Subject: Pop star Sam Smith leads the charge at this year's Brit Awards

Pop star Sam Smith leads the charge at this year's Brit Awards, with five nominations, it has been announced.

The 22-year-old is up for best British male, breakthrough artist and best album, for In The Lonely Hour.

He is closely followed by guitar-toting singer-songwriters Ed Sheeran and George Ezra, who each receive four nominations, and rock duo Royal Blood, who have three.

This year's ceremony takes place in London's O2 arena on 25 February.

Smith, who won the BBC's Sound of 2014 last year, was the only artist to sell more than a million albums in both the UK and US last year.

He will go up against Sheeran, Ezra, Damon Albarn and Paolo Nutini in the best British male category. It is Albarn's first solo nomination - 20 years after Blur swept the board and won four Brit awards in 1995.

Smith's tally of five nominations - which also includes best British single and video of the year for Stay With Me - has only been bettered by Robbie Williams and Craig David who got six apiece in 1999 and 2001.

But Smith will be wary of emulating the latter - who left the ceremony empty-handed.

The coveted best British album category will be fought between Smith, Sheeran's X, Ezra's Wanted On Voyage, Alt-J's This Is All Yours and Royal Blood's self-titled record.

Jessie Ware, FKA Twigs and Clean Bandit, who played at a London ceremony announcing the nominations, all walked away with nominations; whilst fellow performer James Bay, has already won the Critics' Choice award for emerging artists.

Ware, who released her second album Tough Love last year, is up for best British female.

"It's really reassuring as an artist, you feel like maybe you're doing something right," she told the BBC News website. "Like a big old hug."

Ware will compete against X Factor alumni Ella Henderson, FKA Twigs, Lily Allen and Paloma Faith.

Taylor Swift, whose fifth album, 1989, marked the completion of her shift from country music to pop, was among the nominees in the best international female category alongside Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, Sia and St Vincent.

Up-and-coming singer Jess Glynne is also up for three awards, thanks to her guest appearances on other people's records.

The 25-year-old is the voice behind Clean Bandit's string-laden dance track Rather Be, which is up for best single; and Route 94's My Love, nominated for best single and best video.

List of nominations here: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30839967