Brit awards 2024: record-breaking Raye lands seven nominations
The pop singer Raye has made Brit awards history by becoming the first artist to score seven nominations in a single year, crowning a remarkable career turnaround after spending years in limbo at a major record label.
Topping strong female representation with solo women or all-female groups making up more than half of the overall nominees, Raye scored two nominations for song of the year, plus nods in the artist, pop and R&B categories, and – despite her debut release coming out 10 years ago – in the new artist category.
She is also one of five nominees in the top category of album of the year, for My 21st Century Blues, a hugely ambitious debut album that straddles pop, deep house, hip-hop, funk, R&B and power balladry, with frank lyrics that address topics such as the sexual harassment she faced in the music industry. Buoyed up by its No 1 single Escapism – also a hit in the US – the album reached No 2 in the UK, and was followed by a live version recorded with a symphony orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall.
Raye – AKA 26-year-old Rachel Keen – was first known for a series of charismatic and irrepressible guest vocals on dance tracks such as Jax Jones’s You Don’t Know Me (a Top 3 hit in 2016), while fitfully releasing genre-hopping solo songs with only moderate chart success. In 2021 she vented frustrations with her label Polydor on X, writing: “I have been on a 4 album record deal since 2014 !!! And haven’t been allowed to put out one album. All I care about is the music. I’m sick of being slept on and I’m sick of being in pain about it.” After extricating herself from the deal, she released My 21st Century Blues independently and it became her most critically acclaimed and commercially successful work yet, also earning a nomination for the Mercury prize.
Raye said she was “completely floored” by her Brit nominations, adding: “I am currently a mess of overwhelming emotions and confusion as to how this even happened to be honest.” Raye’s seven nominations break a record held jointly by Robbie Williams, Craig David and Gorillaz who have previously each earned six nominations in one year.
Thanks to globally successful tracks such as Central Cee and Dave’s sprightly, summer-dominating Sprinter, British rap is also well represented at this year’s Brit awards, with Central Cee and J Hus earning four nominations each, plus three each for Little Simz and Dave. Little Simz and J Hus compete with Raye in the album category, alongside Blur for their rumination on middle age, The Ballad of Darren, and the bracing Heavy Heavy by genreresistant Scottish trio Young Fathers – those two bands are also nominated in the British group and rock/alternative categories.
Another Scot, Calvin Harris, adds to his 14 nominations (including two wins) at the Brits over the years, with three more in the dance, pop and song categories after one of the biggest hits of 2023, the 90s trance throwback Miracle with Ellie Goulding on vocals. Strident pop-soul singer Olivia Dean caps her breakthrough year with three nominations, after earning a Top 5 debut album and more than three million monthly listeners on Spotify. Dua Lipa also earns three nominations thanks to her Barbie soundtrack hit Dance the Night, and is the first artist to be announced to perform at the ceremony on 2 March at London’s O2 Arena.
But there were snubs for some big stars such as the Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Lewis Capaldi,
who despite releasing chart-topping albums were only given one nomination each. Sam Smith and Gorillaz, each Brit awards darlings in previous years, received none at all.
In addition to Dean and Young Fathers, first-time nominees include the rappers K-Trap and Casisdead (the latter’s music career dates back to 2005), alt-pop singers CMAT and Caroline Polachek, dance producer Barry Can’t Swim, Afrobeats vocalist Asake, neo-soul singer Cleo Sol and others.
The awards have been criticised in the past for a heavy male bias to the nominees, as in 2020, when only one woman was nominated out of 25 slots in mixed-gender categories. In 2022 organisers did away with gendered categories altogether, but ended up with an all-male artist of the year cohort in 2023. That category has now been expanded to 10 artists to help encompass greater diversity.
As well as being racially diverse, this year, representation for women rises to a heartening 57% of the overall nominations if mixed-gender groups are included. Six out of 10 of the British artists of the year are women, rising to eight out of 10 in the equivalent international category, and four out of five of the best new British artists, with Raye and Dean joined there by PinkPantheress, whose Boy’s a Liar is up for song of the year; Mahalia, also a nominee in the R&B category, newly split off this year from pop; and Yussef Dayes, a rare jazz nominee, who also picks up a nod in the rock/alternative category.
The Rising Star award for artists tipped for future success, announced last month, is an all-female or nonbinary group – art-pop quintet the Last Dinner Party – but after three all-female or female-fronted bands won the British group award in a row (namely Little Mix, Wolf Alice and Wet Leg) the group categories somewhat reverted to type with only Boygenius and Paramore fronted by women among the 10 nominees.
Awards for songwriter and producer of the year will be announced in the run-up to the awards.
The awards are voted for by the Brit Awards Voting Academy, its membership made up of musicians, industry staff and media figures, but the British public will decide on the winners of the five genre categories, with voting taking place via Instagram.
The 2024 Brit award nominations in full British album of the year
Blur – The Ballad of DarrenJ Hus – Beautiful and Brutal YardLittle Simz – No Thank YouRaye – My 21st Century BluesYoung Fathers – Heavy Heavy
British artist of the year
Arlo ParksCentral CeeDaveDua LipaFred AgainJ HusJessie WareLittle SimzOlivia DeanRaye
British group
BlurChase and StatusHeadie One & K-TrapJungleYoung Fathers
New artist
MahaliaOlivia DeanPinkPantheressRayeYussef Dayes
Song of the year
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding – MiracleCassö, Raye and D-Block Europe – PradaCentral Cee – Let GoCentral Cee and Dave – SprinterDua Lipa –
Dance the NightEd Sheeran – Eyes ClosedJ Hus – Who Told YouKenya Grace – StrangersLewis Capaldi – Wish You the BestPinkPantheress – Boy’s a Liar Raye – EscapismRudimental, Charlotte Plank and Vibe Chemistry – Dancing Is HealingStormzy and Debbie – FirebabeSwitch Disco and Ella Henderson – ReactVenbee and Goddard – Messy in Heaven
International artist
AsakeBurna BoyCaroline
PolachekCMATKylie MinogueLana Del ReyMiley CyrusOlivia RodrigoSZATaylor Swift
International group Blink-182BoygeniusFoo FightersGabrielsParamore
International song
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made ForDavid Kushner – DaylightDoja Cat – Paint the Town RedJazzy – Giving MeLibianca – PeopleMeghan Trainor – Made You LookMiley Cyrus – FlowersNoah
Kahan – Stick SeasonRobin Schulz and Oliver Tree – Miss YouOlivia Rodrigo – VampirePeggy Gou – (It Goes Like) NananaRema – Calm DownSZA – Kill BillTate McRae – GreedyTyla – Water Rock/alternative act
BlurBring Me the HorizonThe Rolling StonesYoung FathersYussef Dayes Hip-hop/grime/rap act CasisdeadCentral CeeDaveJ Simz
Dance act
HusLittle
Barry Can’t SwimBecky HillCalvin HarrisFred AgainRomy
Pop act
Calvin HarrisCharli XCXDua LipaOlivia DeanRaye
R&B act
Cleo SolJorja SmithMahaliaRayeSault