Just Horan and The Script to fly Irish flag at the Brits
WITH the Meteor Awards now just a memory, Ireland's pop fraternity must look abroad for the prospect of some silverware for the mantelpiece. But the pickings are slim. Niall Horan, the Irish fifth of One Direction, could claim a Best British Group accolade at the Brit Awards with his bandmates. One Direction are nominated in that category alongside Mumford and Sons, Alt-J, The xx and Muse.
The only other Irish interest in the Brits is Danny O'Donoghue and his mates in The Script who are nominated in the International Group category, along with Fun, The Killers, The Black Keys and Alabama Shakes.
The Irish fare even worse in the Grammy 2013 nominations list. Despite the long, long list of categories, Irish artists are noticeably absent, with the exception of U2 whose ‘From The Sky Down' - David Guggenheim's documentary about the making of Achtung Baby - gets a nod in the Long Form Music Video category.
After a year when female artists dominated music charts, it is maybe a little surprising that males dominate the Grammy nominations. Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, JayZ, Kanye West, Black Keys member Dan Auerbach and Fun all score six nominations each, with Fun in the running in no fewer than four major categories: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
Adele, who had a relatively quiet 2012 after the birth of her son, still managed to grab a Grammy nomination, with a live performance of ‘ Set Fire To The Rain’ up for an award in the Best Pop Solo Performance category.
She’ll have to find more room in an already bulging trophy cabinet this year after Skyfall claimed a Golden Globe on Sunday night. The Bond theme is also up for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards on February 24.
Female artists are more prominent in the Brit nominations announced late last week.
After her stellar year, it comes as no sur- prise that Emeli Sande tops the list of those with most nods. The Scottish hit maker who had the best selling album in the UK in 2012, has four nominations, including two tracks in the best single category (‘Next To Me' and ‘Beneath Your Beautiful', with Labrinth).
Mumford and Sons, Mercury Prize winners Alt-J and Rita Ora have three nominations each.
Poignantly, Amy Winehouse has received a nomination for best British female after the posthumous release of the 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures' album.
The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will be staged in the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 10.
The Brit Awards will be handed out at London's O2 arena on February 20.