Singer-songwriter Raye has made a record following her seven nominations in this year’s Brit Awards. With seven total nominations, she has broken the record of most nominations for one artist in a single year. She has now overtaken artists like Gorillaz, Robbie Williams, and Craig David, who previously had the joint record with six each. This year, Raye’s nominations include big categories like the Artist of the Year, in which six out of ten nominations are female artists. This is in complete contrast to last year there was mainly an all-male-artists lineup for the emerging British male and female categories. This split is even more prominent in the international Artist of the Year category where Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo are among eight female nominees in the 10 total nominations.
Raye’s other nominations include Best New Artist, Best Album, and Best Pop Act, along with two in the Best Song category. She is dominating the best song category with ‘Escapism’ featuring US rapper 070 Shake, and ‘Prada’ with Casso and D-Block Europe. This success is a further acquittal for the singer who complained in 2021 that her major label refused to release her debut album so she released it independently instead. “As far as the industry was concerned, I was down and out,” Raye said. “Never in my wildest dreams would I think that trying again would mean seven Brit nominations!”
In overall nominations, 55% featured women this year on Brits Awards either as a solo act or part of an all-female group. If mixed-gender groups are included, this figure rises to 57%. Saxophonist YolanDa Brown, chair of the music industry body the BPI, said it was “wonderful to see the representation in the nominees”. “It was important for us to listen to our critical friends, and learn, and I think you’ll see that’s been reflected this year. But we need to keep listening and learning and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she added.
On the other hand, from the 2024 Brits Awards, the snubs were evident for Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran. Both high-profile artists missed out on recognition in the Artist of the Year and Album of the Year categories. Capaldi topped the chart with his second album ‘Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent’. On the other hand, Sheeran also released two albums during the Brit’s eligibility period. However, both men scored nominations for Song of the Year – Sheeran for ‘Eyes Closed’, and Capaldi for ‘Wish You The Best’. The Rolling Stones have also scored their first nomination in a decade in best rock act – which will be voted on via Instagram. A new category, best R&B act, has been announced this year which will sit alongside the existing categories for alternative/rock, dance, pop, and hip-hop/grime/rap. Moreover, the female rock group The Last Dinner Party was announced as the recipient of this year’s Rising Star Award.
The voting body of the Brits includes around 1,300 members from all across the music industry. From the list, Dua Lipa is also the first artist who has confirmed that she will be performing at the 2024 Brit Awards, taking place in London on 2 March.
