There was a five-headed elephant in the room at what was otherwise a strangely flat affair at the Brit Awards. As is tradition with music ceremonies, a row flared up over representation (or rather, a lack of) after the nominations were announced. The gender-neutral Artist of the Year category was entirely made up of male artists: Central Cee, Fred Again, George Ezra, Harry Styles and Stormzy.
The switch from gendered categories was implemented in 2021 after Sam Smith – who came out as non-binary two years earlier – urged awards shows to be “reflective of the society we live in”. At the first non-gendered awards show in 2022, Adele walked away with the Artist of the Year prize, for which Little Simz, Sam Fender, Dave and Ed Sheeran had also been nominated.
