Ed Sheeran has a lot of (four) Brits nominations

Ed Sheeran has received four nom­in­a­tions for next month's Brit Awards.

As The Daily Mail put it, Sheeran is "even ahead of Jessie J".

The singing man has been short­l­is­ted for Best Male, Best Breakthrough, Best Single for 'The A Team', and Best Album for '+'.

Meanwhile, last year's Critics' Choice winner, Jessie J, managed to pick up three nom­in­a­tions, a feat matched by fellow Best Female nominee Adele.

Elsewhere pop acts dominated the Best British Single nom­in­a­tions, with nods for Pixie Lott, The Wanted, Olly Murs, JLS and One Direction.

As well as winning the Critics' Choice award, Emeli Sandé has also been short­l­is­ted for British Breakthough Act while inter­na­tional nominees include Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Lana Del Rey.

In per­form­ance news, Adele will 'return to the stage' for the first time since she underwent microsur­gery in November. Other per­formers include Rihanna, Bruno Mars and Coldplay.

The Brits 2012 will take place at London's O2 Arena on February 21.