2022 BRIT awards eliminate gendered solo artist categories

Chapman community members reflect on the 2022 BRIT Awards’ choice to dissolve male and female solo artist categories. WikiCommons

In October 2020, Sam Smith released their third studio album “Love Goes'' to an enthusiastic reception from fans and critics alike. Though the album reached No. 2 on the British charts, Smith was not eligible to be nominated for solo artist of the year at the BRIT Awards, for no reason other than their nonbinary gender identity.

The BRIT Awards, which annually recognize the top achievements within the U.K.’s music scene, are doing away with gendered categories for 2022’s show. The categories of British solo male artist and British solo female artist have been dissolved and will be replaced by a new category — Artist of the Year. The formerly gendered international artist categories have been combined as well. 

“Degendering the BRIT Awards is a necessary step in the right direction,” said Alden Iannelli, president of Chapman Music Business and Technology club (CMBT) and sophomore strategic and corporate communication major. “These awards should be about music. Gender doesn't have anything to do with music. We don't need this binary, isolating system. Why can't female artists, male artists and nonbinary artists all be judged on the same level?”

In an apparent attempt to expand opportunities for artist recognition, the BRITs will also welcome four new categories: Alternative/Rock act, Pop/R&B act, Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap act, and Dance act. 

English singer-songwriter Sam Smith was formerly ineligible to be nominated for the BRIT Awards’ solo artist of the year, simply because they did not fall into either the “male” or “female” gendered categories. Wiki Commons

While the majority of BRITs are voted on by musicians, industry insiders and members of the media within the British Academy, the debuting genre categories will be voted on by the public. This choice was made in an effort on the BRITs’ part to expand inclusivity by prioritizing it both in award categories and selection processes. 

“(By) celebrating artists solely for their music, the BRITs have committed to making the show more inclusive,” a Nov. 22 post from the award show’s Twitter read.

After the MTV Music Video Awards went gender-neutral in 2017, the tide has started to turn on binary gender categories in awards shows, with MTV Movie and TV Awards following suit, while the Grammy’s did away with gendered categories in 2012.

Following nonbinary artist Sam Smith’s exclusion from consideration for male or female Artist of the Year at the 2021 BRIT Awards, Smith released a statement via Instagram — which has since been taken down — stating they looked forward to when “award shows can be reflective of the society we live in.”

CK Magliola, a professor in Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and program director of the women’s and gender studies minor, told The Panther the industry needs to catch up to the rest of the world.

“Degendering the music awards is great,” Magliola said. “Especially because it leaves people who can't be nominated right when it's gendered in a way that doesn't include them. Awards need to reflect the times and the social landscape.” 

Magliola said, however, there still may be potential problems with representation that accompany the dissolution of the male and female categories.

“People might be less likely to win, because they're going up against men who are privileged already with fame and adoration,” Magliola said. “If the industry is so male-dominated, then when you degender it, those minorities are going to be even less likely to win. That's one of the big stumbling blocks. And it's unfortunate, right? But it makes sense, because all these structural issues are linked.”

Junior film production major June Bernadin, who often works on film sets, spoke to the issue of gender dynamics within the entertainment industry on a broader level, noting that misogyny prevails throughout Hollywood, not just within the music industry.

“The industry shouldn’t have any gender roles or separation at this point,” Bernadin said. “But at the same time, I can understand a desire for it. Because in certain things, like cinematography, there are a lot less women in the industry, and wanting to have a specific platform for them could be valuable.”

Bernadin said they occasionally wonder whether they can maintain their authenticity within the confines of the industry’s gender-based expectations, comparing their struggle to the daily microaggressions faced by many other artists who don't fit the mold of male privilege.

“There’s this sort of assumed masculinity onset,” Bernadin said. “I find myself feeling like I need to act more masculine than I really am to match the energy of other people, doing things like lowering my voice on set. There's less room for self-expression in the production world.” 

Iannelli, who hopes to pursue a career as a music supervisor, said she noted similar pressures at play within the male-dominated music business industry. She hopes to combat these limiting expectations, starting with her immediate CMBT community at Chapman, which aims to foster connections between music business students and current industry professionals as well as support local and student artists.

“Putting an emphasis on destroying gender stereotypes in music in the university world is so important, because we're the generation that will go on to work in the industry,” Iannelli said. “If we can create a better system, then the students who are involved will feel more encouraged to take those ideas into the professional world when they move on.”

The 2022 BRIT Awards will air on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 on YouTube TV.