Entertainment

Women dominate shortlist for Brits rising star award

The award has been previously won by global superstars including Adele, Celeste and Sam Smith.
The award has been previously won by global superstars including Adele, Celeste and Sam Smith.

Bree Runway, Holly Humberstone and Lola Young have been shortlisted for the 2022 Brits rising star award.

The prize recognises future stars of British music and previous winners include Adele, Ellie Goulding, Celeste, Sam Smith and 2021’s winner Griff.

The trio were selected by a panel featuring music editors and journalists, radio and TV station bosses and songwriters, producers and live bookers.

Bree Runway, from east London, features on Lady Gaga’s latest remix album (Brit Awards/PA)

Runway started making music whilst at school and at age 14 she performed for Michelle Obama who encouraged the singer to keep doing it.

The east London musician, 29, picked up recognition on social media by recording covers and she has now garnered global acclaim with singles from her 2000AND4EVA mixtape, including ATM featuring Missy Elliott and follow up viral hit Hot Hot.

She kicked off the year shortlisted for the BBC Sound of 2021 and received a BET Award for best new international act, as well as featuring on the track Babylon on Lady Gaga’s new remix album, Dawn Of Chromatica.

Runway said: “I feel so honoured to be recognised by the Brits in this way, it’s all so exciting especially as previous nominees have gone on to do such amazing things, I hope I’m struck by that same luck.

“Attending the Brits alone has been something I’ve wanted to do for years, but attending as a rising star nominee is a dream.”

Humberstone, from Grantham, Lincolnshire, has also made a name for herself in recent years, breaking through with her debut EP Falling Asleep At The Wheel and her tracks have claimed more than 200 million global streams so far.

The 21-year-old has been nominated for a string of other awards recently including the Ivor Novello rising star award and coming runner-up for the BBC Sound of 2021 and chosen as YouTube’s next artist on the rise.

She has also performed on US talk shows such as Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show With James Corden and Later… With Jools Holland.

Humberstone said: “Music has always been my entire life, and being nominated for such a prestigious award really means everything to me.

“Recognition from the Brits is something I am struggling to comprehend at the moment!

“It’s truly an honour to be nominated for the Brits Rising Star Award alongside two other incredibly inspiring female artists.”

Lola Young, from south London, started writing songs age 11. (Jake Turney/PA) (ARON.KLEIN WWW.ARONKLEIN.CO.UK)

The third nominee, Young, started writing songs aged 11 and by 13 had competed in and won a national open mic competition, and later enrolled at the arts-focused Brit School in London, which counts Adele and Amy Winehouse among its alumni.

After gigging around London, she secured a record deal with Island Records and her catalogue so far includes the single Woman, her debut seven-track release titled Intro and the Renaissance EP.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter, from south London, has also been chosen to provide the soundtrack to this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert, a cover of Together In Electric Dreams, originally by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder.

She said: “I can’t believe I’ve been nominated for this award. It feels surreal and completely unexpected.

“I actually have to pinch myself looking at the other artists that have been nominated previously.

“It is such a big step for me and I feel very excited to have been nominated!”

The winner of the award will be revealed on December 10.