Brit Award Nominations 2009 Discussed
Kings of Leon, MGMT, The Killers & Pink Feature on UK Shortlists
Feb 3, 2009
The Brit Awards, while always a little on the safe and predictable side of the major music awards, honours both the old and the new this year, with appearances on the shortlist of industry veterans such as AC/DC and Neil Diamond alongside new talents including the Fleet Foxes and Duffy.
This year’s Brit awards will be co-hosted by Kylie Minogue and comedy duo James Corden and Mathew Horne. Kings of Leon, U2, Girls Aloud and Duffy will give live performances, while the Pet Shop Boys will accept an award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
With just a fortnight to go until the great names of the UK’s music industry turn out at London’s Earls Court for a performance packed, glittering night, Suite 101 takes a look at the nominations for the Brit Awards 2009, in particular its international awards.
Best British Album
This year’s awards favourites, Duffy and Coldplay are vying for 2009’s Best British Album award. Duffy is likely to take the crown since her brilliant debut Rockferry was the best-selling album of 2008.
However Coldplay will be hot on her heels for the title with their worldwide success Viva La Vida, or Death and All His Friends, alongside Elbow’s acclaimed The Seldom Seen Kid, Radiohead’s massively well-received In Rainbows, and The Ting Tings’ fun and feisty debut, We Started Nothing.
Best British Breakthrough Act
Adele is making great waves in the US, where it is rumoured she will be featuring soon in Vogue, and even being dressed by its editor for the Grammy Awards where she is nominated in four categories. Meanwhile Duffy is only up for 3 Grammys and it is a fair bet that she could come second to Adele in this category.
Meanwhile the Last Shadow Puppets and The Ting Tings both stand out as dark horses in this race, and one of these could well steal the award. In such illustrious company it seems unlikely that Scouting for Girls will get much of a look in.
Best International Album
Some heavyweight contenders in this category make this award perhaps the hardest to call of all this year’s likely Brit Award winners.
Hard rock veterans AC/DC front the list for 2008’s Black Ice, with Brandon Flowers’ glam indie rock group The Killers demanding attention for the addictive Day & Age. Meanwhile Kings of Leon’s hypnotic Only By The Night vies for recognition alongside MGMT’s brilliant tongue in cheek full length, Oracular Spectacular.
Best International Male
Huge contrasts in this year’s Best International Male shortlist offer a huge range of potential winners. While regular critics' favourite Beck is probably the most predictable listing, Jay-Z and Kanye West lead the charge for urban talent. Meanwhile the appearance of Neil Diamond and the late blooming bluesman Seasick Steve lend an edge of the unpredictable to proceedings.
It’s very possible that Seasick Steve could take the title after a heavy year’s worth of festivals and touring following his MOJO award for Best Breakthrough Act in 2007. He’d certainly make some headlines in the process since he is apparently the oldest ever Brit nominee.
Best International Female
The battle of the divas takes full flight in the Best International Female category, with powerhouses Beyonce and Pink lining up against newer talents Gabriella Cilmi, Santogold and Katy Perry. Perry was noticeably snubbed in this year’s Grammy nominations and could well pick up a consolation prize here.
Pink’s Funhouse clearly fell short of previous albums, whilst Santogold will no doubt be the critics' favourite for the prize. Meanwhile Gabriella Cilmi, although a precocious new talent, is unlikely to measure up to her more established rivals in this category.
Best International Group
Déjà vu hits with full force in this category as all of the nominees for the Best International Album category find themselves shortlisted again for Best International Group. All major contenders with much to merit their claims to the award, Suite is reluctant to hazard a guess at the winner. However Kings of Leon and AC/DC stand as particularly strong contenders for their consistent and popular back catalogues.
The Brit Awards 2009 ceremony takes place at Earls Court on February 18th, and will be televised on ITV1.
Read More about the UK’s Top Music Awards
Find out more about this year’s Brit nominations in Brit Award Nominations 2009 Explored, including Indie Suite’s thoughts on the nominees for Best British Male / Female, Best British Group, Best British Live Act, and Best British Single.
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