“Exploring the Impact of Merging Best Male and Best Female Categories at the Brit Awards on Female Artists”

Lewis won two Brit Awards as a member of the girl group All Saints

Singer Shaznay Lewis said it “doesn’t feel right that female artists have suffered from the category changes at the Brit Awards”.

Best Male and Best Female were combined into one Best Artist category to allow non-binary acts to compete.

However, the shortlist for this year’s Best Artist award is all male.

Lewis, who won two Brits as a member of All Saints, welcomed the awards’ intentions but said: “Progressive ideas should benefit everyone.”

She wrote in the Radio Times, “How can this be the case if we don’t recognize women artists who are symbols of empowerment for millions of young aspiring women?”

The singer-songwriter described the category switch as a “welcome and wonderful step” in recognizing talent regardless of an artist’s gender.

However, she continued: “If the Brits are meant to be awards for everyone, how can we hold on to a category that this year excluded half the population, women? I hope that will not be the case in 2024. “

Harry Styles, who won record of the year at Sunday’s Grammys, is the favorite for the Brits’ artist of the year title

Adele was the first winner of the newly titled Artist of the Year category in 2022 following the release of her fourth album, 30.

She said in her acceptance speech: “I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I really love being a woman and an artist. I’m really proud of us.”

This year’s Best Artist nominees are Fred Again, Central Cee, George Ezra, Stormzy and Harry Styles.

Artists like Charli XCX and Florence + The Machine missed out, although acts like Wet Leg, Nova Twins and Cat Burns are recognized in other categories.

Lewis said: “Women have predictably suffered as a result [of merging the categories]. It doesn’t feel right.”

She questioned why women were “neglected and excluded” and asked if it was because female artists were not seen as “equal rights” by the music industry.

Adele said she “loved being an artist” when she accepted the award for first female artist of the year last year

UK organizers said the changes were made because “it was time to start judging artists solely on the quality and popularity of their work, rather than who they are or how they identify”.

They said that 42% of the nominations that year included women, but that a key factor in the top artist shortlist “unfortunately, in 2022 there were relatively few commercially successful releases by women compared to those by men.”

A statement on Monday added: “We recognize that this points to broader issues surrounding the representation of women in music that also need to be addressed.”

Organizers conduct an annual review of the awards, they said, adding that they would consider the artist of the year question after this year’s ceremony on Saturday.

“We are wholeheartedly committed to a considered category review in the immediate months following this year’s event, and that will include industry consultation and discussion, consistent with what we have suggested over the past five years, and any conclusions and actions that were taken in advance of the 2024 event.”

All Saints at the Brit Awards ’98 (left to right: Melanie Blatt, Nicole and Natalie Appleton, Shaznay Lewis)

However, they suggested that more time might be needed to assess whether women are disadvantaged.

The statement said: “We believe that any changes to award tiers over time should be carefully evaluated. Last year Adele was voted the inaugural AOTY and women triumphed in 10 of the 15 categories.”

All Saints won Best Single and Best Video at the 1998 Brit Awards for their hit song Never Ever.

Both categories were gender neutral and saw the girl group compete against male acts such as Elton John, Blur, Radiohead, Oasis and David Bowie.

However, the existence of gender-specific categories this year meant there were other guaranteed winners, with Shola Ama winning Best British Female Solo Artist and Björk winning Best International Female.

Lewis said the group was very proud of their achievement and wrote: “We have played an important role in ensuring that Britain is a place for women to thrive. Is that still the case?”

The two awards won by All Saints were voted on by the public – but most of the winners and nominees at the ceremony are chosen by the Brits Voting Academy, which is made up of around 1,200 members.

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