Brit Awards 2024: Nominees from RAYE to Young Fathers

The Brit Awards 2024 are set to light up the O2 Arena in London this Saturday, March 2, with the music industry's heavyweights poised for accolades. The announcement of this year's nominees was made on January 24, stirring anticipation for the event. Last year's lack of female nominees in key categories like Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year sparked criticism, which the organizers have sought to address in this installment of the awards.

Nominations Show a Stride Towards Diversity

This year brought a welcome shift, as female representation notably increased. Over half of the nominees in both the Song of the Year and Artist of the Year categories are women, which is a significant improvement from the previous ceremony. Specifically shining in this year's nominations is RAYE, who after her departure from Polydor and the success of her indie album 'My 21st Century Blues', has been honored with seven nods. Categories in which she's contending include Artist of the Year and Album of the Year as well as Best New Artist. Moreover, her tracks 'Prada' and 'Escapism' have made it to the Song of the Year shortlist.

Categories and Nominees

Diversity was also evident in other categories, such as R&B, which now stands apart from Pop. Here we see nominees like Cleo Sol, Mahalia, and the collective SAULT. Yet, it was noted that the Group categories did not feature any female-fronted nominees. When it comes to international artists, the lineup is robust with talents like Kylie Minogue, Lana Del Rey, SZA, and Taylor Swift hoping to win International Artist of the Year. Acknowledging past oversights, UK Record Labels Association's Yolanda Brown highlighted the progress of this year's nominations while recognizing the need for ongoing improvement in diversity and representation at the Brits.

BritAwards, nominations, diversity