The stars are set to descend on London's O2 arena on Wednesday night for the highly-anticipated BRIT Awards 2015.
First to walk the red carpet was BRIT nominee Ed Sheeran, who is up for British Male, Best Single, Best Video and Best Video.
He is also set to perform alongside singer Sam Smith and American artist Taylor Swift as they share the spotlight on the stage.
Ed
pulled out all the stops for his arrival, choosing to dress up smartly
in a suit, rather than stick to his preferred T-shirt and jeans combo.
However, he didn't turn his back on his look completely, adding a
monochrome pair of matching trainers into the mix.
Big night: Four times nominated Ed Sheeran was the first to arrive at the BRIT Awards 2015
He
has some serious competition on his hands as singer Sam Smith heads the
nominations for 2015 BRIT Awards after being shortlisted for five
awards, narrowly ahead of Ed Sheeran and George Ezra who are up for four
apiece.
Soul
singer Smith, 22, is in the running for prizes such as best male, best
album and best newcomer at the prize bash to be staged next month - a
year after he collected the Critics' Choice title.
Between them, Smith, Sheeran and Ezra have sold almost 4 million copies of the albums they released last year in the UK alone.
Bright thing: Michelle Keegan complemented her black mini dress with a bright green bag and silver strappy sandals
Rock
duo Royal Blood will compete for a trio of awards, while singer Jess
Glynne also finds her name on the shortlists three times as a guest
vocalist on singles by Route 94 and Clean Bandit.
Fellow
singer Paloma Faith wore a black and red puffball gown, which was
strapless and covered in a type of paint-splatter design. Taking a leaf
out of Mollie King's book from the Elle Style Awards the night before,
she wore her lightened locks in a slicked back fashion.
Presenter Holly Willoughby showed off her post-baby body in an embellished mini dress.
Kanye
West will also play, in a last-minute addition to the bill. The hip-hop
artist and husband of reality star Kim Kardashian is set to play a
track from his as-yet-untitled seventh album.
Much-loved Geordie hosts, Ant and Dec are to take over from James Corden to present the ceremony.
Jewel of the night: Presenter Holly Willoughby showed off her post-baby body in an embellished mini dress
Bosses
of the event - officially called the Brit Awards 2015 with MasterCard -
have reshaped the ceremony in recent years to make the album prize the
climax of the night
Nominations
were announced at an event staged at ITV Studios in London this evening
which also included performances by Clean Bandit and this year's
Critics' Choice winner James Bay, who had already been announced.
Take That were among the omissions from the nominations with their comeback as a trio failing to pick up any nods.
Red all
about it: Paloma Faith pulled out all the stops in a prom dress and wore
her hair slicked back (left) while singer Rebecca Ferguson stepped out
in a similar hue
Although
many of the British categories were dominated by male artists, FKA
Twigs and Ella Henderson were among the female performers who picked up
two nominations. They are both up for solo British female along with
Jessie Ware, Lily Allen and Paloma Faith.
The British group category sees bass and drums duo Royal Blood taking on One Direction, Coldplay, Alt-J and Clean Bandit.
The
international group category sees US act The War On Drugs - whose album
Lost In The Dream was seen by many critics as a highpoint of 2014 -
taking on Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit, along with more chart friendly
names Foo Fighters, 5 Seconds Of Summer and The Black Keys.
He's the one: This year's Critics' Choice winner James Bay looked cool in a leather biker jacket and his trademark hat
Taylor
Swift - who will be among the acts performing when the awards are
staged on February 25 at the O2 Arena in London - has been shortlisted
for best international female along with Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, Sia and
St Vincent
Brits
chairman Max Lousada said: 'This year's nominations reflect a vintage
year for British talent. The mix of new and established acts, the
variety of genres represented and the level of global success many of
these acts are enjoying shows UK music at its very best and sets the
stage for a fantastic show in February.'
Geoff
Taylor, chief executive of the Brit Awards and music industry body BPI,
said: 'These nominations capture the buzz around new British music
right now, and acknowledge the arrival of a new generation of talent
that will ensure the continuing success of British music around the
world.
Meanwhile,
nominee FKA Twigs, who has seen her popularity soar over the past year,
wore a typically outlandish outfit a as she arrived to perform at the
nominations announcement.
Dressed
in a patterned long black coat dress, which was slit to mid-thigh, the
impressive star wore stacks of gold bangles and chains for a dramatic
look.
Also on hand to see the nominations announced were MTV's Laura Whitmore and nominees Jessie Ware and Jess Glynne.
Back
in December, newcomer James May was announced as the 2015 BRITs
Critics' Choice Award winner, following in Sam Smith's footprints from
last year.
The
24 year-old singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has supported the
likes of Tom Odell and John Newman on tour, is set to release his debut
album in the spring .
'I'm
pretty speechless,' James enthused. 'After all the years I've spent
watching the BRITs and even after this year; watching my fan base grow
so much, I never thought I'd actually be getting an award myself.
'And
what a huge honour to be following the incredible artists who've won
before! I'm really chuffed, thank you to everyone who has supported me.
The BRIT Awards with MasterCard also revealed that George The Poet and Years & Years are the runners up.
And he is set to be presented with the Critics' Choice Award at The BRITs Are Coming nominations show this evening.
The
young singer has big boots to fill since the past winners of the prize,
which was only established in 2008, have all become huge international
stars.
James
can now count himself on a par with Adele, Florence and the Machine,
Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Emeli Sandé, Tom Odell and Sam Smith.
The
BRITs Critics' Choice Award winners are chosen by a panel of music
industry experts and key media tastemakers from among a list of over 100
candidates.
Bold girls: Singer Lianne La Havas wore white while radio DJ Jo Whiley wore a stunning shade of cobalt
She'll be needing her flats: Presenter Laura Whitmore braved the cold in a lemon mini dress and killer heels
Award-winning artist Tracy Emin has designed this year's statue.
Explaining
how she put her own twist on the iconic trophy, Tracy said: 'You want
to do it really well. You don't just want to decorate it, you want to
make something that is really Tracey-ish, that is special for the people
receiving it.'
The star has become the fifth British artist to create her own design since the concept was established in 2011.
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