Why artists are calling out the Brit award nominations
Artists and fans alike are calling the Brit award nominations out, after no female-identifying acts were named for the Artist Of The Year award - or R&B acts in the Best Pop/R&B category.
Ahead of the 2023 Brit awards, which take place on Saturday 11th February 2023, the nominations for each category have been revealed. As well as the likes of Aitch, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Lizzo and Sam Smith pulling in multiple nominations, Eliza Rose, Jack Harlow, Mimi Webb and Sam Ryder also nailed their first ever Brit nods.
But the awards have still faced backlash from some people, who have criticised how five men have been named in the Artist Of The Year award - despite the fact it became a gender-neutral category to encourage inclusivity in 2022.
As Tim Burgess, lead singer of The Charlatans, put it, "So The Brits introduced an Artist Of The Year category as a gender neutral replacement for Best Male and Best Female Artist category - but this year all five nominees are blokes."
Someone else said, "In [the] apparently gender neutral Artist of the Year category, which now contains five male artists." Another summarised: "So last year the Brits scrapped gendered categories for inclusivity reasons, yet everyone nominated for artist of the year this year is a man. Make it make sense."
So The Brits introduced an Artist Of The Year category as a gender neutral replacement for Best Male and Best Female Artist category - but this year all five nominees are blokes ?? ??♂?
— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) January 12, 2023
every single nomination at the brits for artist of the year is a man? pic.twitter.com/yIU3ABoSbK
— Ruby Naldrett (@rubynaldrett) January 12, 2023
2 biggest catergories are mostly men aside from #WetLag is this gender neutral new rules #brits going to be a problem for female artists ??? Come on? ????♀? pic.twitter.com/sDRMVx1PbL
— MAX (@ThisIsMax) January 12, 2023
the brits got rid of the gendered categories to promote inclusivity then continued to only nominate men for artist of the year
— soph (@tobesophlonely) January 12, 2023
The nominations also came under fire for the Best Pop / R&B Act category, with artists like Mahalia and MNEK calling out the fact no R&B acts had been named. Instead, Cat Burns, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles and Sam Smith made up the nods.
"Desperately searching for the R&B act @BRITs," Mahalia tweeted, later adding, "I’m sorry but UK R&B right now is THRIVING. Forget putting us in this category. Give us our own!!!!! How many times do we have to scream at you? @BRITs."
Desperately searching for the R&B act @BRITs https://t.co/clqzdJ4tWS pic.twitter.com/UPhQLYxPzc
— mahalia (@mahalia) January 12, 2023
Forget putting us in this category. Give us our own!!!!! How many times do we have to scream at you? @BRITs
— mahalia (@mahalia) January 12, 2023
OK this is silly now. We get it. UK industry doesn’t know what to do with R&B. But there’s enough R&B/hiphop artists to have their own category at LEAST. Bellah, Tiana Major 9, Jack James, FLO, None of these artists (ESPECIALLY @catburns) is making R&B music. https://t.co/L52eFXFv2Y
— MNEK???? (@MNEK) January 13, 2023
it’s whack cos the gen pop will think cos Cat is black, she’s R&B. I also think it’s whack cos the category would still be valid if the “R&B” wasn’t added, BPI could do with explaining the need for this in the award title. Cos, it’s not like the people haven’t spoken!
— MNEK???? (@MNEK) January 13, 2023
There are no R&B artists in this category @BRITs...
Why does the UK have such a problem acknowledging R&B as a genre?
Still no scope in the UK for artists to achieve recognition/momentum at home. https://t.co/yGIrgTZVBq— DALEY (@DALEYmusic) January 12, 2023
Sorry @BRITs this is very weird behaviour... these are all pop acts. We have an incredible thriving & growing UK R&B scene right now its okay to give them their own catergory. I need someone to explain the thought process behind this, the math is not mathing... https://t.co/qRRGUnxyHz
— CimCimaaaa (@cimcimaaaa) January 12, 2023
Tiana Major 9 added, "Are you purposely trying to antagonise R&B artists?" while MNEK tweeted, " OK this is silly now. We get it. UK industry doesn’t know what to do with R&B. But there’s enough R&B/hiphop artists to have their own category at LEAST. Bellah, Tiana Major 9, Jack James, FLO, None of these artists (ESPECIALLY @catburns) is making R&B music.
"It’s whack cos the gen pop will think cos Cat is black, she’s R&B. I also think it’s whack cos the category would still be valid if the “R&B” wasn’t added, BPI could do with explaining the need for this in the award title. Cos, it’s not like the people haven’t spoken! [sic]"
We have reached out to the Brits for comment.
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