Myles Smith
There are just days to go until the 2025 BRIT Awards returns to London’s O2 Arena, with a slew of musical stars battling it out to take home a trophy.
Pop singer Charli XCX leads the nominations with five nods, closely followed by Dua Lipa who has been recognised in four categories.
Meanwhile, US superstar Taylor Swift , 35, will battle it out with Billie Eilish in the International Artist Of The Year category, which also features Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan.
The highly-anticipated ceremony will once again be hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall while the trophy this year has been designed by artist Gabriel Moses.
And while the nominations list is full of familiar names who have dominated the radio this year, there are also some lesser known artists who are just breaking out into the world of fame.
From Lola Young, who soared to instant fame with her TikTok hit Messy, to Myles Smith who it has already been announced will be taking home a gong, here MailOnline looks at the BRIT Awards breakout stars you need to keep an eye on…
Myles Smith
The BRIT Awards have already announced that Myles Smith will be taking home the prestigious Rising Star Award this year
Myles received his first guitar, a gift from his mum, at the age of nine, and the rising star taught himself to play the instrument along with the piano
The BRIT Awards have already announced that Myles Smith will be taking home the prestigious Rising Star Award this year.
The British singer, 26, said: ‘Winning the BRIT award for Rising Star is such a surreal moment. Music has always been about connecting with people, and to see it resonate on this level is incredible.’
‘I’m so grateful to my team, my family, and especially the fans who’ve supported me every step of the way.’
‘Your belief in me means everything. This is just the beginning, and I’m so excited for what’s to come—thank you for being part of this journey.’
Myles received his first guitar, a gift from his mum, at the age of nine, and the rising star taught himself to play the instrument along with the piano.
The star’s confidence then grew as he began performing on the local open-mic circuit from the age of 12 at several pubs and Irish bars.
In 2020 Myles started uploading cover songs to TikTok and in 2022 he went viral with his version of the Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather.
After releasing a handful of acclaimed original songs like Solo and My Home, he signed to Sony’s RCA label in 2023.
His smash hit Stargazing charted and went platinum globally earlier this year, and at the time of writing, was closing in on 550 million streams on Spotify.
Earlier this year, The Guardian also named the star as ‘one to watch’ after he released his occasionally-country-adjacent bops.
His singles since have been gathering acclaim and charting in their own right, culminating in an exclusive virtual concert on Fortnite Island, and he also released his second EP called A Minute…
Lola Young
You may not have heard the name Lola Young but you will most likely by familiar with her smash hit Messy, which has taken social media by storm
Her new-found global success can be credited to her track Messy – which she’s said is an ‘ADHD anthem’ and an ode to ‘narcissistic men’
Read More The BRIT Awards 2025: Charli XCX leads nominations with FIVE nods followed by Dua Lipa who has four 
You may not have heard the name Lola Young but you will most likely by familiar with her smash hit Messy, which has taken social media by storm.
The South-London born songstress, 24, who suffers with a rare schizoaffective disorder, made history after becoming the youngest British female artist to score a solo number-one single since Dua Lipa in 2017.
Lola has impressed viewers on both sides of the pond with performances on American late-night talk show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , and the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show.
Her new-found global success can be credited to her track Messy – which she’s said is an ‘ADHD anthem’ and an ode to ‘narcissistic men’, with lyrics such as ‘I’m too perfect ’til I open my big mouth’ and ‘I want to be me, is that not allowed?’.
The song went viral on TikTok after enchanting millions with it’s relatable verses – and even A-listers such as Kylie Jenner and Sofia Richie Grainge posted clips of themselves singing and dancing along to the catchy number.
The song’s huge success was an unexpected accomplishment for the singer considering the song’s album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, was initially released in May last year.
Lola’s childhood was filled with musical opportunity. As a child, she appeared alongside her mother, Imogen Moore De Pulido who works in HR and project management – in CBBC’s Got What It Takes? – a musical bootcamp set to test a group of talented performers and their mothers.
She eventually went on to hone her craft at the prestigious Brit School in Croydon, which is known for producing stars like Adele and Amy Winehouse.
Before making unrivalled success with Messy, the Londoner also had a handful of instances where she nearly made it, having sang on the 2021 John Lewis Advert and previously reaching the BBC Sound of 2022 list.
Lola is nominated in the Best Pop Act category and is up against Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, JADE, and Myles Smith.
Elmiene
Another artist to keep on your radar is up-and-coming soul singer Elmiene who has bagged a nomination in the Rising Star category
Fresh after completing his music degree at Bournemouth University, the 23-year-old breakout star moved to London just one year ago
Another artist to keep on your radar is up-and-coming soul singer Elmiene who has bagged a nomination in the Rising Star category.
Fresh after completing his music degree at Bournemouth University, the 23-year-old breakout star moved to London just one year ago.
The singer was born in Frankfurt, Germany, but moved to Oxford with his family when he was five years old.
Elmiene, whose tunes are described as soothing and poetic, released his debut single Golden in 2021, with the song debuting during the late Virgil Abloh’s final Louis Vuitton show in Miami.
He followed up with tracks including Why (Spare Me Tears), Someday, and an EP called For The Deported – a six-track project that honours his Sudanese heritage through both music and lyrics.
In an interview with The Face, the emerging artist admitted he enjoys the old school music experience.
He told the publication: ‘If I ruled the world for a day, I’d delete streaming. Because I never got to experience that whole thing of going in a shop, getting a CD, bringing it back and talking to people about it.
I want to experience that as an artist. Like when Spice Girls did a collab with Tesco. That’s hilarious. I wanna do that – like you can only get Elmiene’s new album if you buy a pack of digestives.’
Good Neighbours
Musical duo Good Neighbours are the third act to be nominated in the Rising Star category alongside Myles Smith and Elmiene
The group, made up of Oli Fox and Scott Verrill, formed in a very unlikely way after meeting as recording studio neighbours, hence their band name
Musical duo Good Neighbours are the third act to be nominated in the Rising Star category alongside Myles Smith and Elmiene.
The group, made up of Oli Fox and Scott Verrill, formed in a very unlikely way after meeting as recording studio neighbours, hence their band name.
They were initially just recording their own seperate music in studios next to each other in East London, before becoming friends and joining forces
Their debut single Home was released in January 2024 and they have since gone on to release a host of catchy tunes inspired by the late-2000s scene led by MGMT, Pᴀssion Pit and Foster The People.
Scott told Clash: ”We both had really similar backgrounds and paths in music. We learnt that you can say yes to too much. We lost ourselves, and then came back here.
‘We got a lot of rejection to the point that last year we were like, ‘f*** it, we won’t make music for anyone else apart from us now.
‘There was beauty in being pushed back so much. We went completely into ourselves. That’s when the real magic started to happen.’
Tommy Richman
Tommy Richman is another name you may not recognise, but will have definitely heard his music
The Virgina-born singer and rapper, 24, came seemingly out of nowhere with his viral hits Million Dollar Baby and Devil Is A Lie
Tommy Richman is another name you may not recognise, but will have definitely heard his music.
The Virgina-born singer and rapper, 24, came seemingly out of nowhere with his viral hits Million Dollar Baby and Devil Is A Lie.
Million Dollar Baby was such a huge success that it’s nominated for the BRIT Awards’ International song of the year category.
Tommy found viral fame with the track, which was released as a last-minute decision in April 2024, debuted at number 2 on the Billboard H๏τ 100, topped charts worldwide, and has racked up millions of streams.
Before he released Million Dollar Baby, he teased snippets of the song and fans demanded to hear it
He told Variety: ‘People were berating me on Instagram and in my DMs saying, ‘Drop this song!
‘I probably got a couple thousand DMs, which was insane, and then I told my label, we gotta drop this song next week! We need to chase this moment – it’s time.’
Ezra Collective
Jazz quintet Ezra Collective are going up against huge names Bring Me The Horizon, Coldplay, The Cure, and The Last Dinner Party for the coveted Group Of The Year BRIT Award
They have had an incredible few years which have included performing at Glastonbury Festival and becoming the first jazz group to win the Mercury Music Prize
Read More BRIT Awards 2025 red carpet hosts are REVEALED 
Jazz quintet Ezra Collective are going up against huge names Bring Me The Horizon, Coldplay, The Cure, and The Last Dinner Party for the coveted Group Of The Year BRIT Award.
The group – comprising drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bᴀssist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Molliso – met in a youth club before going on to find huge recognition.
They have had an incredible few years which have included performing at Glastonbury Festival and becoming the first jazz group to win the Mercury Music Prize.
The group began in 2016 when meeting at British jazz double bᴀssist, composer, music arranger and educator Gary Crosby’s youth initiative Tomorrow’s Warriors.
Femi explained that previously jazz felt out of reach to the group due, saying: ‘I saw jazz music as an elite art form that I didn’t have access to’.
On their early influences, Femi said: ‘Earliest influence would be Fela Kuti, from my dad’s CD collection. I was making songs and noise from age 4. I was born with it, it’s in me. [Music] It just brings me joy…
‘Makes me happy, makes my soul dance. Always has. Hasn’t stopped.’
Prior to the Mercury win, they scored the MOBO Award for Best Jazz Act last year.
The group began in 2016 when meeting at British jazz double bᴀssist, composer, music arranger and educator Gary Crosby’s youth initiative Tomorrow’s Warriors
Additionally, their 2019 instrumental single Quest For Coin premiered as the H๏τtest Record In The World on Annie Max on BBC Radio 1.
Femi revealed: ‘Let me thank God because if a jazz band winning the Mercury Prize doesn’t make you believe in God I don’t know what will. We met in a youth club…
‘This moment we’re celebrating right here is testimony to good, special people putting time and effort into [helping] young people to play music…
‘Let me tell you something serious, something real, we have something special in the UK by way of young musicians so let’s continue to support that.’
Rachel Chinouriri
Alternative pop singer Rachel Chinouriri has made a dramatic entrance onto the music scene and bagged two nominations at this year’s BRIT Awards
Although the 26-year-old singer is still relatively new on the scene, she is beloved by A-listers, with Adele revealing she loves her sound and Florence Pugh starring in her music video
Alternative pop singer Rachel Chinouriri has made a dramatic entrance onto the music scene and bagged two nominations at this year’s BRIT Awards – in the Artist Of The Year and Best New Artist categories.
Although the 26-year-old singer is still relatively new on the scene, she is beloved by A-listers, with Adele revealing she loves her sound and Florence Pugh starring in her music video.
Megastar Adele praised Rachel during a show in Las Vegas last year, telling the crowd: ‘There’s a new artist, she’s British, her name is Rachel and she does like indie music.
‘She’s absolutely amazing, she has a show in L.A. in March and I’m going to go on my own. That’s what I’m gonna do.’
Rachel is also set to support Sabrina Carpenter on her upcoming tour around the UK and Europe, which could see her reach even higher levels of fame.
From age 17, the singer began writing songs and recorded them on a £20 microphone, before uploading them to SoundCloud using her mother’s laptop.
Her music hit the big streaming platforms the following year and she has since gone from strength to strength, including opening for Lewis Capaldi on tour in 2023.
Rachel performed at Glastonbury last year on the Other Stage, where she sang her own tunes and a cover of Estelle’s American Boy.
English Teacher
Finally, Leeds-based musical group English Teacher are also nominated in the Best New Artist category
The indie rock band, who formed in 2020, are made up of vocalist Lily Fontaine, guitarist Lewis Whiting, drummer Douglas Frost, and bᴀssist Nicholas Eden
Finally, Leeds-based musical group English Teacher are also nominated in the Best New Artist category.
The indie rock band, who formed in 2020, are made up of vocalist Lily Fontaine, guitarist Lewis Whiting, drummer Douglas Frost, and bᴀssist Nicholas Eden.
They released their debut album This Could Be Texas in April 2024 and have garnered a fanbase since.
English Teacher formed while studying at the Leeds Conservatoire and were the first act to win the Mercury Prize from outside London to win the prize since Young Fathers in 2014.
Judges said their album stood out against the others ‘for its originality and character’ and displayed a ‘fresh approach to the traditional guitar band format’. #
At the time, when asked about the Mercury Prize’s nine-year streak of Londoners winning, guitarist Lewis told the BBC: ‘It’s kind of ridiculous.
‘There’s so much going on outside London. Plenty of places in the north have thriving scenes and produce amazing bands. It’s crazy it’s been going on for so long.’
Lily added: ‘Musicians from outside London don’t really have the same opportunities but if you look back over music from this country, Yorkshire in particular has thrown out some of our most prolific songwriters.’
The BRIT Awards 2025: The Nominations In Full
Song Of The Year
Artemas – I like the way you kiss me
The Beatles – Now and Then
Bl3ss & Camrin Watson Feat Bbyclose – Kisses
Central Cee ft. Lil Baby – BAND4BAND
Charli XCX – Guess ft. Billie Eilish
Chase & Status ft. Stormzy – Backbone
Coldplay – Feels Like I’m Falling In Love
Dua Lipa – Training Season
Ella Henderson ft. Rudimental – Alibi
Jade Thirlwall – Angel Of My Dreams
Jordan Adetunji – KEHLANI
KSI ft. Trippie Redd – Thick Of It
Myles Smith – Stargazing
Sam Ryder – You’re Christmas to Me
Sonny Fodera, Jazzy, D.O.D – Somedays
Best New Artist
English Teacher
Ezra Collective
The Last Dinner Party
Myles Smith
Rachel Chinouriri
Artist Of The Year
Beabadoobee
Central Cee
Charli XCX
Dua Lipa
Fred again..
Jamie xx
Michael Kiwanuka
Nia Archives
Rachel Chinouriri
Sam Fender
Group Of The Year
Bring Me the Horizon
Coldplay
The Cure
Ezra Collective
The Last Dinner Party
International Group Of The Year
Amyl and the Sniffers
Confidence Man
Fontaines D.C.
Future, Metro Boomin
Linkin Park
Dance Act promoted by Kiss
Becky Hill
Charli XCX
Chase & Status
Fred again..
Nia Archives
Pop Act promoted by Capital
Charli XCX
Dua Lipa
Jade Thirlwall
Lola Young
Myles Smith
Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act promoted by Capital Xtra
Central Cee
Dave
Ghetts
Little Simz
Stormzy
R&B Act promoted by Kiss
Cleo Sol
Flo
Jorja Smith
Michael Kiwanuka
Raye
Alternate Rock Act promoted by Absolute Radio
Beabadoobee
The Cure
Ezra Collective
The Last Dinner Party
Sam Fender
International Artist Of The Year
Adrianne Lenker
Asake
Benson Boone
Beyoncé
Billie Eilish
Chappell Roan
Kendrick Lamar
Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor Swift
Tyler, The Creator
International Song Of The Year
Benson Boone – Beautiful Things
Beyoncé – Texas Hold ‘Em
Billie Eilish – Birds of a Feather
Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
Djo – End of Beginning
Eminem – Houdini
Hozier – Too Sweet
Jack Harlow – Lovin On Me
Noah Kahan – Stick Season
Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen – I Had Some Help
Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight
Teddy Swims – Lose Control
Tommy Richman – Million Dollar Baby
Mastercard Album Of The Year
Charli XCX – Brat
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy
