Brit Awards 2012: Adele's biggest rival

Adele will trump Kate Bush in the Best Female category, but can she beat off Ed Sheeran?

Ed Sheeran performs at Love Box Festival in Victoria Park, east London

Kate Bush is back at the Brits! It’s almost like the good old bad old days, when Bush and Annie Lennox seemed to have the British Female Solo artist category all to themselves. Although Bush only won once, she has been nominated 10 times. But as nice as it is to see this Belle Dame of British pop still being deservedly acclaimed at the age of 53, Bush is unlikely to carry off the prize.

Women are no longer deemed to be pop music’s weaker sex, and the British Female category is arguably the strongest it has ever been. Despite competition from Florence Welch, Laura Marling and Jessie J, the engravers might as well etch Adele’s name into the gong and get over with. She was the standout at last year’s Brits ceremony with a tearjerking performance that kick started her whole record breaking year, and it seems certain Adele will be a big winner in 2012.

Adele has been nominated in three categories, and her stiffest competition for the really big one, British Album of the Year, comes from two other compelling female artists, PJ Harvey and Florence Welch (of Florence & The Machine).

The men aren’t looking quite as convincing this year, despite having two categories all to themselves: as well as British Male Solo Artist, the British Group category has turned into a bit of a boys club, populated by the usual suspects: Coldplay, Kasabian, Elbow and Arctic Monkeys. With Noel Gallagher in the solo category, and Blur picking up an Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, it will be almost like Britpop never ended. Except that the man most likely to pull off a surprise victory, 20-year-old singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, wasn’t even born when Blur released their first single (in 1990).

With four nominations to his credit (including Album of the Year), Sheeran may be the most serious rival to Adele as the story of this year’s Brits. His rapid elevation should be an inspiration for other musicians, suggesting there is hope for this disintegrating business yet. Sheeran has been a one-man, DIY cottage industry phenomenon who rose to prominence sofa surfing around the UK and playing hundreds of gigs, and whose accessible musical style blurs distinctions between sensitive songwriting and hip hop genres.

But while no one could have seen Sheeran coming at the start of 2011, few will be surprised to find him on the Brits stage in 2012. If there is one thing you can count on at the Brit nominations, this year like every other year, there are no real surprises. The Brits is essentially a popularity contest, reflecting radio play and recorded music sales. Although voted for by an academy of 1000 representative of the music business, you could probably create a computer algorithm to conjure up exactly the same shortlist. May the best woman win.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9011078/Brit-Awards-2012-Adeles-biggest-rival.html