Brit awards slammed after only men nominated in Artist of the Year category

A lot of people aren't happy.

The Brit Awards has come under fire for only having men in the British Artist of the Year category. The award ceremony introduced gender-neutral categories for the first time last year, with Adele taking home the top prize in the same category in 2022. For 2023, however, no women are in the running for British Artist of the Year as Central Cee, Fred Again, George Ezra, Harry Styles and Stormzy all scored nominations. Styles and indie rockers Wet Leg received the most nods with four each. In terms of International Artist of the Year, meanwhile, Beyoncé, Burna Boy, Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo and Taylor Swift are all in the running. Among the many to criticise the Brits for the exclusion of women in the British Artist of the Year category was The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess, who tweeted: "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. "One step forward, three steps back." https://twitter.com/Tim_Burgess/status/1613664100336422913 Under a Brit Awards tweet announcing the nominations, various others voiced their displeasure. One wrote: "Fun fact: no British solo females released any music this year, apparently." Another said: "I’m so confused… you delete the female category then nominate only men for artist of the year? Have I actually understood this right?" A third added: "No female artists? What a joke." Meanwhile, in a statement to HuffPost UK, a Brit Award spokesperson said:

“Last year’s introduction of new categories aimed at making the awards even more inclusive, recognising exceptional work rather than how artists identify. "It saw women artists thrive, winning 10 of the 15 awards on the night and Adele being crowned inaugural Artist of the Year. “We are pleased to see Wet Leg leading the nominations with four nods and FLO winning the Rising Star, and artists such as Nova Twins also included in this year’s shortlists, and while it’s disappointing there are no 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. “These trends based around the release schedule are a feature of the music industry, but if, over time, a pattern emerges, then this puts the onus on the industry to deal with this important issue – and the BPI is already carrying out a major study to identify barriers that may inhibit more women becoming successful in music, so that there can be solutions that result in meaningful change.”

The 2023 Brit Awards will take place at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, 11 February. Related links:

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