The mercurial Robbie Williams last night confirmed his position as Britain's leading pop icon with an unprecedented number of nominations for the 1999 Brit Awards. The ex-Take That star won a total of six nominations, including two songs from his second solo album, I've Been Expecting You, in the running for the best single title.
The full list of nominations, announced yesterday evening at London's Cafe de Paris night-club, features Williams with a further two nominations in the Best Video category, as well as entries for Best Album and Best Male, setting a new record for most nominations and beating Oasis who previously held the record with five in 1996.
The announcement also makes him favourite to win more than three awards, a record currently shared by Seal and Oasis.
The potential hat-trick for Williams marks the conclusion of a year in which he has established himself as a solo artist and overcome drink and drugs problems to enjoy romance with the All Saints star Nicole Appleton.