Brit Award noms

THE BRITISH VERSION OF EVENTS: Emeli Sande, whose debut, Our Version of Events, was the best-selling album in the U.K. last year with 1.4 million units, leads the field for the Brit Awards with four nominations. The EMI artist is up for Best Female and Best Album, and she’s competing against herself for Best Single, with “Next to Me” and “Beneath Your Beautiful” both getting nods. Mumford & Sons, Rita Ora (who also has a pair of nominated singles) and Mercury Prize winners Alt-J were next with three noms apiece, followed by two-timers Muse, Coldplay, Paloma Faith, Plan B, Olly Murs, Jessie Ware, Ben Howard and Rihanna. In the Best Album category, Sande is up against Plan B, Alt-J, Paloma Faith and Mumford & Sons, while Best British Group nominees are Alt-J, Mumford, Muse, One Direction and The xx. Amy Winehouse received a nom for Best British Female as a result of the 2012 release of rarities album Lioness: Hidden Treasures; also nominated in the category are Paloma Faith, Bat for Lashes and Jessie Ware. Competing for Best British Male are Calvin Harris, Richard Hawley, Ben Howard, Olly Murs and Plan B. Adele, who scored a clean sweep at last year's Brits, got a Best Single nod for “Skyfall” on the same day the song received an Oscar nom. And the Rolling Stones are in the mix for Best Live Act, prompting speculation that they’ll perform at the Feb. 20 event, which will be held at the O2 Arena, site of their recent run of shows. Confirmed as performers are Muse, Sande, Mumford, Robbie Williams, Ben Howard and 1D. "It shows the broad spread of British pop music," said Alt-J's Gus Unger-Hamilton of the diverse field in BBC News. "That's what's great about the Brits." (1/11a)