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Dido's Newcomer Brit Awards Nomination Withdrawn

01/17/2002 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Matt Ashare

(1/17/02, 6 p.m. ET) -- Dido received a "best newcomer" Brit Awards nomination this year due to an error by the Official U.K. Charts Company, which quickly withdrew the nomination after realizing its mistake. The 28-year-old singer-songwriter is no newcomer: In fact, she was nominated for best female solo artist at last year's Brit Awards.

The organization issued a statement explaining the mistake: "Under the eligibility rules for the Brit Awards 2002, she should not have appeared as a contender, and therefore it has been decided by the executive producer of the Brit Awards 2002 that from today Dido will be withdrawn from this category and replaced with the next eligible artist, Tom McRae." Dido will retain her other nominations for best album, best video, and best female solo artist.

Dido is currently working on her second album, the follow-up to No Angel, which has been certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America for U.S. sales of four million copies. The album has sold more than 10 million units worldwide. Dido is again collaborating with her brother Rollo of the Arista recording group Faithless, with whom Dido has written and recorded in the past.

U.K. modern rock/hip-hop outfit Gorillaz leads this year's Brit Awards nominees with six nods, including best group, best video, best album, best newcomer, best dance act, and best single. Robbie Williams follows closely with four nominations: best male solo artist, best single, and two nominations for best video for "Supreme" and his "Kids" clip featuring Kylie Minogue.

The Brit Awards includes a new category this year--best international album, which recognizes the surge of European and international acts that established themselves as major players in 2001. The award replaces the best soundtrack category.

Sting will receive the top honor of the evening--the prestigious outstanding contribution to music award in honor of his career, which spans more than three decades. Past recipients of the award include U2, David Bowie, Eurythmics, the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Van Morrison, and the Who. Sting is also scheduled to perform at the ceremony, as are Dido, Gorillaz, Minogue, Mis-Teeq, Shaggy, the Strokes, and several other acts to be announced shortly.

This year's Brit Awards will take place February 20 at London's Earls Court and will be hosted by Zoe Ball and Frank Skinner. The show will be broadcast on Britain's ITV1 the following night (February 21).

Complete list Of 2002 Brit Awards nominees:

BRITISH MALE SOLO ARTIST:

Aphex Twin

Craig David

Elton John

Ian Brown

Robbie Williams