Mastercard British Album Of The Year Nominees Announced

The nominees for this year’s Mastercard British Album of the Year, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, J Hus, Rag’n’Bone Man and Stormzy are in legendary company - last year the award was won posthumously by David Bowie. With the exception of Ed Sheeran, all of this year’s nominees are being recognised for their first full-length studio albums.

Dua Lipa’s self-titled debut peaked at No. 5 in the UK charts and went on to be certified gold by the end of 2017. Shortlisted for BRITs Critics’ Choice in 2017, Dua is this year’s most nominated artist, in the running for five awards.

The winner of BRITs Critics’ Choice 2017, Rag’n’Bone Man’s debut album ‘Human’ hit No. 1 in its first week of release and was the fastest-selling debut album by a male artist in a decade.

Ed Sheeran’s ‘÷’ is the fastest-selling album of all time and prompted a rule change in the UK charts after every single song charted within the Top 20, including nine in the Top 10. ‘÷’ was also shortlisted for this year’s Mercury Prize. Ed previously won the coveted Mastercard British Album Award in 2015.

Stormzy and J Hus round out this incredible category. Independent artist Stormzy became the first grime artist to chart an album at No. 1; ‘Gang Signs & Prayers’ went on to be certified gold. In his first year at The BRITs, this is the third category J Hus finds himself nominated in. Critically acclaimed ‘Common Sense’ peaked at No. 6 on the UK chart.

The BRIT Awards 2018 take place at London’s O2 Arena on 21 February and will be broadcast live on ITV. You can see all the nominations here: www.brits.co.uk/nominees

The BRIT Awards 2018 with Mastercard - Celebrate with us on 21 February 2018!