Nomination is a Brit of a shock for DJ Nathan
A LOCAL DJ says he is still “in shock” after he was nominated for a coveted music industry Brit Award.
The awards pit the best from the British music industry against each other and in the past winners have included David Bowie, Calvin Harris, Ed Sheeran and Staffordshire’s own Robbie Williams.
Now Nathan Dawe is up against One Direction’s Harry Styles after his nomination for best British single. Tipped as becoming one of the UK’s most talked about dance acts, Nathan, who is from Stretton, has come along way since he was spinning discs at local nightclubs as a teenager.
As well as working in Ibiza, he was later spinning records in holiday hotspot Ayia Napa in Cyprus and Marbella.
His second single, Lighter, featuring KSI, made it to a lofty number 3 in the UK charts, and it is this song which has received a nomination for a Brit.
The 26-year-old said: “I’m honestly still in shock. It still hasn’t sunk in. Coming from a small town made me think things like this were an unrealistic dream, so it made me work even harder.
“Working with KSI was such a fun experience and we were both so excited to get ‘Lighter’ out to the world. We get on so well and it’s a pleasure to enjoy this moment with him. Thank you so much to everyone who bought and streamed it.”
Nathan is buoyed by a huge fan base in Birmingham and the Midlands and his regional influence has seen him sell-out the 3,000-capacity headline shows at Birmingham’s 02 Academy, as well as curate the first ever, one-day 0121 Fest in the summer of 2019.
His growing influence is now starting to transmit nationwide, with his single Flowers featuring Birmingham rapper Jaykae spending 11 weeks in the UK Top 20, peaking at number 12 and recently being certified platinum.
His latest single, No Time For Tears, featured Little Mix — the biggest collaboration of his career so far — and went on to secure him his third UK Top 20 single earlier this year.
At the Brits, he is up against tough competition with the likes of Harry Styles and his single Watermelon Sugar, Due Lipa with Physical, and Aitch and AJ Tracey featuring Tay Keith with Rain.
In separate categories, there are also nominations for Ariana Grande, BTS, Burna Boy, Cardi B, Foo Fighters, Lianne La Havas, Little Mix, Run the Jewels, Taylor Swift, The 1975, and The Weekend.The Brit Awards will be held on Tuesday, May 11, at The O2 Arena in London on ITV and TV Hub.