Brit Awards: All Saints' Shaznay Lewis questions all-male best artist category

Singer Shaznay Lewis has said it "does not consciousness close that pistillate artists person suffered" arsenic a effect of class changes astatine the Brit Awards.

However, the shortlist for this year's champion creator prize is all-male.

Lewis, who won 2 Brits arsenic a subordinate of All Saints, welcomed the awards body's intentions, but said: "Progressive ideas should payment everyone."

Writing successful the Radio Times, she said: "How tin that beryllium the lawsuit if we bash not admit pistillate artists, who are symbols of empowerment to millions of young aspiring women?"

The vocalist and songwriter described the class alteration arsenic a "welcome and fantastic step" for recognising endowment careless of an artist's gender.

However, she continued: "If the Brits are meant to beryllium accolades for all, however tin we persist with a class that this twelvemonth has excluded fractional of the population, women? I'm hoping it won't beryllium the lawsuit successful 2024."

Adele was the archetypal victor of the newly-titled creator of the twelvemonth class successful 2022, pursuing the merchandise of her 4th medium 30.

She said in her acceptance speech: "I recognize wherefore the sanction of this grant has changed but I truly emotion being a pistillate and being a pistillate artist. I'm truly arrogant of us."

This year, the champion creator nominees are Fred Again, Central Cee, George Ezra, Stormzy and Harry Styles.

Female artists specified arsenic Charli XCX and Florence + The Machine missed out, though acts similar Wet Leg, Nova Twins and Cat Burns are recognised successful different categories.

Lewis said: "Women, predictably, person suffered arsenic a effect [of merging the categories]. It does not consciousness right."

She questioned wherefore women faced being "disregarded and excluded", and asked whether it was due to the fact that pistillate artists were not seen arsenic "equally bankable" by the euphony industry.

Brits organisers said the changes were made due to the fact that "it was clip to advancement to judging artists solely connected the prime and popularity of their work, alternatively than connected who they are, oregon however they take to identify".

They said 42% of nominations this twelvemonth featured women, but that a cardinal origin down the champion creator shortlist was "unfortunately, determination were comparatively fewer commercially palmy releases by women successful 2022 compared to those by men".

A connection connected Monday added: "We recognise this points to wider issues astir the practice of women successful euphony that indispensable besides beryllium addressed."

Organisers transportation retired an yearly reappraisal of the awards, they said, adding that they would analyse the creator of the twelvemonth question aft this year's ceremonial connected Saturday.

"We are wholeheartedly committed to a considered reappraisal of the categories implicit the contiguous months pursuing this year's event, and this volition see manufacture consultation and discussion, successful enactment with what we instigated implicit the past 5 years, with immoderate conclusions and actions made up of the 2024 event."

However, they suggested much clip whitethorn beryllium needed to measure whether women are astatine a disadvantage.

The connection said: "We judge that immoderate changes made to grant categories should beryllium cautiously evaluated implicit time. Last twelvemonth Adele was voted the inaugural AOTY, and women triumphed successful 10 retired of the 15 categories."

All Saints won champion azygous and champion video for their deed Never Ever astatine the Brit Awards successful 1998.

Both categories were sex neutral and saw the miss radical vie against antheral acts specified arsenic Elton John, Blur, Radiohead, Oasis and David Bowie.

However, the beingness of gendered categories that twelvemonth meant determination were different guaranteed pistillate winners, with Shola Ama winning champion British pistillate solo creator and Bjork winning champion planetary female.

Lewis said the radical were hugely arrogant of their accomplishment, writing: "We played a large portion successful ensuring that the Brits was a abstraction for women to thrive. Is that inactive the case?"

The 2 awards won by All Saints were voted for by the nationalist - but astir of the winners and nominees astatine the ceremonial are chosen by the Brits Voting Academy, which is made up of astir 1,200 members.