Raye leads nominations at BRIT Awards

Music stars gather in London on Saturday for the annual BRIT Awards, Britain's pop music honours, where singer-songwriter Raye leads nominations with a record seven nods and the Rolling Stones and Blur are also contenders for prizes.

Raye is nominated in the awards' top categories: artist of the year, album of the year for My 21st Century Blues and song of the year for Escapism.

The 26-year-old is also up for the genre categories pop act and R&B act as well as best new artist, with her tally breaking the record for the most nominations by a single artist in any one year, according to ceremony organisers, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Raye, who parted ways with her record label in 2021 to work as an independent artist after she said the label had withheld her debut album, began early celebrations this week, when she was named BRITs Songwriter of the Year. She is the first woman to win the award since its launch in 2022.

Rappers Central Cee and J Hus both have four nominations, including for artist of the year, a gender neutral category now counting 10 nominees after organisers doubled its number following an outcry over an-all male list of contenders last year.

More than half, 55 per cent, of this year's nominations feature women - either as a solo artist or as part of an all-woman group, the BPI said.

Dua Lipa has three nominations: artist of the year, pop act and song of the year for Dance The Night from box office smash Barbie.

Blur also have three nods: for album The Ballad of Darren, group of the year and alternative/rock act.

They face competition in that category from veterans The Rolling Stones, who last year released Hackney Diamonds - their first album of original material since 2005 and the first recording since drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021.

The international artist of the year category also now counts 10 nominees with Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, SZA, Burna Boy and Kylie Minogue among the contenders.

Minogue, who like Raye and Lipa will perform at Saturday's show, has been named as this year's BRITs Global Icon.

Indie rock band The Last Dinner Party have already been revealed as winners of the rising star award.