Harry Styles had the best-selling single and album of 2022 in the UK. [Source: BBC]

Harry Styles and Wet Leg lead the nominations for this year’s Brit Awards, with four each, including nods for the coveted best album award.

Stormzy, Cat Burns, The 1975 and dance producer Fred Again are close behind with three apiece.

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will fight it out in the international categories, while Sam Ryder is in the running for a best new artist.

He is the first Eurovision act ever to be recognised in the category.

“Well, I never knew that,” Ryder told BBC News. “So the shock and awe on my stupid face is completely legitimate. That’s amazing.”

The star added that he had had a “funny relationship” with the Brits in his formative years as a musician.

“Sometimes you’d watch the Brits and realise how far you still were [from success]. It would be hard to keep the faith, keep your spirit. So I just feel completely overwhelmed to be in a position where I’m included amongst my peers.”

Wet Leg said their four nominations were “so unexpected”

Last year the Brits discarded gendered categories, merging best female and best male into an overall best artist category.

Accepting the prize in 2022, Adele announced: “I understand why the name of this award has changed but I really love being a woman and being a female artist!”

This year, however, women are excluded from the category – despite high-profile releases from the likes of Charli XCX and Florence + The Machine.

It’s a result that has undoubtedly caused concern at the BPI, which organises the ceremony.

As the nominations were announced, it noted that 42% of this year’s nominations went to female artists or female-fronted bands, comparable to last year’s figure of 46%.

Sam Smith has won three Brit Awards in the past

The decision to go gender-neutral came after criticism of the 2021 ceremony by non-binary singer Sam Smith, whose gender identity meant they couldn’t be nominated in the male or female artist awards.

At the time, Smith said: “I look forward to a time where awards shows can be reflective of the society we live in.”

This year, the star is nominated for best single alongside transgender singer Kim Petras for their chart-topping pop duet, Unholy.