London – It was Harry’s night at the Brit Awards.
Harry Styles won four awards including album of the year at Britain’s major music awards on Saturday, while female-led indie rock group Wet Leg won Best Team of the Year Award and Best Newcomer Award.
Beyoncé added two British awards to her crowded trophy trophy – International Artist of the Year and International Song of the Year for “Break My Soul”.
Less than a week after Styles won Album of the Year for “Harry’s House,” he grammy awards. He also won Pop/R&B Performance, Song of the Year for “As It Was” and Artist of the Year.
The global pop heartthrob thanked “my mom for signing me up for ‘X Factor'” as he accepted the award for best artist, the talent show that brought him fame with boy group One Direction.
“I’m very aware of my privilege to be here tonight,” Styles said. incur criticism For saying at the Grammys “It doesn’t happen to people like me that often.” Some felt the comment fell on deaf ears to the struggles artists from all backgrounds face.
Styles heaped praise on Charli XCX, Rina Sawayama, Mabel, Florence + The Machine and Becky Hill – performers who didn’t make the shortlist for Brit Male Artist of the Year.
The Brit replaced separate categories for male and female performers with gender-neutral awards two years ago in an attempt to become more inclusive. But the change drew some criticism this year, when Brit announced a Best Artist shortlist without a female cast.
The adoption of gender-neutral awards comes in response to long-standing criticism that Britons have failed to reflect changes in the country’s musical diversity. In 2017, the academy of more than 1,000 music industry professionals who select UK winners was expanded in an attempt to make it more gender balanced and diverse.
Some musicians say more work needs to be done.
“There’s a lot of diversity in artists, but there isn’t enough diversity in labels,” said Newcomer of the Year nominee Sawayama.
Founded in 1977, Brits has grown from a gruff industry event to a stunning showcase of British talent, propelling the careers of future superstars including Adele.
This year’s breakout acts include Wet Leg, a punk band formed by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers in the rural Isle of Wight, England.
“It was horrible because being on TV felt like a real boys club,” Tisdale said, before thanking all the women who worked on the band’s self-titled debut album.
Brits include four different types of awards that are voted on by the public. As well as the Styles pop/R’n’B Trophy, the Alternative/Rock Awards were also presented in 1975, with Manchester rapper Aitch winning the grime/hip hop category and Becky Hill named Best Dancer for the second year in a row.
Ireland’s Fontaines DC was named International Group of the Year and David Guetta was declared Producer of the Year.
Styles opened with “As It Was” at London’s O2 Arena, while Wet Leg sang the hit “Caise Longue” in a forest set, accompanied by whimsical folk dancers. Other performers include Lewis Capaldi, Lizzo, Stormzy, Cat Burns and Sam Smith.
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