Following a strong showing for British acts in the 2026 Grammys nominations – including nods for Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Yungblud, FLO, FKA Twigs and more – BPI chief strategy officer Sophie Jones says it represents the success of UK talent and the crucial role of the recorded music sector…
If Friday’s Grammy Awards nominations are anything to go by, 2025 could well be seen as the year British music turned up the volume.
Two British acts, Olivia Dean and Lola Young, have been nominated for the ceremony’s coveted Best New Artist award – one of its most prestigious and closely-followed categories – with Young also nominated in the Best Pop Solo Performance category for global smash hit Messy alongside major US stars.
The genre categories, meanwhile, read like a who’s who of contemporary British music, with three UK acts (PinkPantheress, Fred Again.., and FKA Twigs) facing off in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category, Sleep Token and Yungblud nominated across multiple rock and metal categories, and indie rock outfit Wet Leg up for three awards, alongside nods for Jacob Collier (his 16th), FLO (their first), Cynthia Erivo and more. Not to mention British musical icons – The Cure and Elton John are both also nominated with two each.
Reflecting both commercial success and critical acclaim, this recognition represents yet another promising sign of a strong bounce-back for British music, capping off a year that’s seen multiple British artists become chart-topping stars at home and make a sizeable impact in key markets around the world.
We’re confident that with the right support from policymakers, the UK can continue to produce and nurture the global stars of tomorrow
Sophie Jones
At the time of writing, Olivia Dean is riding high in the US charts, with her smash hit Man I Need at No.5 and her album, The Art of Loving, at No.7 (having been in the Top 10 since release). Earlier this year, metal band and fellow nominees Sleep Token secured their first US No.1 album, also topping the charts in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.
British breakthroughs in 2025 span a wide range of genres, highlighting the diverse and exceptional musical talent that can be found throughout the UK, as well as the crucial role played by Britain’s vibrant recorded music sector and wider ecosystem.
Such success does not happen by accident. Great British musical talent is honed at our schools, community centres and grassroots venues; and it is buoyed and empowered by a vibrant, dynamic industry, with record labels helping to support and elevate artists internationally. It’s for this reason that we welcome the inclusion in last week’s curriculum review of a greater focus on creative education, and urge the government to support grassroots venues and the ability of artists to tour globally.
The international impact of the likes of Olivia Dean and Lola Young – who were signed six years ago and are both alumni of the free-to-attend BRIT School in Croydon, like Raye, Adele, and countless other success stories before them – lays bare the outsized economic and cultural returns that can be found in creative education. Making creative opportunities available to as many young Brits as possible from all over the UK remains vital if we are to continue to see new artists succeed.
In a year which has seen the AI and copyright debate reach heightened levels of intensity and the UK’s creative sectors band together in support of human artistry, Britain’s star turn on the Grammy nominations list is a potent reminder of the immense cultural reach and economic power of British music, one of the crown jewels of our £125 billion-per-year creative industries. Ensuring its continued growth and stability should be high on the Government’s agenda next year.
We’re confident that with the right support from policymakers, the UK can continue to produce and nurture the global stars of tomorrow – and that British music can remain a global headline act.
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