BRIT Awards 2024 Rising Star shortlist revealed: Caity Baser, The Last Dinner Party and Sekou are all up for a gong

Caity Baser, The Last Dinner Party and Sekou person been shortlisted for nan 2024 Rising Star BRIT Award.

After nan announcement made connected Tuesday, nan artists will spell head-to-head for nan prestigious prize, pinch nan victor group to beryllium revealed connected Thursday, December 7.

The hopefuls travel successful nan footsteps of Adele, Ellie Goulding, Jorja Smith, James Bay and Sam Fender, who each antecedently received nan prestigious award.

Formerly known arsenic nan Critics' Choice award, nan class is judged by a group of editors and critics, pinch nan prize awarded astatine nan BRIT ceremonial connected Saturday, March 2.

The sought-after grant is unfastened to British artists who, arsenic of October 31, 2023, person not yet achieved an Official Album Charts Top 20 placing aliases achieved much than 1 Top 20 floor plan placing successful nan Official Singles Chart.

Starting retired successful a assembly property moving successful a supermarket successful Southampton, Caity Baser, 21, has go a British popstar- to-be.

Seen arsenic a Gen Z domiciled exemplary for self-confidence, honesty and female empowerment, nan singer-songwriter has travel a agelong measurement arsenic she packed retired nan shape astatine Reading & Leeds Festival 2023.

She has besides appeared connected nationalist TV and power and received wide acclaim for her music.

Caity is group to embark connected her biggest tour, including a show astatine London's Hammersmith Apollo and will merchandise a 14-track mixtape Still Learning successful March.

Speaking of her nomination, she said: 'When I heard that I've been nominated for nan BRITs Rising Star grant this year, I virtually screamed for 5 minutes and chucked everything astir my room!!

'I utilized to watch nan awards connected TV each twelvemonth erstwhile I was a kid but had nary thought really a kid from an property successful Southampton would ever get there. Now to beryllium shortlisted for nan Rising Star grant for adjacent year...me! Little aged me… All I person to opportunity is I americium truthful happy and convey you truthful much. It's really a dream travel true!'

Sekou, 19, nan youngest creator to beryllium nominated for nan award, has travel on measurement from his mini municipality successful Ashby, Leicester,

First recognised astatine 16, nan rising prima has already had a engaged profession aft NWS Music discovered him.

He moreover performed his breakout azygous Better Man, for nan first clip astatine BBC Introducing's shelter astatine Glastonbury successful 2022 - Arlo Parks and presenter Dean Jackson selected him.

Sekou said of his nomination: 'Being nominated for BRITs Rising Star is perfectly crazy. I grew up successful a mini municipality and watched nan BRITs each azygous year. The performances were ever astonishing - Adele, Amy, Sam Smith, Beyoncé.

'I retrieve being 10 years aged erstwhile Adele sang Someone Like You for nan first clip and being like… YES, that's gonna beryllium maine 1 day. Don't moreover get maine started connected Beyoncé. I'm truthful grateful to beryllium considered for this.

'For me, this feels for illustration God telling maine to proceed to activity harder and support pushing. Thank you BRITsssssss!!!!'

The Last Dinner Party, nan only set nominated for nan grant this year, is simply a group of 5 women who went viral aft releasing their deed azygous 'Nothing Matters' successful April 2023.

The group features Abigail Morris (vocals), Lizzie Mayland (vocals, guitar), Emily Roberts (lead guitar, mandolin, flute), Georgia Davies (bass), and Aurora Nishevci (keys, vocals).

The girls spent astir of 2022 penning caller worldly and adding to their aged hits. They now person Prelude To Ecstasy, group to merchandise for February 2024.

Speaking of their nomination, nan group said: 'We're truthful honoured and thrilled to beryllium nominated for nan Rising Star award! It's very overwhelming and breathtaking to beryllium up for thing arsenic prestigious arsenic a BRIT astatine this shape successful our profession and we're truthful grateful. We've had an astonishing twelvemonth and can't hold for each that's to come!'

It comes aft nan Brits Awards announced earlier this twelvemonth that they will see immoderate awesome changes to their categories successful consequence to nan backlash of creating gender-neutral gongs successful 2022.

Ceremony organisers came nether scrutiny aft female musicians - including Charlie XCX and Florence And The Machine - were snubbed from Artist Of The Year, which Harry Styles went connected to win.

After nan furore, an extended reappraisal took place, and nan class has been expanded from 5 nominations to 10. This will besides use to International Artist Of The Year.

Other changes for nan grant show, group to return spot connected Saturday, March 2, are a caller standalone class for R&B. It was antecedently Pop/R&B.

A root told The Sun: 'The BRITs' determination to ­create genderless categories was immense and they've now tweaked it again to effort to make it much inclusive.

'The move to spell genderless was meant to beryllium progressive, and by making this alteration they are hoping that it reflects this.'

MailOnline antecedently contacted nan BRIT Awards for comment.

Music manufacture chiefs faced a backlash erstwhile they scrapped nan 2 categories successful a bid to beryllium inclusive and applicable aft non-binary musicians including Sam Smith, who identifies arsenic neither antheral nor female, said they felt excluded.

The first gender-neutral grant was handed to Adele successful 2022, but successful her acceptance speech, she pointedly told nan audience: 'I emotion being a woman.'

It is understood she besides voiced her dismay aft erstwhile this year's shortlist was revealed to incorporate only men.

When erstwhile One Direction prima Harry, 29, accepted nan Artist Of The Year award, he dedicated it to respective female artists who weren't nominated.

He said: 'I'm alert of my privilege up present coming truthful this grant is for Reyna, Florence [Welch], Mabel and Becky [Hill].'

The changes came aft vocalist Sam Smith put organisers nether unit to scrap antheral and female categories earlier this year.

The three-time victor said previously: 'Music for maine has ever been astir unification, not division.

'I look guardant to a clip wherever awards shows tin beryllium reflective of nan nine we unrecorded in.'

Brit chair Tom March announced nan dumping of nan long-established class names successful 2022.

He said: 'It is important that The Brits proceed to germinate and purpose to beryllium arsenic inclusive arsenic possible.

'It feels wholly nan correct clip to observe nan achievements of artists for nan euphony that they create, and nan activity that they do, irrespective of gender.'

March added: 'I'm really excited to motorboat 4 caller genre awards, which create moreover much opportunities for artists to beryllium acknowledged for nan superb euphony they create and produce, and springiness euphony fans nan chance to get progressive and ballot to support their artists and thief them to triumph a Brit.'

The BRIT Awards 2024 will return spot on Saturday March 2  and will broadcast unrecorded on ITV1 and ITVX from The O2 arena.