Woke ’n’ roll... now the Brits go gender-free
THE Brit Awards are to scrap male and female categories, instead naming a single best British artist.
Organisers say the change to gender-neutral for next year’s show is to be ‘as inclusive and as relevant as possible’.
It means Dua Lipa, who won this year, will be the last to hold the award for best British female. Similarly there will be one award for international solo artist.
The move follows pressure to scrap male and female categories to allow the inclusion of musicians who do not identify as either. Non-binary artists such as Sam Smith complained it had left them excluded.
Smith criticised this year’s Brits, saying: ‘Music for me has always been about unification not division. I look forward to a time where awards shows can be reflective of the society we live in.’
Will Young backed calls for an end to gender-based categories. There had been fears that scrapping separate male and female awards would disadvantage women performers in an industry traditionally dominated by men.
However, in the US the Grammys have been gender-neutral since 2012 and this year the number of female nominees in the five major categories was nearly four times higher than eight years ago. The MTV Video Music Awards went gender-neutral in 2017.
Brits chairman Tom March, copresident of Polydor Records, said yesterday that now feels ‘the right time’ to shake up the categories ‘to celebrate the achievements of artists... irrespective of gender’.
Next year’s Brits ceremony, on February 8, will also feature the first all-black presenting line-up, with comedian Mo Gilligan as host. He will be joined by Clara Amfo and Maya Jama, who will also present next month’s nominations show. Four categories – alternative/rock act, pop/R&B, dance and hip hop/rap/grime – have been added, with winners chosen by a public vote.