British Single & Critics Choice

The categories for British single is basically just really sad. They consist of X Factor contestants and Cheryl Cole and N-Dubz. The category is mostly just standard club songs.

There is one song I genuinely like though and that's Lily Allen's The Fear. Lily gets a bad rap a lot for her attitude, but the lyrics of the Fear are thoughtful and smart, not to mention her voice sounds fabulous.

The next category is Critics Choice, which I think is a category every awards show should have.

Marina & the Diamonds I discovered almost a year ago at Camden Crawl. In the style of Florence & the Machine, Marina & the Diamonds is the stage name for 24 year old welsh singer Marina Diamandis. She has an incredibly distinct voice that is accented by her welsh accent and will most definitely be the next British female pop singer (whether we need one or not).

Ellie Goulding turned heads with her voice on Starsmith's remix of Passion Pit's Sleepyhead. The rest of her stuff I find unimpressive. She worked on her album with Frankmusik, so the electro feel is kind of fun, but its too mellow to be anything interesting.




I was apparently late in discovering Delphic, but theyre fast becoming one of my favorite new artists. Calling themselves, a 'dance band,' Delphic's sound is very fun, but also has a lot more substance than just a typical dance band. Remember how I said there are a lot better electro bands than Friendly Fires? This is definitely one of them.

My vote? Doubt by Delphic

Brit Awards: Best Female Vocalist

Aww the Brit Awards. The time of year when we all have to realize that the Brits clearly have better taste in music than we do on the American side.

First up? Best Female Vocalist

The nominees are: Lily Allen, Pixie Lott, Leona Lewis, Florence & the Machine, and Bat for Lashes.

This is always a tough category, because it is so easy for female vocalists to land themselves into the ‘crappily manufactured pop music,’ genre, in fact, its probably harder not to fall into it.

Leona Lewis is are first nominee, another spawn of the Cowell entertainment machine, is a trend I find so disturbing about music lately. That people like Simon Cowell can go out and turn glorified karaoke singers into Grammy award winning stars. Lewis has seen huge success in both Britain and the United States, but I give 0 out of 0 stars for lack of songwriting talent.

Pixie Lott on the other hand, claims herself as one of the few new stars out there not created by the X Factor machine. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to like about Pixie Lott, especially on the side of physical looks (I have always had a thing for pretty blondes with long legs, call it a vanity thing), and the fact that she is only 19 years old. Does she have any more talent than Leona Lewis though? Probably not.

Natasha Khan, known better as her stage name ‘Bat for Lashes’ broke out this year with her hit ‘Daniel’ and made considerable noise in the UK with a Mercury Award nomination, and even had a bit of a hit with ‘Daniel’ over here in the U.S. To be honest? I find her voice drab and dragging and unbelievably boring

Lily Allen has had a rocky career that only spans to full-length albums. Her out of control personality and her constant fights with her fellow celebutante can make her annoying, but it also separates her from a lot of other female personalities. He voice is so sweet, but her lyrics are so offendingly honest that she is the perfect remedy for a bad breakup.

Florence & the Machine, another stage name for the beautiful Florence Welch whose distinctly British voice ranges from high-tempered indie rock (Kiss With a Fist) to the more soulful “Dog Days of Summer.”

Vote: Kiss With a Fist-Florence & the Machine

Next Up: Best Male Solo Artist