Adele and Ed Sheeran were the nominees for 2022 BRIT Awards. They received an impressive total of four nominations.
With four nominations each, Adele and Ed are joined by Little Simz (and Dave), who will compete with Sam Fender for the first Artist of the year award.
It comes after The Brit Awards sparked controversy after scrapping male and female categories and switching to gender-neutral gongs for the first time in its history, causing naysayers to brand the event ‘woke’.
Congratulations: Adele and Ed Sheeran led the nominations for the 2022 BRIT Awards, with an impressive four nods each
Adele (33), has had a great year. Her first single, Easy On Me, was her best-selling song since 2016.
Following the huge success of 30th album, the superstar has received nods for Song of the year, Album of of the Year, Pop, RnB and Album of the Year.
Ed’s Bad Habits single earned him Song of the year nominations, while Adele was also nominated for Album of the Year.
Organisers had a split opinion in December, with some protesting the switch to gender-neutral gongs.
Bosses said the decision was made to be “as inclusive and relevant as possible” and that people could enter without identifying as men or women.
Nice one: After the success of single Easy On Me and the follow up album 30, the star has also landed nods in the Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Pop, RnB categories
However, fans called the changes ‘woke drivel’ and demanded a boycott for next year’s concert.
Brit Awards 2022 will have contestants competing for Artist of the Year, instead of Male Solo Artist and Female Solo Artist.
Best international artist of the year will be used in replace of best international female, or male solo artist.
In 2022, there will be four awards. All will be determined by public votes: alternative/rock act, hip hop/grime/rap artist; dance act and pop/R&B act.
The song of the Year prize, however, will recognize the featured artists and not just the named collaborators.
After Sam Smith (singer who identified as non-binary) put pressure on organizers to remove male and female categories earlier in this year, the changes were made.
Three-time winner: “Music has always been about unity not division.
All change: The Brit Awards have scrapped male and female categories ahead of their ‘woke’ 2022 ceremony in order to ‘celebrate artists solely for their music and work’
“I am looking forward to an era when the awards show can reflect the society in which we live.”
Event planners at that time rescinded this because they feared it would be ‘counterproductive to diversity or equality’.
But in a huge volte-face last month, Brit chair Tom March announced the dumping of the long-established category names.
He said: ‘It is important that The Brits continue to evolve and aim to be as inclusive as possible.
“It is a perfect time to honor the efforts of artists in music creation and their work regardless of gender.
Sam Smith is a popstar who was awarded the Critics’ Choice prize for 2014, and has called previously for the move. (Pictured at 2020).