The shortlist for best artist at this year’s Brit Awards doesn’t feature any female acts. So where are the women, and what does it say about the music industry?
The Brit Awards are a month away, but we already know one thing about the winner of the best artist award – it will be a man.
The Brits abandoned their best male and best female awards last year in favor of gender-neutral prizes. But when the nominations for this year’s show were revealed on Thursday, there was a reaction over the men-only best artist list.
Only 12 of the 70 stars that were qualified to be nominated for the award were female.
The Brits, like some other entertainment awards, have introduced gender-neutral categories to be “even more inclusive, honoring excellent work rather than how artists identify”, a spokeswoman said.
Concerns that the decision risked sidelining female performers seemed to have been addressed when two women were nominated for best artist in 2022 – Adele and Little Simz – and women or female-fronted acts won 10 of the 15 awards on the night.
Brit Awards 2023
Adele, however, stated in her acceptance speech, “I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I adore being a woman and a female artist. I’m incredibly proud of us.
Now, the cumulative score of nominees in this category over the past two years favors men 8-2.
Tim Burgess of the Charlatans is among those commenting on this year’s list.
This year’s performance is partially attributable to the fact that fewer female superstars such as Adele and Dua Lipa released new songs in the past year.
In 2022, there was just one British female solo artist with a new album among the top 100 best-sellers – Florence and the Machine, at number 89. In contrast, there were just seven guys in the top one hundred.
The female combo Wet Leg has four nominations, tied with Styles for the most, while Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Lizzo have more nominations than the men on the best international artist shortlist.
The Brits spokeswoman said: “While it’s regrettable there are no candidates in the artist of the year category, we also have to accept that 2022 had less high profile women artists in cycle with large releases, as was the case in 2021.
“These tendencies built around the release schedule are a feature of the music industry, but if, over time, a pattern forms, then this puts the onus on the industry to deal with this significant issue.”
They noted that the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is “already conducting a large research to identify hurdles that may prevent more women from achieving success in the music industry, so that solutions may be implemented that result in meaningful change.”
No female best artist nominees?
Long-term disparities between male and female musicians’ chart performance, radio airplay, and record label signings are well established.
Full disclosure: I’m part of the Brits voting academy, and here’s whom I put forward for the best artist prize – Harry Styles, Charli XCX, Stormzy, Florence + The Machine, and Aitch.
My fellow voters did not support all of these options. They believed George Ezra’s endearing singalongs were superior to Charli XCX’s fiery glitch-pop. And perhaps they are correct. Last year, both artists had a number one album. But George’s Gold Rush Kid sold around four times more copies than Charli’s Crash.
The problem, I think, is more intricate than voters simply being sexist.
If you look at the nominees as a whole, they’ve picked fantastic, cutting-edge female acts in multiple categories. Post-punk band Nova Twins are up for the best group, jungle producer Nia Archives is an emerging star nomination and Charli XCX even gets a look-in for the best pop performer. So it is not as though voters are unfamiliar with their songs.
The shortlist for the finest artist exposes a larger systemic issue. Considering that just 20% of artists signed to a major UK record company are female. They are already at a disadvantage.
And, with a few notable exceptions, it continues to appear as if labels have no idea how to develop female acts after they reach a certain level. How did Mabel go from being named the greatest female in 2020 to receiving no nominations in 2022? The record was excellent, but little advertised. No wonder she departed a month after its release to work with Dua Lipa’s former handlers.
The unfortunate reality is that there is a small pool of female artists from which voters can choose. And in a year when big performers like Adele and Dua Lipa were on tour, they chose male acts instead.
I hope the headlines around this shortlist will cause a stir, but I believe they won’t. Next year’s Brit Awards will have new music from Little Simz, Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, and Flo, which will almost cover up the industry’s dearth of female presence for another year.
Vick Bain, a music executive, and researcher is not resting on his laurels. Despite superstars like Adele and Dua. She discovered in 2019 that less than 20% of talents signed by labels are female.
In total, 34% of the artists nominated for this year’s Brits are women. She has determined – which is in keeping with the norm over the last decade.
She says, “The good news is that women routinely outperform men.”
“Artist of the Year is regarded as the most prestigious award. Hence it is regrettable that there are no female nominees. And of course, I’d love to see 50% of nominees being women.
“However, the reality of the music industry is that only one in five signed musicians are female.” This is a disgraceful act.”
She argues that several obstacles make it more challenging for female performers.
“It’s the preconceived notions of A&Rs and record firms. In the early stages of their careers, it is more difficult for women to go on tour. Eventually, women are typically responsible for caring for their families. Which completely interferes with touring and the capacity to concentrate on music.
“There’s sexism and discrimination. It is a major issue. I co-wrote a report showing that 66% of respondents had experienced sexism and/or harassment last year. Some of these encounters are grave. Just one instance can put a woman off and make them opt out and say, ‘You know what, that industry is not for me.’
“There is an expectation that women appear extremely lovely. If they are not breathtakingly attractive, it is so much more difficult.
There are numerous obstacles for women in music.
