2012 nominees: International Male Solo Artist

The BRIT Awards 2012 with MasterCard are again a brilliantly diverse bunch, with five completely different artists in the running to take the title.

The nominees for International Male Solo Artist are:

Aloe Blacc
Bon Iver
Bruno Mars
David Guetta
Ryan Adams

Hit by the credit crunch? Then Aloe Blacc's 'I Need A Dollar' was probably something of an anthem for you in 2011 - even with the exchange rate being what it is. This worldwide smash hit brought US soul singer Egbert Nathanial Dawkins III to global attention and put the funk into financial problems.

Critics have praised US folk-rocker Bon Iver since the release of his debut album in 2008, but it was in 2011 that the acclaim resulted in mainstream success in the UK. Scoring a Top Ten album with his second, self-titled release, Bon Iver's profile was also given a boost when young newcomer Birdy covered his track, 'Skinny Love'.

Already something of a superstar, Bruno Mars has seen nothing but success since his debut smash hit, 'Just The Way You Are' in 2010. A string of worldwide No.1 hits has seen this relative newcomer soar to the top of his game early in his career and he is currently working on a follow up to his debut album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans.

The only nominee on the list who we've never heard sing, David Guetta has been tearing up dancefloors since 2002, but became a star when he stepped into the spotlight with his One Love album in 2009. Teaming up with hip-hop royalty on his Nothing But The Beat album in 2011 saw this French producer take his success to another level and had the whole world dancing.

Having released ten albums since 2000, Ryan Adams is one of the most prolific artists of his generation, and this marks the second BRIT Award nomination of his career. He was previously nominated for the International Male Solo Artist in 2002.