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Manchester-based rapper Aitch has fired back at Central Cee after the latter dissed him on his recently-released album Can’t Rush Greatness (Jan. 24).
On the LP’s “5 Star,” Central Cee (real name Oakley Neil Caesar-Su) came for Aitch in a line that referenced the latter winning a BRIT Award over him at the 2023 ceremony. Aitch triumphed in the hip-hop/grime/rap category over Central Cee, Dave, Loyle Carner and Stormzy. Central Cee has been nominated for the award a number of times and has yet to grab the prize
“I felt like a p—k when I went to the BRITs and they gave the award to a guy called Aitch/ I had my acceptance speech prepared like, ‘Long live F’s,’ I’m goin’ insane,” he said. The latter line references Central Cee’s close friend Fernando “FDot Johnson” who was murdered in January 2023.
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Later that afternoon (Jan. 24), the Manchester rapper responded to the diss with a track “A Guy Called?” which was uploaded directly to his Instagram with the caption “leave me alone” alongside a picture of his BRITs trophy. On the track’s opening line Aitch claims that Central Cee is an “influencer” and that he will “jump in the booth for something to do.”
Further references in the track allude to Cench’s BRITs barb, saying: “Little boy is just there to be spun, gettin’ mad at the BRITs, there’s bare to be won.” Later in the track, Aitch adds: “Bringin’ the BRITs up two years later, f— my life, you should go live yours.”
Elsewhere Aitch alleges that Central Cee employs ghostwriters (“All your songs get wrote by Clint, in the booth, one mic, two c—s”) and makes reference to Central Cee’s ethnicity (“Clint was p—d ’cause Cench got beat by a white MC, Cench is as white as me”). Speaking to British Vogue in 2024, Central Cee said that he was born to an English mother and a father of Guyanese and Chinese ancestry.
A number of their U.K. rap contemporaries including Kairo Keyz, ArrDee and M1llionz have commented on Aitch’s Instagram post. Central Cee responded to the track by commenting “fair enough” alongside a flame and laughing face emoji. Listen to the track below.
Aitch released his debut album Close to Home in 2022 and which reached No. 2 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart.
Central Cee is nominated once again in the hip-hop/grime/rap category at the 2025 BRITs which take place March 1, where he will go up against Dave, Ghetts, Little Simz and Stormzy for the prize.
Robbie Williams has secured a huge milestone on the U.K. Album Charts. Better Man, the soundtrack to his recent biopic of the same name, has given the British pop icon his 15th No. 1 album, and sees him pull ahead of The Rolling Stones (14) in the all-time rankings. He is now tied with with […]
Rising British artist Lola Young has secured her first No. 1 single in the U.K. with viral hit “Messy” (Jan. 24). Young is the first British female artist to hit the No. 1 song with a solo hit since Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” in November 2023. The song knocks Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” from the […]
01/23/2025
Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande and The Beatles are among artists who either did better or worse than expected.
01/23/2025
Charli XCX leads the nominations for the 2025 BRIT Awards, with nods in five categories – artist of the year, pop act, dance act, Mastercard album of the year for the zeitgeist-shifting Brat, and song of the year for “Guess,” her collaboration with Billie Eilish. The awards are scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 1, at The O2 Arena in London. The show will be broadcast live on ITV1 and streaming service ITVX, and hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall.
The Essex-born musician achieved global success with Brat, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 – her highest charting record to date. The album, released in May 2024, also scored major wins across the U.K. Singles Chart, with three of its tracks earning top 10 placements: “Sympathy Is a Knife” (No. 7), “Apple” (No. 8) and “Guess” (No. 3). This slew of new BRIT nominations takes Charli’s career total up to eight.
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Recent Billboard UK cover star Dua Lipa, The Last Dinner Party and jazz group Ezra Collective follow with four nominations each. Lipa has become something of a BRITs darling over the course of her career, having won seven from 16 prior nominations received since 2017.
Goth rock icons The Cure pick up three nods across Mastercard album of the year, group of the year and alternative/rock act. It’s the latter’s first nomination at The BRITs since 1993; the group bagged British group in 1991. Coldplay, meanwhile, add two nominations to its all-time tally of 30.
Superstars including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and more all feature in the international categories, though Ariana Grande is shut out at this year’s ceremony despite her past success at the awards.
The Beatles have secured the group’s first BRITs nomination since 1977 in the song of the year category for their final song “Now and Then.” The BRITs were first held in 1977 to celebrate British music over the past century, and became a yearly event in 1982.
In December, the BRITs announced Luton-born singer-songwriter Myles Smith as the recipient of the 2025 BRIT Rising Star award — a new music prize that is handed out to the British act that the voting academy believes will make the biggest impact on music in the coming year. Smith has also earned nominations for best new artist and song of the year for his global hit “Stargazing.”
Other first-time nominees include Leeds art-rock band English Teacher, who scooped last year’s Mercury Prize, alongside indie-pop artist Rachel Chinouriri. Appearing in the pop act lineup, Lola Young – who is currently enjoying U.K. chart success with breakthrough single “Messy” – earns her first BRIT nomination since 2022.
The winners of the honorary songwriter of the year and producer of the year awards will be revealed over the coming weeks, alongside the ceremony’s performers.
The nominees are compiled by the Brit Awards Voting Academy, its membership made up of musicians and industry figures, but the public will decide on the winners of the genre categories, with voting taking place via a WhatsApp campaign which will open in the coming weeks.
Here’s the complete list of 2025 BRIT Awards nominees.
Mastercard album of the year
Charli XCX – Brat, Atlantic/Warner Music Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching, Partisan RecordsDua Lipa – Radical Optimism, Warner/Warner MusicThe Cure – Songs of a Lost World, Polydor/Universal MusicThe Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy, Island/Universal Music
Artist of the year
Beabadoobee, Dirty Hit Central Cee, Columbia/Sony MusicCharli XCX, Atlantic/Warner MusicDua Lipa, Warner/Warner MusicFred Again.., Atlantic/Warner MusicJamie xx, Young/XL BeggarsMichael Kiwanuka, Polydor/Universal MusicNia Archives, Island/Universal MusicRachel Chinouriri, Parlophone/Universal MusicSam Fender, Polydor/Universal Music
Group of the year
Bring Me the Horizon, RCA/Sony MusicColdplay, Parlophone/Warner MusicEzra Collective, Partisan RecordsThe Cure, Polydor/Universal MusicThe Last Dinner Party, Island/Universal Music
Best new artist
English Teacher, Island/Universal MusicEzra Collective, Partisan RecordsMyles Smith, RCA/Sony MusicRachel Chinouriri, Parlophone/Universal MusicThe Last Dinner Party, Island/Universal Music
Song of the year
“I Like the Way You Kiss Me,” Artemas, Parlophone/Warner Music“Kisses,” BI3SS x CamrinWatsin (ft. Bbyclose), Atlantic/Warner Music “BAND4BAND,” Central Cee (ft. Lil Baby), Columbia/Capitol/Motown/Sony Music“Guess,” Charli XCX (ft. Billie Eilish), Atlantic/Interscope/Warner Music“Backbone,” Chase & Status (ft. Stormzy), 0207 Records/EMI/Merky/Universal Music“Feelslikeimfallinginlove,” Coldplay, Parlophone/Warner Music“Training Season,” Dua Lipa, Warner/Warner Music “Alibi,” Ella Henderson (ft. Rudimental), Atlantic/Warner Music“Angel of My Dreams,” Jade, RCA/Sony Music “Kehlani,” Jordan Adetunji, Warner/Warner Music“Thick of It,” KSI (ft. Trippie Redd), Atlantic/Warner Music“Stargazing,” Myles Smith, RCA/Sony Music“You’re Christmas to Me,” Sam Ryder, East West/Rhino/Warner Music “Somedays,” Sonny Fedora/Jazzy/D.O.D, Solotoko/Ada Warner Music “Now and Then,” The Beatles, Apple/UMR
BRITs Rising Star
Myles Smith [WINNER], RCA/Sony MusicElmiene, Polydor/Universal MusicGood Neighbours, Polydor/Universal Music
International artist of the year
Adrianne Lenker, 4AD/XL BeggarsAsake, YBNL NationBenson Boone, Warner/Warner MusicBeyoncé, Columbia/Parkwood Entertainment/SonyBillie Eilish, Interscope/Universal MusicChappell Roan, Island/Universal MusicKendrick Lamar, Interscope/Universal MusicSabrina Carpenter, Island/Universal MusicTaylor Swift, EMI/Universal MusicTyler, the Creator, Columbia/Sony Music
International group of the year
Amyl and The Sniffers, Rough Trade Records/XL BeggarsConfidence Man, Chaos/Universal MusicFontaines D.C., XL Recordings/XL BeggarsFuture & Metro Boomin, RCA/Sony MusicLinkin Park, Warner/Warner Music
International song of the year
“Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone, Warner/Warner Music “Texas Hold Em,” Beyoncé, Columbia/Parkwood Entertainment/Sony“Birds of a Feather,” Billie Eilish, Interscope/Universal Music“Good Luck, Babe!,” Chappell Roan, Island/Universal Music“End of Beginning,” Djo, AWAL/Djo/The Orchard “Houdini,” Eminem, Interscope/Universal Music “Too Sweet,” Hozier, Island/Universal Music“Lovin On Me,” Jack Harlow, Atlantic/Warner Music“Stick Season,” Noah Kahan, Republic Records/Universal Music“I Had Some Help,” Post Malone (ft. Morgan Wallen), Republic Records/Universal Music“Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter, Island/Universal Music“A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey, American Dogwood/Empire“Fortnight,” Taylor Swift (ft. Post Malone), EMI/Universal Music“Lose Control,” Teddy Swims, Atlantic/Warner Music“Million Dollar Baby,” Tommy Richman, ISO Supremacy/Pulse/Stem Disintermedia
Alternative/rock act
Beabadoobee, Dirty HitEzra Collective, Partisan RecordsSam Fender, Polydor/Universal MusicThe Cure, Polydor/Universal MusicThe Last Dinner Party, Island/Universal Music
Hip-hop/grime/rap act
Central Cee, Columbia/Sony MusicDave, Def Jam/Universal Music Ghetts, Warner/Warner Music Little Simz, AWAL/Sony MusicStormzy, 0207 Records/EMI/Merky/Universal Music
Dance act
Becky Hill, Polydor/Universal MusicCharli XCX, Atlantic/Warner MusicChase & Status, 0207 Records/Universal MusicFred Again.., Atlantic/Warner MusicNia Archives, Island/Universal Music
Pop act
Charli XCX, Atlantic/Warner MusicDua Lipa, Warner/Warner MusicJade, RCA/Sony MusicLola Young, Island/Universal MusicMyles Smith, RCA/Sony Music
R&B act
Cleo Sol, AWAL/Sony MusicFlo, Island/Universal MusicJorja Smith, FAMM/The Orchard/SonyMichael Kiwanuka, Polydor/Universal MusicRaye, Human Resources/The Orchard/Sony
Ed Sheeran has hit back at a report that claimed he attended a New Year’s Eve party at J.K. Rowling’s Scottish residence. The “Shape Of You” singer took to his Instagram Stories last night (Jan. 21) to contest the original report by The Sun newspaper. The story claimed that Sheeran was rumoured to have attended […]
Glastonbury Festival have unveiled details of its annual Emerging Talent Competition for 2025.
Open to new U.K. and Ireland-based acts in any musical genre, the free-to-enter contest gives emerging talent the chance to play at Woodsies, one of the festival’s main stages.
The winner will also receive a £5,000 (about $6,121) Talent Development prize from charitable funder PRS Foundation. Two runners-up will each be awarded a Talent Development prize of £2,500 (about $3,060).
Artists can enter the competition for one week only using the form on the official Glastonbury website from 9 a.m. GMT on Jan. 29 through 5 p.m. GMT on Feb. 5.After the entry period closes, a panel of 30 of British music writers will compile a longlist of 90 acts, which will then be narrowed down to a shortlist of eight artists by judges including Glastonbury co-organizers Michael and Emily Eavis. A live final hosted in the village of Pilton, near the festival site, will decide the winning act, though a date for the event is yet to be announced.
In a statement, Eavis said: “We know how hard it is for new acts to take their first steps towards a career in music — particularly with the challenges facing small venues in this country — so the Emerging Talent Competition is a hugely important part of Glastonbury’s annual calendar. I can’t wait to hear the entries from across all the musical genres. And it’s free to enter, so you’ve nothing to lose!”
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The festival team has also stated that they are committed to diversity and inclusivity and welcome entries from disabled artists, who will be supported to ensure they are not disadvantaged by the competition process.
The winner of the 2024 competition was the Jamaican-Irish rapper JayaHadADream, who has since performed at other major U.K. festivals including Reading & Leeds and Boomtown. Other previous Emerging Talent Competition finalists include singer-songwriter Declan McKenna, recent Mercury Prize recipients English Teacher and rapper Flohio.
Tickets have sold out for Glastonbury Festival, which will take place at Worthy Farm, Somerset on June 25-29. On Jan. 3, it was announced that Neil Young will headline alongside his new band The Chrome Hearts, just days after he stated would withdraw from the festival, having called it a “corporate turn-off.”
Rod Stewart, meanwhile, has been confirmed to take on this year’s traditional Legends Slot on the Sunday afternoon. Other names rumored to appear across the weekend include Charli XCX, The 1975, Sam Fender and Olivia Rodrigo. The full lineup is expected to arrive in the spring.
GRONINGEN — The Eurosonic Noorderslag Festival (ESNS) has long marked the official start of Europe’s music calendar. The festival, which just wrapped its 39th edition, looks to set the agenda for the upcoming year, with a particular focus on the live space.
From Jan. 15-18 in Groningen, Netherlands, a diverse lineup of emerging artists were presented to festival bookers, promoters, potential managers, media and other industry professionals. The goal: celebrate and champion artists and scenes throughout Europe and strengthen ties between markets.
At the heart of ESNS sits the The European Talent Exchange Program which promotes and assists festival bookings for the upcoming summer. By connecting 333 artists from 33 countries with 131 festival bookers and a number of stations within the European Broadcast Union (including the U.K.’s BBC Radio), the initiative aims to showcase artists from diverse regions and genres. The program has helped previous breakout artists, including Fontaines D.C., Idles, and English Teacher, secure bookings across Europe’s renowned festival circuit.
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“In today’s fast-evolving music industry, it’s increasingly difficult to uncover the hidden gems and truly exceptional acts,” said Tamás Kádár, CEO of Sziget Cultural Management, which runs Budapest’s Sziget Festival.
“With over 5,000 applicants every year, ESNS does an incredible job of curating a selection that not only supports artists in gaining recognition but also provides a vital resource for bookers like us,” he added. “Even if we can’t catch every performance live, the curated list allows us to discover new talent for Sziget. It’s a testament to the shared commitment to fostering quality music and supporting emerging talent.”
A number of acts made compelling cases during their appearances; unlike other showcase festivals, acts at ESNS only perform once at the event. Ireland’s Cardinals, signed to influential indie So Young records, brought intensity and bite to the city’s beloved Vera venue. The walls of the space are adorned with some of the names that went on to become international icons: Joy Division, The White Stripes, U2 and more all played early shows in the space.
Iceland’s Sunna Margrét expertly toed the line between folktronica and upbeat indie pop in her material, while Manchester-based Anthony Szmierek, who is due to release his debut album Service Station At The End Of The Universe in February, brought wit and humour to his rave-inspired bangers. Cork group Cliffords also drew a packed room on their debut show in mainland Europe, further solidifying the indie band place as ones to watch in 2025.
ESNS provides a boost for events like Focus Wales, a yearly showcase festival which takes place in Wrexham, north Wales. Andy Jones, co-founder and booker, says that their presence “ensures that Focus Wales and, more broadly, Wales as a music market, is part of the wider conversation with the European music community.”
He adds that the challenges facing the U.K.’s grassroots venues are impacting the ability for artists to level-up into festival headliners. “When I compare the current state of play to how things were even five or six years ago, it’s clear there’s a big problem that needs to be addressed,” said Jones. “I believe the good work Music Venue Trust is doing is vital, but it is time for Governments to do more, to ensure these vital cultural spaces are protected.”
Brexit brought immense challenges for many artists from the U.K. and significantly reduced the margins for profits. Jones is calling for “some real progress on simplifying the movement of artists in and out of the U.K., which will only reap benefits for all involved. This is also frankly, long overdue.”
Kádár concurs: “Artists face difficulties in standing out and reaching their audiences in a crowded market. Viral moments on platforms like TikTok can create sudden fame, but sustained recognition requires more. Added to this are rising costs – travel, accommodation, and the scarcity of funding – making it harder than ever for bands to tour successfully.”
The panel discussions and workshops held at Oosterport, the city’s cultural events center, covered a wide range of topics. In his keynote address, Alex Hardee, partner/agent of Wasserman Music in London, discussed the changing landscape for live agents and how they can react and respond. “We have to work harder for our commission and provide a bigger service,” he said, highlighting the company’s approach to securing new artists, as well as discussing the value of support slots and the “talent drain” that festivals are facing when booking headliners.
Throughout the program, the festival hosted additional discussions on the role of private equity investment into the live music space, the use of artificial intelligence in the creative and administrative process of making music, and how independent labels and boutique festivals can thrive in uncertain circumstances.
There were moments of celebration, too. The European Festival Awards celebrated honorees including Open’er Festival in Poland which scooped the best major festival prize and We Love Green for its commitment to making their event eco-friendly. In addition The Music Moves Europe Awards, a key component of the European Union’s efforts to support musicians, saw a number of acts secure grants of €10,000 ($10,321) including Yamê from France and Uche Yara from Austria.
ESNS may have highlighted the scale of the challenges ahead, but it’s one that Jones and his contemporaries are ready to meet head on. “I think it’s an exciting time, musically, with so much great new talent coming through. At the same time, it is encouraging that there seems to be a shared view, across Europe and including the major players in the industry, that there is a real responsibility now; for us all to create a more equitable industry going forward.”
British pop and R&B artist Mabel has opened up about how standing up for herself has impacted her decade-long career.
In a recent episode of the BBC’s Miss Me? Podcast – on which Mabel is currently standing in for host Lily Allen while she takes a mental health break – the Londoner explained that after years of hard work building her artistic identity, she’s had to set clear boundaries to protect herself from uncomfortable and often invasive discussions about her work.
Born Mabel McVey (though known mononymously), the pop star signed with Polydor at age 18. In the years that have followed, she has released two studio albums (2019’s High Expectations and 2022’s About Last Night…) alongside a handful of mixtapes and EPs. She has earned six top 10 hits, including 2019’s “Don’t Call Me Up,” which peaked at No. 3, on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart and has since surpassed 1 billion Spotify streams.
In more recent years, however, she has drip-fed a number of singles, the most recent being the Ty Dolla $ign collab “Stupid Dumb” in October. Later that month, she confirmed to ELLE Sweden that she had been working in hitmaker Max Martin’s studio with her brother on her third LP, though the project has been delayed a number of times.
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Speaking to Miss Me? host and broadcaster Miquita Oliver on Jan. 16, Mabel discussed how she has been previously labeled by some as “difficult” or “a nightmare” when holding her ground over decisions related to her musical output. “The foundation of the problem is not listening to the artist, and not giving the artist space and time to figure out who they are within their creativity. I think that’s the main problem: our voices are not heard,” she said.
“I used to get so many people all the time saying things like, ‘Oh, her mum [musician Neneh Cherry] was one of a kind and she’s just a ‘whatever’ popstar,” Mabel continued. “I’m just like, ‘Well, I’ve been given no real support or time to figure [things] out – other than those small little moments of clarity like [singles] ‘Finders Keepers’ or ‘Vitamins.’”
Oliver, who is the cousin of Mabel, asked about the importance of autonomy in the music industry, to which she responded: “Sadly, there’s no duty of care. Particularly as a young woman, it’s so easy to get molded into something – which is usually based on another female [pop act]. It’s like, ‘This person has done this, so this is what you should do.’”
She added: “The reason why I’ve been making music that [people say] ‘has been heard before’ is because I have five million different people’s opinions [getting in the way], constantly. So I’m like, ‘How am I meant to be making something that’s groundbreaking, different and authentic when there’s so many cooks in the kitchen.’”
Mabel also explained how, going forward, when it comes to making new music, she is focusing on listening solely to the opinions of her “close protection team” made up of family members, friends and her fiancé, Preye Crooks. She added that she has been through therapy and as a result, has “found [her] voice” and is now “stronger,” both physically and mentally.
“I’m very grateful and blessed still. I have travelled the world doing what I love, and performing is still the best thing ever. I’ve been able to work with my brother [producer Marlon Roudette], that’s been really beautiful,” Mabel said. She later concluded, “I love what I do so much, but how long I will keep fighting for … I’m not sure, which is really sad.”Having come to mainstream prominence with her Bedroom EP in 2017, Mabel joined Harry Styles on his debut U.K. arena tour the following year before completing her own headline run. She went on to be nominated for British Breakthrough Act at the 2019 BRIT Awards, as well as receiving nods at the MOBOs and U.K. Music Video Awards.
Listen the full episode below. The conversation regarding the music industry begins at the 27-minute mark.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin thanked his Indian audience on Saturday (Jan. 18) for “forgiving” British colonialism, as the band’s Music Of The Spheres dates kicked off in Mumbai. The band performed at DY Patil stadium in Mumbai to 75,000 fans, where Martin expressed his gratitude for a warm welcome, despite Britain’s past colonial rule in India. […]