BRIT Awards 2023: Harry Styles and Wet Leg lead controversially male-dominated nominations
Nominations for the BRIT Awards 2023 have been announced, with big names including Harry Styles, Beyoncé and Stormzy securing nods.
Harry Styles and Wet Leg picked up the most nominations with four each, including in the prestigious Mastercard Album of the Year categoy, while Stormzy, Fred Again. The 1975 and Arctic Monkeys each picked up three.
Other British artists up for multiple nominations include rappers Aitch, Central Cee and Dave, as well as singer-songwriter George Ezra and breakthrough dance act Eliza Rose. British pop sensation Dua Lipa also managed to pick up a nod.
The best new artist category showcases some of the biggest artists to emerge in the last year, with names including Eurovision Song Contest runner-up Sam Ryder, Mimi Webb, Cat Burns and Rina Sawayama.
In response to her nomination, Sawayama revealed she almost missed out on consideration due to not having a British passport – the artist moved to the UK from Japan aged four. A rule change from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in February 2021 means that artists who have resided in the UK for more than five years are able to be shortlisted for British categories.
London rapper Kojey Radical received his first ever nomination in the Best New Artist category after a breakthrough year.
In response to the news, he tweeted: “ It’s taken a long time to get here, but what a journey! Grateful for all the recognition we’ve received since the release of Reason To Smile.
“When I started working on this album, it was never about numbers or awards. I wanted to put out an album I was proud of, something that was reflective of all the hard work we’ve put in over the years. I knew the music would speak for itself and reach whoever it needed to. “
The Artist of the Year category has already proven to be controversial, with no female artists named among the nominees. The reaction online has been scathing. One user tweeted: “No female artists? What a joke.” Another said: “where are the female artists…”
No female artists? What a joke.
— Rory Codd (@rorystephencodd) January 12, 2023
The international awards were dominated by huge names including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Lizzo, who all picked up two nods each in both International Song of the Year and International Artist of the Year.
K-pop also received recognition in this year’s shortlist, with girl group BLACKPINK receiving a nomination for International Group of the Year, fresh off the back of their Coachella headline slot announcement.
The four fan voted categories for this years awards are Best Pop/R&B Act, Best Rock/Alternative Act, Best Dance Act and Best Hip Hop/Rap/Grime Act.
Fans across the world have the chance to vote to determine the winners of the four awards using TikTok to submit their votes. A dedicated TikTok voting hub will launch at midday on 19 January and close at midday on 2 February (GMT).
Presenter Vick Hope and radio broadcaster Jack Saunders announced the nominations during a 30-minute stream entitled Bring On The BRITs, which was broadcast on official BRIT channels, including on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
During the stream it was also announced that BRIT nominees Sam Smith and Kim Petras will perform at the award ceremony, along with Wet Leg.
Reaction to the nominations on social media has been mixed - with the Artist of the Year category receiving the most criticism.
Despite this, fans of nominated acts have been showing their excitement for their favorite artists, with posts involving Styles and BLACKPINK receiving huge amounts of engagements on the BRIT Awards official Twitter page.
The nominations follow a successful year for British artists in the music industry, with Styles dominating the charts worldwide with his smash hit As It Was.
Last year’s BRIT nominees Glass Animals also had a huge year, with their track Heat Waves topping the charts in the US and becoming the biggest song of 2022 stateside, as well as clocking over 2 billion streams on Spotify.
Here is a full round-up of all award categories and artists nominated:
MasterCard Album of the Year
The 1975 - Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Fred again.. - Actual Life 3
Harry Styles - Harry’s House
Stormzy - This Is What I Mean
Wet Leg - Wet Leg
Song of the Year
Aitch & Ashanti - Baby
Cat Burns - Go
Dave - Starlight
Ed Sheeran & Elton John - Merry Christmas
Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal - B.O.T.A (Baddest of Them All)
George Ezra - Green Green Grass
Harry Styles - As It Was
Lewis Capaldi - Forget Me
LF System - Afraid To Feel
Sam Smith & Kim Petras - Unholy
International Song of the Year
Beyonce - BREAK MY SOUL
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha - I’m Good (Blue)
Fireboy DMX & Ed Sheeran - Peru
Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and cast of Encanto - 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
Artist of the Year
Central Cee
Fred again..
George Ezra
Harry Styles
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
Best Dance Act
Becky Hill
Bonobo
Calvin Harris
Eliza Rose
Fred again..
International Artist of the Year
Beyonce
Burna Boy
Kendrick Lamar
Lizzo
Taylor Swift
Best Group
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
Best Hip Hop/Rap/Grime Act
Aitch
Central Cee
Dave
Loyle Carner
Stormzy
International Group of the Year
BLACKPINK
Drake & 21 Savage
First Aid Kit
Fontaines DC
Gabriels
The BRIT Awards, hosted by Mo Gillighan, will take place at The O2 on February 11 and broadcast on ITV and ITVX platforms.