LONDON - 28-year-old James Blunt, who served in the British Army in Kosovo, dominated the Brits Awards nominations garnering five nominations including that of the best male and the best album. Rock group Kaiser Chiefs also picked up five nominations in the Awards, which were launched at the Riverside Studios last evening.
Blunt was nominated for his album Back to Bedlam and for the single You're Beautiful, which topped the charts for most of the year. He was also nominated in the best pop act and breakthrough act categories.
The Kaiser Chiefs had a great year in 2005 and have been nominated for their album Employment. They also opened the Philadelphia Live 8 concert last year that was organized as a part of the Make Poverty History campaign launched by Bob Geldof.
The Kaiser Chiefs have won nominations in the best group, live act, rock act and breakthrough act categories. Coldplay have gathered four nominations, while pop icon Madonna has three nominations, the same number as Canadian indie band Arcade Fire. Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall is the surprise among nominees with three nominations for the best female artist, breakthrough act and live act categories. Robbie Williams has been nominated in the best male artist category for his Intensive Care and has a chance to win a record 15th Brit award.
Ricky Wilson, lead singer of Kaiser Chiefs said that they deserved their nominations, "I'm not saying that we're not shocked, but do not think people out there will be. I don't see James Blunt as our main rival - we're like chalk and cheese," he commented.
The complete list of nominations as released yesterday is as follows:
British male solo artist
Antony and the Johnsons
Ian Brown
James Blunt
Robbie Williams
Will Young
British female artist
Charlotte Church
Kate Bush
Katie Melua
KT Tunstall
Natasha Bedingfield
British group
Coldplay
Franz Ferdinand
Gorillaz
Hard-Fi
Kaiser Chiefs
MasterCard British Album
Coldplay X&Y
Gorillaz Demon Days
James Blunt Back to Bedlam
Kaiser Chiefs Employment
Kate Bush Aerial
British single
Winner chosen by UK Commercial Radio listeners
Coldplay Speed of Sound
James Blunt You're Beautiful
Shayne Ward That's My Goal
Sugababes Push the Button
Tony Christie ft Peter Kay (is This The Way To) Amarillo
British breakthrough act
Winner chosen by Radio 1 listeners
Arctic Monkeys
James Blunt
Kaiser Chiefs
KT Tunstall
The Magic Numbers
British urban act
Winner chosen by MTV:Base viewers
Craig David
Dizzee Rascal
Kano
Lemar
Ms Dynamite
British rock
Winner chosen by Kerrang! TV viewers
Franz Ferdinand
Hard-Fi
Kaiser Chiefs
Kasabian
Oasis
British live act
Nominees chosen by a panel of experts in association with The Live Music Forum. Winner chosen by Radio 2 listeners
Coldplay
Kaiser Chiefs
Franz Ferdinand
KT Tunstall
Oasis
Pop Act
Winner chosen by CD:UK viewers; The Sun Bizarre columnr eaders and customers of O2 and Motorola
James Blunt
Katie Melua
Kelly Clarkson
Madonna
Westlife
International male artist
Beck
Bruce Springsteen
Jack Johnson
John Legend
Kanye West
International female artist
Björk
Kelly Clarkson
Madonna
Mariah Carey
Missy Elliot
International group
Arcade Fire
Black Eyed Peas
Green Day
U2
White Stripes
International album
Arcade Fire Funeral
Green Day American Idiot
Kanye West Late Registration
Madonna Confessions on a Dancefloor
U2 How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
International breakthrough act
Arcade Fire
Daniel Powter
Jack Johnson
John
Pussycat Dolls
Oustanding contribution to music
Paul Weller
