After facing backlash for not featuring any women nominees for the best artist prize, the Brit Awards organizers have announced that they will update their rules to make the field more balanced. The award show will increase the number of nominees from five to ten for the best artist and create a new award for best R&B act in the 2024 ceremony. R&B artists previously competed in a combined pop/R&B category that Harry Styles and Dua Lipa dominated. By expanding the nomination pool and creating a separate category, the organizers hope to encourage more diversity in the shortlists.
Singer Mahalia, who wore a Burberry jacket with “Long Live R&B” painted on the back to the 2023 ceremony and criticized the lack of R&B representation, welcomes the changes. She stated that she screamed on the phone in happiness when she found out about the updates, saying, “This is huge.” BBC 1Xtra’s DJ Ace supports the new award for R&B and credits Mahalia with persuading the organizers to take action. The inaugural best R&B prize will have an eligibility period of 24 months, twice as long as other categories.
The changes were decided as part of an annual review of the ceremony. Dr. Jo Twist, CEO of awards organizers BPI, said that the team reached out to industry experts and groups to understand how to make the Brits “inclusive and reflective.” The extended nomination pool will also apply to the best international artist category. Separately, British visual artist Rachel Jones will design the 2024 Brit Award Trophy. She follows in the footsteps of Damien Hirst, Vivienne Westwood, Sir Peter Blake, and Zaha Hadid.
The 2024 Brit Award ceremony will take place on March 2nd, 2024, at London’s O2 Arena and will be broadcast live on ITV. The organizers aim to encourage more diversity in the nominees, making it a more balanced and inclusive award ceremony
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