Nominations for the 2023 BRIT awards were announced on Thursday 12^th January with some of our favourite artists, such as Wet Leg, Rina Sawayama, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Charli XCX, and Dua Lipa, all up for awards. However, many music fans and artists alike were disappointed and puzzled that the nominations in the Artist of the Year category included only male artists. Here’s the lowdown on all the deets you need to know and our take on the failures of the award show.  

Back in 2021, the BRITS removed the gender limitations from their awards replacing them with ‘best artist’ in response to the complaints that non-binary singer Sam Smith was not eligible to win the award because of their gender. Although the BRITs had appeared to change for the better to allow more inclusivity the awards have struck up controversy this year by having not a single female or non-binary artist nominated for the Artist of the Year. To qualify for the award, an artist must have one Top 40 album or two Top 20 singles from the period of the 10^th December 2021 to the 9^th December 2022. This means that hyperpop sensation Charli XCX, the ethereal Florence + the Machine, shinning electro artist Shygirl, indie singer Beabadoobee, dance royalty Becky Hill, and alt-pop hero Rina Sawayama, were all eligible for the award but were absurdly overlooked. A spokesperson for the awards said, “While it’s disappointing there are no [female artist] nominations in the Artist of the Year category, we also have to recognise that 2022 saw fewer high-profile women artists in cycle with major releases as was the case in 2021”. Out of the 70 artists that were eligible for the prize only 12 were female – a very concerningly low figure. We think it’s not good enough – the industry needs to reform to allow more space for non-binary and female artists.

The BRIT awards will be held on Saturday 11^th February at the O2 Arena in London (marking the first ever weekend the awards have been hosted on) and be broadcasted on ITV1 and ITVX at 8 pm GMT. Hosting for the second year in a row will be British stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan who revealed he’d be donating his fee for the night to Five X More, a charity whose aim is to improve Black women and birthing people’s maternal health outcomes in the UK.

The show will feature live performances from huge names such as Harry Styles, Wet Leg, Sam Smith, and Kim Petras. Harry Styles and Wet Leg both tie for the most nominations with an impressive four each.

The winners of the 12 different categories, celebrating Best New Artist to Song of the Year, will be announced on the night. This year’s winner of the Rising Stars Award has already been announced with our favourite new girl group FLO taking home the prize. FLO makes history as the first group to ever win the award. They said that winning is, “truly a dream come true. We feel so empowered creating the music we love and we hope others feel that too.”. Previously winners of the award have gone on to be household names such as Florence + The Machine, Sam Smith, Adele, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, and Jorja Smith.

In 1977 the first BRIT awards were and in 1982 the awards originated as an annual event. Over the years the BRITs have been responsible for some iconic moments in pop culture including the final public appearance of Freddie Mercury, Jarvis Cocker protesting Michael Jackson’s Christ-like attitude by showing his rear end, televising the feud between Blur and Oasis, and of course Spice Girl’s Gerri Halliwell’s famous Union Jack dress. The ceremony once was infamous for hosting surprising antics and presenting the public with a sneak peek into the chaos of British celebdom for an evening. Now the awards have been criticised as having lost its edge as The Independent said it, “evolved into a more polished, sanitised affair”.

Here is the full list of nominations below:

Song of the Year

• ‘Baby’ – Aitch and Ashanti
• ‘Go’ – Cat Burns
• ‘Starlight’ – DAVE
• ‘Merry Christmas’ – Ed Sheeran & Elton John
• B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All) – Eliza Rose/ Interplanetary Criminal
• ‘Green Green Grass’ – George Ezra
• ‘As It Was’ – Harry Styles
• ‘Forget Me’ – Lewis Capaldi
• ‘Afraid to Feel’ – LF System
• ‘Unholy’ – Sam Smith & Kim Petras

Mastercard Album of the Year

• The 1975 – Being Funny In A Foreign Language
• Wet Leg – Wet Leg
• Harry Styles – Harry’s House
• Stormzy – This Is What I Mean
• Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)

Artist of the Year

• Central Cee
• Fred Again..
• George Ezra
• Harry Styles
• Stormzy

Group of the Year

• The 1975
• Arctic Monkeys
• Bad Boy Chiller Crew
• Nova Twins
• Wet Leg

Best New Artist

• Kojey Radical
• Mimi Webb
• Rina Sawayama
• Sam Ryder
• Wet Leg

International Artist of the Year

• Beyoncé
• Burna Boy
• Kendrick Lamar
• Lizzo
• Taylor Swift

International Song of the Year

• Beyoncé – Break My Soul
• David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – I’m Good (Blue)
• Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran – Peru
• From the Encanto soundtrack – We Don’t Talk About Bruno
• Gayle – abcdefu
• Jack Harlow – First Class
• Lizzo – About Damn Time
• Lost Frequencies & Calum Scott – Where Are You Now
• OneRepublic – I Ain’t Worried
• Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero

International Group of the Year

• Blackpink
• Drake & 21 Savage
• First Aid Kit
• Fontaines D.C.
• Gabriels

Best Dance Acts of the Year

• Becky Hill
• Bonobo
• Calvin Harris
• Eliza Rose
• Fred Again..

Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act

• Aitch
• Central Cee
• Dave
• Loyle Carner
• Stormzy

Best Pop/R&B Act

• Cat Burns
• Charli XCX
• Dua Lipa
• Harry Styles
• Sam Smith

Best Rock/Alternative Act

• The 1975
• Arctic Monkeys
• Nova Twins
• Tom Grennan
• Wet Leg

Words By: Molly Sutherland

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