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A BIT O' THE BRITS

The Basics on U.K. Music's Biggest NIght

BRIT nominees Sam Smith, Ella Henderson, Royal Blood, George Ezra and The War on Drugs

Sure, the Grammys are over. But awards season continues with the BRIT Awards on 2/25.

Backed by the British Phonographic Institute (BPI), the BRITs is the U.K.’s biggest event involving both music and trophies. And vying for those trophies this year are such artists as EMI’s Taylor Swift and Beck; Capitol’s Sam Smith (nominated in five categories) and 5 Seconds of Summer; SYCO’s One Direction and Ella Henderson; Columbia’s Beyoncé, Mark Ronson, George Ezra and First Aid Kit; Asylum’s Ed Sheeran (four nods); Parlophone’s Coldplay; Nonesuch/Warner Music’s The Black Keys; Warner Music’s Royal Blood; Atlantic’s Clean Bandit; Monkey Puzzle/RCA’s Sia; RCA’s Paloma Faith; Island’s Hozier; Secretly Canadian’s The War on Drugs; Glassnote’s CHVRCHES; Infectious Music’s Alt-J; and Young TurksFKA Twigs.

The BRITs are currently chaired by Max Lousada, who also happens to be the head of Warner Music U.K. Expect Lousada to be joined at the festivities by most every jewel in the British biz crown, including Sony U.K. chief Jason Iley and Universal U.K. boss David Joseph, as well as the rest of the crew pictured below.

See legend at bottom for IDs.

Smith is vying for British Album, Male Solo Artist, British Single, British Breakthrough Act and British Video; the latter two categories are determined by online fan voting.

Other categories include International Male and Female Solo Artists, British Female Solo Artist, British Group and International Group. In two already decided contests, troubadour James Bay won the Critics’ Choice Award and Paul Epworth (whose 2014 projects included U2, Coldplay, Lana Del Rey, Lorde and FKA Twigs) took Producer of the Year; you can see the entire list of nominees here.

Among the performers set for the 2/25 show—which will be broadcast on ITV in the British Isles—are Swift, Smith, Madonna, Sheeran, Faith, Ezra, Royal Blood and seminal “lad band” Take That.

Google Play Music is the Master Card-sponsored event’s download and streaming partner; streams of performances will be available via Google Play after the show. Capital FM shares media partner status for the Single of the Year category.

More BRITs coverage:

Karen Glauber's The BRITs: An Alternative View

Meet the "New" BRITs, by the #Henchhipster

Bangers and Smash: Michelle S. on the New British Invasion

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