In the lead up to the Brit Awards 2023, the lack of nominations for female talent in some of the show’s biggest categories dominated the headlines.

When the list of artists in the running for trophies was announced back in January, no women artists appeared in the running for the Brits’ gender-neutral Best Artist award.

One of the few female success stories on the shortlist was indie duo Wet Leg, who managed to notch up four nominations, including nods for Best Album and British Group.

So, when Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers took to the O2 Arena stage to accept the Best New Artist trophy, it seemed fitting that the pair used their platform to shout out some of the women who have worked behind the scenes, producing the awards show.

Noting that the TV industry can feel like a “boys’ club”, Teasdale told the crowd that a “team of women” had worked hard on the event.

“Being on the telly can feel like such a boys’ club and I just want to thank all the women that worked on the production,” she said. “It is a team of women and I really just want to shout them out.”

The pair opened their speech in a somewhat unexpected style, referencing Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner’s rambling acceptance of the Brit Award for Best Album back in 2014.

The Brits introduced gender neutral categories last year, following in the footsteps of ceremonies like the Grammys and the MTV Awards.

Although 2022’s event ended up being a celebration of female talent, with wins for the likes of Adele and Dua Lipa, the 2023 shortlist presented a very different picture.

The Brits said that this was due to “fewer high profile women artists in cycle with major releases in 2022”.

“Last year’s introduction of new categories aimed at making the awards even more inclusive, recognising exceptional work rather than how artists identify,” they said in a statement. “It saw women artists thrive, winning 10 of the 15 awards on the night and Adele being crowned inaugural Artist of the Year.

“We are pleased to see Wet Leg leading the nominations with four nods and FLO winning the rising star, and artists such as Nova Twins also included in this year’s shortlists, and while it’s disappointing there are no [female] nominations in the artist of the year category, we also have to recognise that 2022 saw fewer high profile women artists in cycle with major releases as was the case in 2021.

“These trends based around the release schedule are a feature of the music industry, but if, over time, a pattern emerges, then this puts the onus on the industry to deal with this important issue – and the BPI is already carrying out a major study to identify barriers that may inhibit more women becoming successful in music, so that there can be solutions that result in meaningful change.”

Images: Getty