Olivia Dean and Lola Young have each received five nominations for the 2026 Brit Awards, cementing their status at the forefront of British pop. The singer-songwriters are among the most nominated artists at this year’s ceremony, which will take place at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena on 28 February and be broadcast on ITV with Jack Whitehall hosting. Jarvis Cocker is also set to appear, returning 30 years after his infamous on-stage protest during Michael Jackson’s performance.
Dean, 26, is nominated for artist of the year, album of the year for her sophomore release The Art of Loving, pop act, and has two nods for song of the year with Man I Need and Rein Me In (a collaboration with Sam Fender). Her album, a global sensation blending bossa nova and neo-soul, topped the UK charts and currently sits at No 3 in the US. Dean is the first announced performer for the night.
Young, 25, is up for artist of the year, breakthrough artist, alternative/rock act, pop act, and song of the year for her hit Messy, which spent four weeks at No 1 and 60 weeks on the chart. Both Dean and Young are also nominated for best new artist at next month’s Grammy Awards. Sam Fender, who appears with Dean on Rein Me In, earned three additional nominations, including artist and album of the year for his Mercury Prize-winning album People Watching.
Lily Allen caps a remarkable pop comeback with three nominations, including artist and album of the year for her candid album West End Girl. Rappers Dave and Jim Legxacy also each scored three nods, alongside rockers Wolf Alice and dance star Fred Again. The nominations this year feature strong female representation, with 70% of nominees being female, non-binary, or mixed-gender groups. However, only 41 of 116 eligible albums for British album of the year were by female acts or mixed-gender groups, and just 25 were solely female.
