977 ‘s ‘Best British Group’ and ‘Best Album’ for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club neatly concluding the final chapter of one of Britain’s most iconic acts.

This year’s show also promises a farewell tribute to the late Liam Payne, a central member of another of Britain’s most successful and best-loved groups for his six-year stint in One Direction. Payne, who won seven BRITs with the band, would join the likes of British music royalty David Bowie and George Micheal in being honoured during the globally broadcast event.

If there ever was a year to tune in to the BRITs – it’s this one

Whilst some international acts, not least of all two-time nominee Chappell Roan, have been whole-heartedly embraced by the BRITs, there have been some noticeable snubs, including rapper Doechii who competed for ‘Best Artist’ at the 2025 Grammys. Despite her omnipresence on both radio waves and cinema screens for the entirety of last year, Ariana Grande also falls short of a ‘Best International Artist’ nod following the release of Eternal Sunshine – a revelation swiftly recuperated by her Oscar nomination.

Charli xcx once again dominates the campaign for ‘Best Song’ with one of 2025’s most memorable collaborations ‘Guess featuring Billie Eilish’, tailed by Stormzy with his energetic Chase & Status collab ‘Backbone’ and JADE’s ‘Angel of My Dreams’ – her first solo nomination since leaving three-time BRIT winning group Little Mix. Standing amongst these industry giants is YouTube’s not-so-golden boy KSI, also known for his Prime business collaborations with Logan Paul, who received a ‘Best Song’ nomination for his Trippie Redd collaboration and TikTok favourite single ‘Thick Of It’.

Wielding the brightest spotlight in British music, March 1 sees four-time host Jack Whitehall set to present the nation’s most iconic vintage icons, rising stars, and the world’s favourite Brit brat; if there ever was a year to tune in to the BRITs – it’s this one.