For the first time, The BRIT Awards are coming to Manchester and we couldn’t be more excited. Lola Young and Olivia Dean lead for the highest number of nominations, with some tough competition from the likes of Wolf Alice, Lily Allen and RAYE. 

What are the Music Is To Blame’s editor's predictions, I hear you ask? After much discussion, the team have cast their votes. Here are our thoughts on this year's nominees and who we think will be taking home a newly designed Mancunian-themed award. 

Let’s begin.

 

Master Card Album of the Year

Arguably the most prestigious award of the night, this is a category with some heavy hitters and a few notable absences. In particular, JADE's solo debut 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY!’ has been highlighted as a snub. This year, Lily Allen returned, dropping the seismic semi-autobiography ‘West End Girl’. This was an album greater than the sum of its parts, with salacious celebrity gossip about her divorce from David Harbour colliding with her iconic, witty lyricism. For the discourse alone, ‘West End Girl’ could be in with a shout. Equally, Wolf Alice have had a stellar year with their UK No.1 album ‘The Clearing’, a favourite to win amongst our editors. However, with an incredible run of charting singles and an upcoming sold-out arena tour, Olivia Dean’s ‘The Art of Loving’ has our vote for Album of the Year. 

Nominees: 

• Dave - 'The Boy Who Played the Harp'
• Lily Allen - 'West End Girl'
• Olivia Dean - 'The Art of Loving'
• Sam Fender - 'People Watching'
• Wolf Alice - 'The Clearing'

 

 

Artist of the Year 

With so many fantastic nominees, Artist of the Year is undoubtedly the most competitive category. This is an award that takes more than the music into consideration. Last year Charli XCX took home the award for the cultural phenomenon ‘BRAT’. Taking into account touring, visuals, artistry and the strength of the album, we believe there are three front runners for the award this year: JADE, Allen and Dean. Thirlwall must be given flowers for making her academy tour feel like an arena show, and Allen wowed us with her ‘Madeline’ performance on Saturday Night Live. Nevertheless, after taking home the Grammy for Best New Artist, Dean is our top pick for Artist of the Year. 

Nominees: 

• Dave
• Fred again..
• JADE
• Lily Allen
• Little Simz
• Lola Young
• Olivia Dean
• PinkPantheress
• Sam Fender
• Self Esteem

 

Song of the Year with Mastercard

 “I would like a ring, I would like a ring!” How many artists can sell out six nights at the O2? RAYE can! At the risk of being over confident, we think RAYE has this category in the bag. It’s true that artists like Young and Dean have been dominating the charts, and the latter's collaboration with Sam Fender for ‘Rein Me In’ won quite a few votes in our editors poll. However, as a category that celebrates a song that has been simply everywhere (complete with a TikTok dance!), we believe ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’  has the award in the bag. 

Nominees: 

• Calvin Harris, Clementine Douglas - 'Blessings'
• CHRYSTAL, NOTION - 'The Days (NOTION REMIX)'
• Cynthia Ervio (feat. Ariana Grande) - 'Defying Gravity'
• Ed Sheeran - 'Azizam'
• Fred again.., Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax - 'Victory Lap'
• Lewis Capaldi - 'Survive'
• Lola Young - 'Messy'
• Myles Smith - 'Nice To Meet You'
• Olivia Dean - 'Man I Need'
• RAYE - 'WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!'
• Sam Fender (with Olivia Dean) - 'Rein Me In'
• Skye Newman - 'Family Matters'

 

 

Group of the Year

As lovers of rock music, this category was a particularly tough one for us to pick a winner for. The Last Dinner Party have had a fabulous year, with their sophomore album ‘From the Pyre’, marking a real step up in their songwriting and musical maturity. Likewise, Wolf Alice, who have benefited from over 15 years of performance experience, have wowed audiences this year with Ellie Rowsell’s soaring vocals and anthemic choruses. Ultimately, we believe the best is yet to come for The Last Dinner Party, while this is well and truly Wolf Alice’s year.

Nominees: 

• The Last Dinner Party
• Pulp
• Sleep Token
• Wet Leg
• Wolf Alice

 

Breakthrough Artist of the Year

After being nominated for Best Dance Act in 2024, Barry Can’t Swim is back at the BRITs. The Scottish DJ had a great year in 2025, with headlining All Points East being a particular highlight. Equally, Jim Legxacy, upon the release of his third mixtape, has met critical acclaim and is certainly a rising star of the UK rap scene. However, few artists' breakthroughs can compare to Lola Young’s, who, despite ups and downs, had a momentous year for her career. Playing some of the largest and most iconic stages in the USA, including Coachella, the intensity of the tour proved overwhelming, resulting in Young taking 3 months off to recover (and honestly, good for her!). Despite her year being curtailed, we believe Young has achieved more than enough to secure the BRIT for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, even if it was a little bit ‘Messy’.

Nominees: 

• Barry Can't Swim
• EsDeeKid
• Jim Legxacy
• Lola Young
• Skye Newman

 

 

International Artist of the Year

 Here at mitb., we are nothing if not optimists. CMAT is a beloved Irish popstar across the British Isles and despite stiff competition from ROSALÍA, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny, we believe she will win. After all, with the huge amount of momentum she has built throughout the ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ album campaign and subsequent tour, why shouldn’t she win? Despite our support, CMAT is not so confident, quipping over twitter that she was “So grateful to be nominated for this again” and will be “honoured to lose to yet another very deserving winner.” However, wonders never cease, and with an album as critically acclaimed as ‘EURO-COUNTRY’, she is certainly deserving of the nomination. If in the unlikely scenario CMAT doesn’t take the BRIT home, based on reception and cultural impact, there is a chance ROSALÍA will clinch it.

Nominees: 

• Bad Bunny
• Chappell Roan
• CMAT
• Doechii
• Lady Gaga
• ROSALÍA
• Sabrina Carpenter
• sombr
• Taylor Swift
• Tyler, The Creator

 

International Song of the Year

This category really split the vote amongst the mitb. editors, and with such a range of genres, it's been a tough one to call. While Chapell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club’ was a huge hit, the track was released as a single back in 2020, making it an odd choice for International Song of the Year. Similarly, Ravyn Lenae’s sleeper-hit ‘Love Me Not’ really blossomed over the Summer of '25, despite being released a year earlier. After her Grammys performance, a shoutout must go to Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Manchild’, the airport-inspired performance reminding us all that Carpenter truly is that girl. It cannot be denied, however, that the UK loves a bit of Bruno Mars, with his hit song with ROSÉ ‘APT.’ winning our vote.

Nominees: 

• Alex Warren - 'Ordinary'
• Chappell Roan - 'Pink Pony Club'
• Disco Lines & Tinashe - 'No Broke Boys'
• Gigi Perez - 'Sailor Song'
• Gracie Abrams - 'That's So True'
• HUNTR/X - EJAE/ Audrey Nuna/ REI AMI - 'Golden [From KPop Demon Hunters]'
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - 'Die With A Smile'
• Ravyn Lenae - 'Love Me Not'
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - 'APT.'
• Sabrina Carpenter - 'Manchild'
• sombr - 'undressed'
• Taylor Swift - 'The Fate of Ophelia'

 

Pop Act of the Year

It's amazing to see the pop girlies dominating this category, and rightly so. It's all to play for, with JADE being nominated in the category for a second year in a row. After taking home the BRIT in 2025, will she defend her title? While any of these women would be a worthy winner, it was unanimous in the mitb. polls, with RAYE winning our vote for Pop Act of the Year. Known for performing with a full swing band and 60's inspired choreography, we have been seeing clips of her 'This Tour May Contain New Music' shows across our socials and it's clear she is a generational talent. If you have been lucky enough to get tickets, you are certainly in for a treat.

Nominees: 

• JADE
• Lily Allen
• Lola Young
• Olivia Dean
• RAYE

 

Alternative  / Rock Act

Hold on to your hats, there's a hot take on its way. First of all, why are the alternative and rock acts squished together? More pressingly, why hasn’t the most successful all-femme, rock band Britain has had in years been nominated in this category? For us, the absence of The Last Dinner Party is a surprising snub. Okay, off we get from the soap box. Wolf Alice has had a stellar year, with ‘The Clearing’ enjoying much critical acclaim. Likewise, Fender’s ‘People Watching’, cemented his place as a force to be reckoned within the indie scene after winning The Mercury Prize in 2025. While the BRIT could easily go to Fender, for Rowsell’s axel-rose rasp alone, the award for Alternative / Rock Act will surely go to Wolf Alice. 

Nominees: 

• Blood Orange
• Lola Young
• Sam Fender
• Wet Leg
• Wolf Alice

 

 

R&B Act

After collaborating with Dave on the track ‘No Weapons’ and the release of his third mixtape, ‘black british music’, the future is bright for Jim Legxacy. This versatile artist combines a range of genres and influences from lo-fi to emo, afrobeats to grime. Here at mitb., we all agree that Jim Legxacy is a worthy winner of the R&B BRIT, and can’t wait to see what the Lewisham-born musician does next. 

Nominees: 

• Jim Legxacy
• kwn
• Mabel
• Sasha Keable
• SAULT

  

International Group of the Year

Tame Impala’s laid-back, disco-inspired ‘Dracula’ could be heard in clubs throughout 2025. Targeting a younger demographic, the voices behind the viral song ‘Golden’ from the animated film KPop Demon Hunters are also nominated for this category, entered into the BRIT Awards under the group name HUNTR/X. However, we are a nation of rock lovers, and to us here at mitb. Geese seem like inevitable winners. Their album ‘Getting Killed’ ranked number five on the Rolling Stone’s top 100 albums of the year of 2025, and received a Pitchfork rating of nine out of ten. With rock on the rise, we believe Geese are taking the BRIT back to Brooklyn.

Nominees: 

• Geese
• HAIM
• HUNTR/X - EJAE/Audrey Nuna/REI AMI
• Tame Impala
• Turnstile

  

Hip Hop / Grime/ Rap Act

Dave made history in 2025 as the first UK rapper to have three consecutive albums debut at number one in the charts with his third album, ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’. The title alludes to King David, who played the harp to soothe a man suffering from evil spirits. Dave sees parallels between their lives, exploring what “living up to your purpose” truly means by meditating on themes of temptation and fate. Biblical references are also made by Little Simz on her album ‘Lotus’, with the thumping lead single ‘Flood’ exploring her struggle to resist succumbing to the dark side of the music industry. ‘Lotus’ was an underrated gem of 2025. It includes ‘Thief’, a diss track that explores the aftermath of her lawsuit against long-time collaborator Inflo, who withheld loans amounting to £1.7 million, contrasting the comedic ‘Young’. While it's a close call, Simz is our pick for this category. 

Nominees: 

• Central Cee
• Dave
• Jim Legxacy
• Little Simz
• Loyle Carner

Dance Act 

FKA Twigs won her first grammy this month for Best Dance / Electronic Album for the experimental 'EUSEXUA. This sultry techno record is a favourite among art-pop fans, and certainly makes her a contender for this category. However, for a dance-specific category, there's one artist amongst these nominees that's bound to get you on the floor, and that is PinkPantheress. 

After her viral hit ‘Illegal’, PinkPantheress has been everywhere, most recently collaborating with Zara Larsson for a remix of the club banger ‘Stateside’.  If you aren’t acquainted with her album 'Fancy That’, give it a listen! Her name is Pink, and she’d “really like to meet you”.

Nominees: 

• Calvin Harris & Clementine Douglas
• FKA twigs
• Fred again.., Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax
• PinkPantheress
• Sammy Virji

 

And there we have it, Music Is To Blame’s BRIT Award predictions. Who do you think is going to win? Let us know and roll on February 28th!

Kate South 

@its.all.south.from.here

  Image: BRIT Awards 2026 - with Mastercard, Co-op Live

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