2012 nominees: International Group

Stadium-filling superstars rub shoulders in this year's International Group category, as some of the biggest worldwide bands of the past 12 months compete for this coveted award.

The nominees for International Group are:

Fleet Foxes
Foo Fighters
Jay-Z / Kanye West
Lady Antebellum
Maroon 5

Washington-based Fleet Foxes have been stirring hearts since 2006 with their blend of indie, pop and folk. They rose to worldwide fame with their 2008, self-titled debut but are honoured here for their 2011 album, a No.2 hit in the UK, 'Helplessness Blues'.

If you're talking modern rock, it doesn't get any bigger than the Foo Fighters. Formed in 1994, their staying power was proven when their 2011 album, 'Wasting Light' topped the charts worldwide. The Foos are no stranger to the BRIT Awards, having picked up nominations since 1996 - and winning International Album and Group in 2008.

Hip-hop heavyweights Jay-Z and Kanye West teamed up to deliver the definitive rap album of 2011, 'Watch The Throne', packed with big-name guests (including Mrs Jay-Z, the one and only Beyonce). Kanye West is a three-time winner of International Solo Male (2006, 2008 and 2009) while Jay-Z won the award in 2010. Can their double star power earn them another BRIT trophy?

2011 saw US country and western trio Lady Antebellum score their biggest UK album hit with their third release, Own The Night. No strangers to success in their homeland, the Nashville group have won countless awards and sold millions of records. Could 2012 mark the moment when country music triumphs over the giants of rock and hip-hop?

Absent from the UK Top Ten since 2007, Maroon 5 made a spectacular comeback in 2011 with their Christina Aguilera duet, 'Moves Like Jagger'. A No.1 smash across the globe, the big-lunged diva helped put this LA band back on the pop map.