Charli XCX Criticizes Brit Awards Voters Over Snub of Female Artists
Like Harry Styles, Charli XCX criticized the Brit Awards’ voting body for failing to nominate any female artists for one of the event’s most prestigious awards.
When asked by the BBC about the snub of female artists in the British Artist of the Year category, Charli XCX responded, “I was an album cycle and I had a Number One album [Crash]… so yeah there’s many of us… We’re doing everything right, I don’t think it’s our fault, I think it might be theirs,” alluding to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) voting academy.
Similarly, as Charli XCX noted, only one female-led act, Wet Leg, was nominated for British Album of the Year out of five nominees; like at the Grammys, Harry Styles’ Harry’s House won that award, and the singer ultimately swept the four categories he was nominated in.
Up until the 2021 Brit Awards, the ceremony handed out awards for both British Male Solo Artist and British Female Solo Artist. However, for the 2022 Brit Awards, the BPI combined the two categories to make the gender-neutral British Artist of the Year award.
In its inaugural year, both Adele and Little Simz were nominated for British Artist of the Year, with Adele — who said of the category at the time, “I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I really love being a woman and being a female artist”— winning the award.
However, at the 2023 Brits, all five nominees in the category were male artists: Harry Styles, Fred Again, Stormzy, George Ezra and Central Cee. Styles himself acknowledged the situation upon accepting the award for Britist Artist of the Year, “I’m very aware of my privilege up here tonight. So, this award is for Rina [Sawayama], Charli [XCX], Florence [Welch], Mabel and Becky [Hill],” naming just five of the worthy yet un-nominated artists.
