Non-binary singer Sam Smith broke the silence about the Brit Awards by maintaining gender-specific categories for this year’s ceremony.
The 28-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday, where he told his followers he expects “a time when the awards can reflect the society in which we live.”
According to The Sun, the bosses wanted to speak to Sam before the vote to ensure they are happy with the category in which they appear.
Speaking openly: non-binary singer Sam Smith broke the silence about the Brit Awards by maintaining gender-specific categories for this year’s ceremony (photo in 2015)
Sam wrote on Instagram: ‘The British have been an important part of my career, one of my first achievements was winning the Critics Choice in 2014.
‘Music for me has always been about unification, not division.
‘I am looking forward to a time when the awards can reflect the society in which we live. We will celebrate everyone, regardless of sex, race, age, ability, sexuality and class. ‘
Their word: The 28-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday, where he told his followers that he is looking forward to ‘a time when the awards can reflect the society in which we live’
Breaking the silence: Sam wrote on Instagram: ‘Let’s celebrate everyone, regardless of sex, race, age, ability, sexuality and class’
As it stands, the music awards are scheduled to take place on May 11th – delayed from the usual date of the event in February amid the pandemic – at London’s O2 Arena.
According to the publication, the organizers plan to talk to Sam, who launched Love Goes in 2020, and his team to ensure that Sam is happy with the place where they were nominated.
They added that it would not work if the gender nomination groups were changed this year because of the artists in the dispute.
A source explained: ‘The concern is that looking at the artists who released this year – with all the restrictions and problems – the elimination of separate categories of male and female awards may actually have had a more negative impact across the board.
“It is definitely something that will be looked at again in subsequent years.”
Verifying: BRITs bosses wanted to speak to Sam before the vote to ensure they are happy with the category they appear in (photo at Brits 2018)
MailOnline contacted a representative from Sam Smith and the Brit Awards for further comments.
Among the stars already nominated are Dua Lipa, who released the album Future Nostalgia in 2020, Paul McCartney and The 1975.
Little Mix is said to be competing for some nods as well, with the trio supposedly set to share new music imminently after the departure of bandmate Jesy Nelson at the end of last year, after the release of their album Confetti.
It has often been reported that the Brit Awards had discussions on how to change the way the Best Male and Best Woman categories are set up.
Diary date: As it stands, music awards are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 11 – behind the usual event date in February amid the pandemic – at London’s O2 Arena
Although categories such as best newcomer and best single include male and female nominees, those of best solo artists have been divided by gender since 1977.
It was first reported in 2019, a week after Sam announced that they were not binary and using the pronoun ‘they’, that the organizers are deciding whether to update the categories to accommodate artists like Sam.
The MTV Movie & TV Awards adopted a gender neutral acting award in 2017, when it was given to Emma Watson for her role in Beauty and the Beast.
Meanwhile, after the 2020 Brit Awards, there was a storm of sexism due to the lack of nominated women, as the list of finalists was predominantly male-dominated.
No female artists were included in the list of finalists for the best group or album awards, although English singer Mabel, 23, was nominated for three awards and ultimately won one of the biggest of the night – Best British Female Artist.
In the race: Griff (center), Pa Salieu (right) and Rina Sawayama were nominated for the Brit Rising Star Award in 2021, with previous winners including Adele and Ellie Goulding
Charli XCX also stood out at the event for nominating men and women competing in separate categories before the ceremony in February 2020.
Speaking to The Mirror at the NME Awards, the 28-year-old singer criticized the ceremony for making women feel like a ‘subplot’ or ‘warm-up act’ to her male colleagues.
Referring to how the unisex Mastercard categories of Album of the Year and Best Group are dominated by men and the specific awards for men or women, she said: ‘What the fuck?
‘That’s what everyone has been saying. Women do not just deserve to be in the female categories, we are not the subplot, the warm-up act, we are the main event. ‘
Sexist: Before the 2020 event, Charli XCX accused the Brit Awards of sexism by stating that the male-dominated list of finalists at the ceremony made the singers look like just a ‘warm-up act’