Reuters/London
Scottish singer Emeli Sande joined folk act Mumford and Sons and indie rockers Alt-J with three Brit Award nominations apiece, but the biggest surprise was a posthumous nod for Amy Winehouse 18 months after she died.
Winehouse was included in the ‘British female solo’ category, in which she was up against Sande, Jessie Ware, Paloma Faith and Bat for Lashes. She was shortlisted for ‘Lioness: Hidden Treasures’, an album of unreleased songs and demos dating back to 2002 which hit stores in December, 2011 and topped the British charts.
The ‘Back to Black’ singer’s father Mitch Winehouse said he was “delighted” with what he called the first ever posthumous Brit nomination, adding in a statement: “It proves that her music still has an enormous effect on the public now and for the generations to come.”
The other surprise package in a list some critics said largely upheld the Brits’ reputation for rewarding commercial success over musical originality, veteran rockers the Rolling Stones were nominated for British live act.
The ageing quartet returned to the stage for a short, sellout tour at the end of 2012 in London and the US to mark 50 years in business. Despite criticism of high ticket prices, the band won critics and audiences over with hit-laden performances that belied their age. “We all had such a blast, everyone was at the top of their game and the hometown audiences at The O2 were just fantastic...” lead singer Mick Jagger wrote on Twitter. “It’s great to be nominated ... we will see you soon.” The last time the group was nominated was in 1996 and it is the only act to be nominated in both this year’s awards and at the first Brit Awards in 1977.
Sande took part in the opening and closing ceremonies at the London Olympics, helping to boost sales of her debut album ‘Our Version of Events’ which sold an estimated 1.4mn copies in Britain last year.
