This year’s BRIT Awards will be a night to remember, according to a music industry boss.
The awards ceremony will be this year’s “first global music moment” and British music has “never been as exciting as it is right now,” said YouTube’s head of music EMEA, Dan Chalmers.
It comes after Adele, whose comeback album 30 has seen her nominated for four awards at this year’s BRITs, confirmed she will perform at the ceremony.
Hiya, so I’m really happy to say that I am performing at the Brits next week!! Anddddd I’ll also be popping in to see Graham for a chat on the couch while I’m in town too! I’m looking forward to it! Oh, and Rich sends his love ♥️ pic.twitter.com/8DsDPcH8ph
— Adele (@Adele) February 1, 2022
Other performers include Sam Fender, Dave, Ed Sheeran, Holly Humberstone, Liam Gallagher and Little Simz in what is shaping up to be another stellar night of music and entertainment.
But there has been a blow to the line-up after Doja Cat pulled out after members of her crew tested positive for Covid.
‘A night to remember’
Despite this setback, Mr Chalmers says it is going to be a “night to remember”, with the music event shaking up its award categories by making them gender neutral.
Talking about his predictions for this year’s awards, the YouTube boss told the Standard: “It’s an amazing mix, a mass of superstars.
“There’s an enormous breadth of exciting independent talent. Obviously you’ve got Adele, Ed Sheeran and Dave.
“Central Cee is a hugely exciting UK rapper, really on the top of his game. I love Little Simz, she’s a profound lyricist.
“You go down the list, people like Sam Fender, The War on Drugs, it’s great to see alternative music being recognised.
“All are worthy winners so it’s going to be fascinating to see who wins.”
This year’s nominees
Stars with the highest number of nominations include Adele, Ed Sheeran, Little Simz and Dave - each up for four awards.
They will compete against Sam Fender for the inaugural artist of the year award.
Fender, Central Cee and David Guetta are each up for three awards.
Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X are each up for two and will battle it out against Taylor Swift for the international artist of the year award.
Sir Elton John received his first Brit nomination in 20 years, in the song of the year category for his collaboration with Dua Lipa – who is also nominated for the best pop/R&B act gong.
Other nominees include Joy Crookes, Coldplay, Little Mix and KSI.
Pandemic ‘incredibly tough’ for artists
And how is British music faring in the wake of pandemic? Pretty well, Mr Chalmers thinks.
He said despite setbacks artists have faced due to numerous lockdowns, there continues to be a global “fascination with British music”.
Mr Chalmers said it had been an “incredibly tough” period for artists but credited musicians for using technology as a “source of inspiration and a way to engage with their fans”.
Exciting developments in this area during the pandemic had been the use of livestreams and short-form video to connect with their fans while stuck indoors.
He said: “The industry over generations has used adversity to drive creativity, from where I’m sitting and the sheer depth and breadth of talent that’s coming out of the UK, artists really took their time to really hone their craft and create brilliant music.
“I’m excited for our role to break more British acts globally through the platform.”
The international livestream will be hosted exclusively on YouTube, with the ceremony set to start from 8pm on February 8. Follow #BRITsUnseen on YouTube Shorts for exclusive behind-the-scenes access to this year’s show.
