Changes to BRITs 2022 Announced
The BRIT Awards with Mastercard will return for its 42nd show on Tuesday 8th February 2022, with a raft of exciting plans and changes to the show revealed to continue the huge success set by previous years, and to continue its reign as the biggest and most exciting night in the UK music calendar.
Under the leadership of a new Chair, Polydor Co-President Tom March, the 2022 show is set to embrace a number of changes to ensure The BRITs continues to deliver an unmissable show both for the audience in the room and the millions of viewers who tune in from all over the world. Each aspect of the show has been closely looked at by the new Chair in collaboration with The BRITs Committee, with digital and new technology again playing a central role in order to engage with fans through every step of the campaign.
Mo Gilligan confirmed as 2022 BRITs host, with Clara Amfo and Maya Jama set to take on Presenting duties for ‘The BRITs Are Coming’ Nominations show and BRITs Red Carpet show
Double BAFTA winning British stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan is confirmed to host the 2022 BRIT Awards. A true breakout star, with numerous award wins and nominations and sell-out tours, along with an online reach running into multiple millions, he is unanimously celebrated by fans and industry alike.
Mo said: “It’s an absolute privilege to host the 2022 BRIT Awards. I’m truly honoured to be asked. We’re already in the extensive planning stages and all I can say is, I promise we’re going to give it all we’ve got to create an incredible night for music fans everywhere. Let’s go!”
Stellar broadcasting talent Clara Amfo and Maya Jama will once again come together to take on presenting duties for the BRITs. They are set to return as a truly formidable force to announce the 2022 Nominations as part of a primetime ITV broadcast ‘The BRITs Are Coming’ in December, and will bring all of the glamour and gossip from the celebrity arrivals as part of the 2022 BRITs Red Carpet show on ITV2 and ITV Hub on the night of the awards. Both Clara and Maya are very much part of the BRITs family; together they co-hosted the 2021 BRITs Backstage show, with Clara having hosted the BRITs Red Carpet show for the previous four years, whilst Maya had previously hosted the BRITs Red Carpet live stream in 2017.
Clara said: “It is such an honour and pleasure to be part of The BRITs presenting team for 2022. The spirit of celebration from the artists to the viewers is really special and I’m so excited for everyone to see more memories being made on the red carpet and stage in February!”
Maya said: “I am so excited to be back on presenting duties for the BRITs 2022! I remember watching the show growing up and still can’t quite believe I get to be a part of it. ‘The BRITs Are Coming’ TV special on ITV has always been one of my favourite shows, it’s such a big celebration, everyone is on top form and I love seeing so many of my favourite people within the music industry come together for such an incredible night.”
New show and set creative from Block9
The BRITs is known for its show-stopping set design, and the 2022 show will be no different. An exciting makeover of the show creative will come courtesy of Block9, the team behind this year’s Glastonbury - Live at Worthy Farm, the groundbreaking AR live stream - ‘Gorillaz: Song Machine, Live From Kong’, Banksy’s Dismaland and NYC Downlow, the legendary nightlife institution seen annually at Glastonbury.
Four new Genre awards
Music fans will this year get to play an even bigger part in The BRITs than ever, with the introduction of four new Genre awards, all of which will go to public vote to decide upon each category winner. These new awards will be: (1) Alternative/Rock Act, (2) Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act, (3) Dance Act and (4) Pop/R’n’B Act. Shining a light on the incredible artists across these genres and music scenes, these awards will showcase the range of music styles that have produced some of the UK’s best loved artists, and demonstrate the diverse cultural melting pot that British music is known for.
Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year
The BRITs confirm that for the 2022 show they will move away from the Female and Male categories, and will launch new awards for Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year, celebrating artists solely for their music and work, rather than how they choose to identify or as others may see them, as part of The BRITs’ commitment to evolving the show to be as inclusive and as relevant as possible.
In further recognition of the array of artists contributing to the last 12 months in music, and their role shaping the soundtrack and musical beat of the UK, The BRITs in 2022 will include featured artists in Song of the Year with Mastercard as nominees; previously only the lead artists or named collaborators have been counted.
The full category list for 2022 will be as follows:
Artist of the Year with YouTube Music
Group of the Year
BRITs Rising Star supported by BBC Radio 1
Best New Artist
Song of the Year with Mastercard
Mastercard Album of the Year
International Artist of the Year
International Group of the Year
Alternative/Rock Act
Pop/R&B Act
Dance Act
Hip Hop/Rap/Grime Act
The main eligibility window for the above categories (bar Rising Star), and all awards as decided upon by The BRITs Voting Academy, runs from 1st January to Thursday 9th December 2021. The BRITs Voting Academy is made up of approx. 1200 music industry experts across media, artists, labels, publishers, promoters, retailers and more, and is refreshed annually to ensure the voters are as diverse and representative as possible.
The BRITs in 2022 will also celebrate the Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, honorary awards that are decided upon by the BRITs Committee.
Tom March, BRIT Chair and Co-President of Polydor Records: “It is important that The BRITs continue to evolve and aim to be as inclusive as possible. It feels completely the right time to celebrate the achievements of artists for the music that they create, and the work that they do, irrespective of gender. I'm really excited to launch four new genre awards, which create even more opportunities for artists to be acknowledged for the brilliant music they create and produce, and give music fans the chance to get involved and vote to support their artists and help them to win a BRIT. The 2022 show is shaping up really well, Mo is going to be an excellent host and I am thankful to him along with Clara and Maya for being part of this year's BRITs."
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive, BPI and BRIT Awards: “The BRIT Awards are not just a celebration of British music, they are a reflection of British culture. The changes we are making for the 2022 show should mean more new fans, more engagement and a bigger global platform than ever for our amazing artists.”
MJ Olaore, Chief Operating Officer BPI: “One of the things we all love most about The BRIT Awards is that they always stay in tune with the times, remaining relevant to both the artists and our audience.”
BRITs Rising Star
The annual BRITs Rising Star award will continue to identify the future stars of British music, having previously helped launch the careers of some of the biggest UK artists such as Adele, Sam Smith, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding, Sam Fender, Celeste and last year’s winner, Griff. The award is open to British artists who, as of 31st October 2021, have not yet achieved an Official Album Charts Top 20 placing or achieved more than one Top 20 chart placing in the Official Singles Chart. Voting is open now until Friday 26th November to an invited panel of music editors and critics from the national press, online music editors, heads of music at major radio and music TV stations plus songwriters, producers and live bookers - those working with new rising talent on a regular basis.
YouTube Music confirmed as Digital Music Partner
This year's Digital Music Partner, YouTube Music, will bring fans closer to the BRITs than ever before. As the home of the official livestream on YouTube, audiences around the world will be able to watch the whole journey of the BRITs unfold, from the nominations, through the run-up, to the awards themselves and the performances on demand afterwards. In an exciting first, fans will also be able to watch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage on the night on YouTube Shorts, a new short-form video experience right on YouTube, as well as listening to their favourite artists' playlists on YouTube Music.
Dan Chalmers, Director of YouTube Music, EMEA said: “We are proud to be the official Digital Music Partner for what will go down as a seminal year in BRITs history. Today's fans are hungry to enjoy music in different ways - live-streaming, playlists, short form video - with Shorts, the newest addition to the platform, we will take The BRITs to the next level. Celebrating the best of British talent is what we do day in, day out at YouTube and we're thrilled to partner for the new category for Artist of the Year.”
Mastercard, ITV and AEG (The O2 arena) continue long-standing partnerships
Mastercard continue their long-time partnership with the BRITs for the 24th year, a testament to the synergy of the two brands to deliver an annual campaign that engages and inspires their respective audiences. The BRITs will continue to be exclusively broadcast on ITV for the 29th year in 2022, continuing to present a not-to-be-missed TV broadcast for the main show along with its sister programming on ITV2. The O2 arena will once again host the BRITs going into its 12th year.
Katie Rawcliffe, ITV Head of Entertainment Commissioning, said: “We’re hugely excited to be welcoming The BRIT Awards back to ITV screens in 2022. Mo has already proved really popular amongst ITV audiences since joining The Masked Singer and we look forward to this new era for the awards with Mo, Maya and Clara at the helm.”
Further campaign announcements will be unveiled in the coming months.
