PIONEERING POP POWERHOUSES LORDE AND CHARLI XCX LEAD THE PACK WITH FOUR NOMINATIONS EACH, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY DUA LIPA AND ST VINCENT
FOO FIGHTERS, KASABIAN AND WOLF ALICE LEAD THE CHARGE FOR BANDS, BATTLING IT OUT IN A NUMBER OF HOTLY CONTESTED CATEGORIES
‘VILLAIN OF THE YEAR’ CONTINUES TO BE POLITICALLY CHARGED, WITH NME READERS RANKING DONALD TRUMP, THERESA MAY, JEREMY HUNT AND KIM JONG-UN, PLUS THE DIVISIVE PIERS MORGAN AND KATIE HOPKINS, AS DESERVING OF THE LESS THAN COVETED GONG
THE AWARDS, SHORTLISTED AND DECIDED BY NME READERS AND FOLLOWERS, SEES FANS VOTE IN THEIR THOUSANDS TO CROWN THEIR HEROES AND FAVOURITE MOMENTS ACROSS MUSIC, FESTIVALS, FILM, TV, BOOKS AND MORE
THE SHORTLIST WILL BE OFFICIALLY REVEALED AT THE EXCLUSIVE VO5 NME AWARDS NOMINATIONS PARTY WITH THE BIG MOON AT LONDON’S OMEARA
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Today, 17th January 2018, NME reveals the highly anticipated shortlist for the VO5 NME Awards 2018. Fans, who have voted in their thousands to whittle the long list down to a highly competitive shortlist, have cast their votes and pop’s most powerful females look a dead cert to dominate the proceedings. Topping the shortlist with an incredible four nominations each are global megastars Lorde and Charli XCX, followed closely behind by Dua Lipa and St. Vincent both receiving three nods for hotly contested categories such as Best Track, Best Video, Best International Solo Artist, Best British Solo Artist, Best Album and many more. Waving the flag for guitar heroes are Wolf Alice, Kasabian and Foo Fighters who also topped the polls with three nominations a pop for classic categories such as Best British Band and Best Live Artist.
All winners will be revealed at the most ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ night of the year at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on 14th February. Limited tickets for the event, which will feature a career-spanning set from 2018’s VO5 NME Awards Godlike Genius Liam Gallagher, are available now from nme.com/tickets. Voting for winners is now open at awards.nme.com.
In a first for the VO5 NME Awards, NME announce today new categories Best Mixtape and Best Collaboration, both of which reflect the wide tastes of NME readers and celebrate changing trends in pop culture. Fans of hat-trick Worst Band award winners 5 Seconds of Summer can also rest with ease, as NME also announce today that the Worst Band category, always sure to ignite social media uproar from swathes of loyal fans, will no longer feature.
The NME Villain of the Year category remains politically charged with world leaders Donald Trump, Theresa May and Kim Jong-un battling it out for the title alongside British Conservative Party politician Jeremy Hunt, Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan and two-time nominated Villain of the Year Katie Hopkins all deemed worthy of the unfavourable gong.
On the flip side, the VO5 NME Awards Hero of the Year shortlist includes much-deserved nods to some of the most significant moments of the past year. The Hero of the Year shortlist includes pop princess Ariana Grande following the tragic terrorist attack at Manchester Arena and her incredible work in pulling together the ‘One Love Manchester’ fundraising concert, Rose McGowan following her heroic call for action against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, national treasure David Attenborough, Man’s Not Hot’s viral comedian Big Shaq, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn following an incredible year for political youth engagement, plus Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell – who alongside the release of the incredible Visions of a Life album, used her platform to support Labour in the general election.
Following a jam-packed year of unforgettable musical releases, collaborations, headline sets and more, NME fans shortlisted Music Moment of the Year, to include: #Grime4Corbyn, Ariana Grande’s One Love Manchester, Noel Gallagher playing Don’t Look Back In Anger at Manchester Arena, Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Half Time Show, The Killers’ surprise set at Glastonbury and Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington tribute concert.
Other category shortlist announced today include Best TV Show, Best Mixtape, Best Festival, Best Collaboration, Best Film and many more.
Mike Williams, editor-in-chief, NME says: “Once again the NME readers have shown just how switched-on, diverse and exciting their tastes are in coming up with these shortlists, which themselves highlight what an amazing 12 months it’s been for music. It’s brilliant to see some old favourites mixing with a load of fresh new names, and it’ll be interesting to see which of the big guns go home with awards, and where the major upsets might happen. There’s only one way to make sure there’s love in the air for your favourite artists on February 14, and that’s to go and vote.”
The VO5 NME Awards 2018 shortlist in full:
BEST BRITISH BAND SUPPORTED BY ZIG-ZAG:
Alt-J
Kasabian
Wolf Alice
The 1975
The xx
Bastille
BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND SUPPORTED BY 19 CRIMES:
Haim
The National
Foo Fighters
The Killers
Paramore
Migos
BEST BRITISH SOLO ARTIST SUPPORTED BY VO5:
Dua Lipa
Liam Gallagher
Ed Sheeran
Stormzy
Loyle Carner
Charli XCX
BEST INTERNATIONAL SOLO ARTIST:
Kendrick Lamar
Taylor Swift
Lorde
Lana Del Rey
St. Vincent
Father John Misty
BEST NEW ARTIST:
Stefflon Don
J Hus
The Magic Gang
Sigrid
SZA
Shame
BEST ALBUM SUPPORTED BY ORANGE AMPLIFICATION:
‘Melodrama’ Lorde
‘Common Sense’ J Hus
‘Visions Of A Life’ Wolf Alice
‘Humanz’ Gorillaz
‘Yesterday’s Gone’ Loyle Carner
‘Sleep Well Beast’ The National
BEST TRACK SUPPORTED BY ESTRELLA GALICIA:
‘Bless This Acid House’ Kasabian
‘Humble’ Kendrick Lamar
‘Green Light’ Lorde
‘Something To Remember Me By’ The Horrors
‘New Rules’ Dua Lipa
‘Boys’ Charli XCX
BEST LIVE ARTIST:
Kasabian
Stormzy
Lorde
Royal Blood
LCD Soundsystem
Liam Gallagher
BEST FESTIVAL SUPPORTED BY ID&C:
Glastonbury
Reading & Leeds
Download
Parklife
TRNSMT
Bestival
BEST COLLABORATION SUPPORTED BY VO5:
‘I Know You’ Craig David and Bastille
‘Ding-A-Ling’ Stefflon Don and Skepta
‘Continental Breakfast’ Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile
‘We Got The Power’ Gorillaz and Jehnny Beth
‘Trigger Bang’ Lily Allen and Giggs
‘Bestie’ Yungen and Yxng Bane
BEST MIXTAPE:
‘Pop 2’ Charli XCX
‘More Life’ Drake
‘7 Nights / 7 Days’ Krept & Konan
‘Apricot Princess’ Rex Orange County
‘Game Over’ Dave
‘No Bullshit’ Avelino
BEST VIDEO:
‘Sucker’ The Big Moon
‘Boys’ Charli XCX
‘Los Ageless’ St. Vincent
‘Look What You Made Me Do’ Taylor Swift
‘New Rules’ Dua Lipa
‘Television Romance’ Pale Waves
BEST FILM SUPPORTED BY ZIG-ZAG:
T2 Trainspotting
Blade Runner 2049
Baby Driver
The Disaster Artist
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
It
BEST TV SHOW:
Stranger Things 2
Game of Thrones
Westworld
Rick And Morty
GLOW
Peaky Blinders
MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR:
One Love Manchester
The Killers play surprise set at Glastonbury
Grime4Corbyn
Noel Gallagher plays Don’t Look Back In Anger at Manchester Arena
Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl
Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington tribute concert
BEST FESTIVAL HEADLINER:
Muse
Boy Better Know
Ed Sheeran
Noel Gallagher
Foo Fighters
The 1975
BEST SMALL FESTIVAL:
Festival No.6
Boardmasters
Wilderness
Field Day
End Of The Road
Kendal Calling
VILLAIN OF THE YEAR:
Donald Trump
Theresa May
Katie Hopkins
Piers Morgan
Kim Jong-un
Jeremy Hunt
HERO OF THE YEAR:
Ariana Grande
Rose McGowan
Jeremy Corbyn
Ellie Rowsell
Big Shaq
David Attenborough
BEST REISSUE:
‘OKNOTOK’ Radiohead
‘Purple Rain’ Prince
‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ The Beatles
‘Automatic For The People’ REM
‘The Queen Is Dead’ The Smiths
‘Radiator’ Super Furry Animals
BEST MUSIC BOOK:
‘Eskiboy’ by Wiley
‘F*ck, That’s Delicious’ by Action Bronson
‘David Bowie: A Life’ by Dylan Jones
‘Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down’ by Allan Jones
‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’ by Lizzy Goodman
‘2023: A Trilogy’ by The KLF
BEST MUSIC FILM:
Gaga: Five Foot Two
L7: Pretend We’re Dead
Bunch Of Kunst
George Michael: Freedom
England Is Mine
Whitney: Can I Be Me
For more details keep checking nme.com Tag your tweets with #VO5nmeawards2018 to join the conversation.
-Ends-
For further information, please contact Murray Chalmers PR:
0207 361 0730
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About NME:
NME is one of the UK’s most famous and influential youth brands, turning young people on to the music and culture that will change their lives since 1952. Initially a weekly newspaper, NME now reaches 10 million people via the website, and another 150 million via social and offsite distribution, video channels, live events and the free weekly magazine.
NME is celebrated for talking about music and being experts in the field, but that’s only on part of the story. Whether it’s film, TV, food, politics, career development, social issues or Pokemon, if the NME audience is into it, NME is all over it.
From #lifehacks to Eats & Beats to the world renowned NME Awards, NME has a growing portfolio of channels, events and franchises that help us deliver timely and relevant content to the NME audience and connect commercial partners with this switched on and savvy generation.
About the NME Awards
Dating back to 1953 (a year after the launch of NME), the NME Awards has remained one of the most important and prestigious events for British music fans. Some of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll history have performed at the NME Awards, including: Ronnie Scott (’53), The Beatles (’63/’64), Rolling Stones (’66), The Who (’66), Noel Gallagher (’03), New Order (’05), Ian Brown (’06), The Cure (’09), Dave Grohl (’11), Johnny Marr (’13), Blondie (’14), Suede (’15), Coldplay (’16) and Pet Shop Boys (’17).
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