Beyonce leads the pack for 2017 NME Awards nominations

Beyonce will be the act to beat at the 2017 Nme Awards after earning five nominations.

The R&B superstar's nods in the Best International Female, Best Album, Best Video, Music Moment Of The Year and Hero Of The Year categories have made her a surprise favorite to land the most prizes at the prizegiving, which has been dominated by alternative rock acts in the past.

Close behind the Formation singer with four nominations apiece are The 1975, Bastille, Christine And The Queens and British rapper Skepta.

Notably, Beyonce will battle it out with her sister Solange for the Best International Female prize - the siblings are up against Sia, Lady Gaga, Christine & The Queens and Tove Lo.

Wolf Alice, Kanye West, and Adele have each scooped three nominations. Kanye faces fierce competition for the prestigious Best Album honor - his record Life of Pablo is up against Beyonce's Lemonade, Skepta's Konnichiwa, Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool, Bastille's Wild World, and The 1975's I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It.

And to win the Best International Male prize the rapper will have to beat Drake, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar and Chance The Rapper.

The 1975 will also battle it out for Best British Band honors, alongside Wolf Alice, Bastille, Years & Years and Biffy Clyro.

Former One Direction star Zayn Malik is another prominent nominee, selected by fans alongside Skepta, Kano, Jamie T, Michael, Kiwanuka, and Richard Ashcroft for the Best British Male award.

The equivalent female prize will go to either Dua Lipa, Adele, Charli XCX, M.I.A., Kate Tempest or PJ Harvey.

Meanwhile, the late David Bowie is up for the coveted Hero of the Year gong, as is Adele, Beyonce, and former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher.

All the winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 15 February (17).