The BRITs 2023: Here’s everything that’ll be going down at Britain’s premier awards show

With the Grammys out of the way, it’s now time to focus on the best of British music at this year’s BRIT Awards, which will be taking place on February 11th at the O2 Arena – hosted by comedian Mo Gilligan. With glitz, glamour, wild performances, underdog stories and perhaps some always-welcome drama on the cards, we can’t wait to see what this year’s ceremony has in store. 

In terms of categories, this year’s proceedings will be the first without the Best Female and Best Male categories in favour of a gender-neutral prize. In that category, now named Artist of The Year, Harry Styles is undoubtedly a front-runner, yet the likes of Central Cee and Stormzy are sure to put up serious effort, especially thanks to the former’s stellar 2022. For Album of the Year we see Styles again with Harry’s House, alongside Fred Again..’s Actual Life 3, Wet Leg’s self-titled project, Stormzy’s This Is What I Mean, and The 1975’s Being Funny In A Foreign Language. 

In terms of newcomers, the Best New Artist award features Kojey Radical, Rina Sawayama and Sam Ryder, amongst others. Meanwhile, Song of The Year is another incredibly stacked category, with Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ ‘Unholy,’ Dave’s ‘Starlight’ and Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Forget Me’ amongst those nominated. All genre categories (Alternative/Rock Act, Dance Act, Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act and Pop/R&B Act) will be voted on via TikTok for the second year running, allowing fans to have their say in UK music’s premiere show.

Of course, we have to give love to some of the artists across the world with the international categories, which sees Beyoncé up for two awards – Best International Artist and International Song of The Year for her Renaissance standout ‘Break My Soul.’ Meanwhile, the best international group sees Blackpink, Drake and 21 Savage, First Aid Kit, Fontaines DC and Gabriels all up for the prize.

 This year’s confirmed performances are nothing to be scoffed at either and feature perhaps the most impressive line-up we’ve seen from the BRITs in years. The likes of Capaldi, Smith, Petras, Stormzy, Wet Leg and Styles will all be taking to the O2 stage.

In recent years the ceremony has become so much more than just an awards-show thanks to its Official Digital Music Partner, YouTube Music, who will once again give fans never-before-seen access to the BRITs through multimedia story-telling. On YouTube Shorts, fans will be taken inside the worlds of Sam Smith, Wet Leg and Rising Star winners FLO in the lead-up to the main event. While a selection of the UK’s top creators will be lifting the lid on their BRITs journeys before, during and after the ceremony via the #BRITsUnseen hashtag. 

On the red carpet and backstage at the O2, UK YouTube stars Amelia Dimoldenberg and The Unknown Vlogs (expect some fire fit checks) will be interviewing artists in their always entertaining signature styles. ​​Also, for a 10th consecutive year, those worldwide will be able to experience the magic of the BRITs thanks to the entire ceremony being streamed on YouTube for all those outside of the UK.

This year’s trophies were designed by Nigerian-born London-based artist Slawn, who merged his cheeky graffiti-style artwork with the sleek bronze sculpture, attempting to reflect his humble Lagos roots. He follows in the footsteps of previous designers, including Vivienne Westwood, Tracey Emin, and more.

Whether you’re tuning in to see your favourite stars get the recognition they deserve, or just a UK music and showbiz fanatic, Saturday’s event won’t be one you’ll want to miss.

Follow #BRITsUnseen on YouTube Shorts for exclusive behind-the-scenes access to this year’s show.