David Bowie could win a posthumous Brit Award as best British male solo artist after being shortlisted for next month's ceremony.

The star - who died in January 2016 - will go up against Craig David, Michael Kiwanuka and Mercury Prize winner Skepta for the title on February 22.

Meanwhile, best British female solo artist will be fought out between Anonhni, Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sande, Lianne La Havas and Nao.

Emeli Sande, nominated for best British female solo artist

Former One Direction star Zayn Malik's move into a solo career appears to be paying off as he has been nominated for best British single with his track, Pillowtalk.

He goes up against ex Perrie Edwards' group Little Mix with Shout Out To My Ex as well as another X Factor alumni James Arthur with Say You Won't Let Go.

Also in the category are Alan Walker's Faded Calum Scott track Dancing On My Own, Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna on This Is What You Came For, Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie for Rockabye, Coldplay with Hymn For The Weekend, Jonas Blue ft. Dakota for Fast Car and Tinie Tempah ft. Zara Larsson with Girls Like.

The nominations for the ceremony are being announced in a live show, The Brits Are Coming, on ITV.

Craig David, Christine And The Queens and Calum Scott as well as Brits Critics' Choice winner Rag'n'Bone Man are all performing during tonight's event as the contenders for categories including British single, British group and the Mastercard British album of the year are revealed.

Craig David has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide since launching his career in 1999

Little Mix are also up for best British group, this time going against Radiohead, The 1975, Bastille and Biffy Clyro.

Meanwhile, the contenders for British breakthrough act include Skepta, up for his second award too, Anne-Marie, Blossoms, Critics' Choice winner Rag'n'Bone Man and Stormzy.

Zayn will be battling it out with his former group One Direction for British artist video of the year - the former for Pillowtalk and the latter for History.

The category includes other British single nominees Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna on This Is What You Came For, Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie for Rockabye, James Arthur's Say You Won't Let Go, Jonas Blue ft. Dakota with Fast Car and Tinie Tempah ft. Zara Larsson for Girls Like.

Calvin Harris plays at a festival (Getty Images for Coachella)

Other best video nominees are Adele for Send My Love (To Your New Lover) and Little Mix again, this time featuring Sean Paul on the track Hair.

Fighting it out for international male solo artist are Bon Iver, Bruno Mars, Drake, Leonard Cohen and The Weeknd.

International female solo artist sees a sibling rivalry between Beyonce and her sister Solange, who are also competing with Christine And The Queens, Rihanna and Sia.

George Michael: Watch the singer crush Queen's ‘Somebody to Love’ as a smiling David Bowie looks on

The international group nominees are Kings Of Leon, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, A Tribe Called Quest, Drake & Future and Twenty One Pilots.

Bowie is up for a second posthumous award for MasterCard British Album of the Year, where he has been nominated for Blackstar.

David Bowie: Life in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1960s Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures Davy Jones; life before David Bowie Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1964 Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie 'In Mime' at the Middle Earth Club, London, 1968 Ray Stevenson/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1969 I T N/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performing his final concert as Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1973 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 1973 PA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie, with his wife Angela (Angie) and his son Zowie, after receiving an award for his latest record "Ziggy stardust" in Amsterdam, 1974 AFP David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in the 1970s Sunshine/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie poses with a pig David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, confirmed his death on Twitter Duncan Jones/Twitter David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in the 1980s Everett Collection/Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie gives a press conference presenting the Japanese movie 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' directed by Nagisa Oshima, during the 36th International Film Festival in Cannes, 1983 AFP via Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs on stage during a concert in La Courneuve, 1987 AFP David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie during his concert in West Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany, 1987 EPA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie shakes hands with Princess Diana, 1993 PA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie autographs copies of his newest album 'Outside' at the grand opening of a Herald Square music store 26 September 1995 in New York AFP/Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs at the Panathinaikos stadium in Athens during a rock festival, 1996 Reuters David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and his wife, supermodel Iman smile as they pose for photos after Bowie received a star on the world famous Walk of Fame 12 February in Hollywood, 1997 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie getting ready to perform 'Earthling' at the Phoenix Music Festival in 1997 Pat Pope/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie on stage performing during the Tibet House Benefit Concert in New York City, 2001 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie Meltdown concert at the Royal Festival Hall, London, June 2002 Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performing during his concert at the Stravinski hall stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, 2002 EPA David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie in 'Last Call with Carson Daly' TV programme taping in New York, 2003 Startraks/Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie walks with his with wife Iman and daughter Alexandria (2) in New York, 2003 Shutterstock David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie performs on stage on the third and final day of 'The Nokia Isle of Wight Festival 2004' at Seaclose Park, in Newport, UK Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and Kate Moss at the 2005 CFDA Awards dinner party at the New York Public Library in New York City, 2005 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie and model Iman arrive to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, 2008 Getty David Bowie: Life in pictures David Bowie anf Tilda Swinton at the MoMA's 6th Annual Film Benefit in New York, 2013 BFANYC.COM/Rex David Bowie: Life in pictures Flowers are left below a mural of David Bowie on the wall of a Morley's store in Brixton on 11 January 2016 Getty

Other nominees in the category include Skepta who is in the running for a third award for his Mercury Prize-winning album Konnichiwa, The 1975's I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, Kano's Made In The Manor and Michael Kiwanuka's Love & Hate.

Saturday's programme saw the first 2017 Brits trophy awarded to Rag'n'Bone Man, who is this year's Critics' Choice winner.

The 2017 Brit Awards take place on February 22.