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The buzzy British R&B group FLO were named the winners of the Brit Awards’ Rising Star award on Thursday (Dec. 8). They are the first girl group to win in the category and the first group of any type to win since Florence + the Machine in 2009. Other previous winners of the award (formerly called Critics’ Choice) include Adele, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and Celeste.
The news was revealed by Clara Amfo on her BBC Radio 1 Future Sounds show.
“From growing up watching the BRITs, to finding each other and forming FLO, releasing our first body of work in 2022 and winning a BRIT award in the same year!!,” the members of FLO exulted in a statement. “We are so shocked and grateful. We are the first group to win the BRITs Rising Star! We’ve just made history and couldn’t have done it without our wonderful fans and supportive families. It’s truly a dream come true. We feel so empowered creating the music we love and we hope others feel that too.”
The group – Renée, Jorja and Stella – released their debut single “Cardboard Box” just seven months ago. They have also released a debut EP, The Lead. George Griffiths of The Official U.K. Charts site says “they have quickly become the de facto heirs to the British girlband crown left vacant by Little Mix.”
FLO have was also nominated for best newcomer at the MOBO Awards (but lost to BRU-C). FLO have performed “Cardboard Box” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the U.K.’s Later…With Jools Holland.
The song ranked No. 85 on Billboard’s just-published 100 Best Songs of 2022: Staff List. Writing about the song, Glenn Rowley observed, “From the opening notes of their debut single, British trio FLO makes it clear they’re channeling the spirit — and chill-inducing harmonies — of late ‘90s/early ‘00s R&B. Taking inspiration in equal measures from the likes of 702, Blaque and Destiny’s Child, ‘Cardboard Box’ is something of a little sister to Beyoncé’s classic 2006 kiss-off ‘Irreplaceable.’ By the time the threesome finish kicking a cheating beau to the curb, they’ve proved they might just have the charisma and vocal chops to be crowned those girl groups’ latest heir apparents.”
Cat Burns and Nia Archives were also shortlisted for the Brits’ Rising Star award. The shortlist is selected by 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.
The BRIT Awards 2023 with Mastercard – as the show is formally known – will take place on Saturday Feb. 11, 2023, at The O2 arena in London. This marks the first time the show will be held on a Saturday. It will be broadcast live on ITV and ITVX.
Here’s a full list of BRIT Awards’ Critics’ Choice/Rising Star winners (with other nominees shown in parentheses):
2008: Adele (Duffy, Foals)
2009: Florence + The Machine (Little Boots, White Lies)
2010: Ellie Goulding (Delphic, Marina and the Diamonds)
2011: Jessie J (James Blake, The Vaccines)
2012: Emeli Sandé (Michael Kiwanuka, Maverick Sabre)
2013: Tom Odell (AlunaGeorge, Laura Mvula)
2014: Sam Smith (Ella Eyre, Chlöe Howl)
2015: James Bay (George The Poet, Years & Years)
2016: Jack Garratt (Izzy Bizu, Frances)
2017: Rag ’n’ Bone Man (Anne Marie, Dua Lipa)
2018: Jorja Smith (Stefflon Don, Mabel)
2019: Sam Fender (Lewis Capaldi, Mahalia)
2020: Celeste (Beabadoobee, Joy Crookes)
2021: Griff (Pa Salieu, Rina Sawayama)
2022: Holly Humberstone (Bree Runway, Lola Young)
2023: FLO (Cat Burns, Nia Archives)
Bose Ogulu received the award for manager of the year from her son and star client, Burna Boy, at the 2022 Artist & Manager Awards, which were presented at London’s Bloomsbury Big Top on Thursday (Nov. 17). The event, presented in association with beatBread, is organized by the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and Music Managers Forum (MMF) and celebrates creative and commercial successes across the artist and management community.
With deep roots in the Lagos music scene, Ogulu has overseen Burna Boy’s rise to global stardom. Co-founding the pioneering Spaceship Collective in 2020, Ogulu has become a leading light in advocating for African artists to maintain greater control and ownership of their repertoire. Sheniece Charway, artist relations manager at YouTube Music, joined Burna Boy in presenting the award.
Becky Hill was named artist of the year. Hill had a top five hit on the Official U.K. Singles Chart in 2022 – “Crazy What Love Can Do,” a collab with David Guetta and Ella Henderson. She won a BRIT Award for best dance act in February. Her award was presented by her manager Alex Martin and tour manager Amanda Barker, alongside music legend Nile Rodgers and Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis.
Awards for Breakthrough Artist and Breakthrough Manager were also presented, with the former going to Beabadoobee and the latter to Callum Reece at One House for his success with the likes of Eliza Rose, Sherelle, cktrl and Mwanjé.
ABBA Voyage received the Innovation award. The album at the center of the project topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It received a Grammy nomination for album of the year on Tuesday Nov. 15. ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus sent a video message to Svana Gisla, Ludvig Andersson and Baillie Walsh, the producers and director behind ABBA Voyage. They were presented with the award by Imogen Heap and Utopia Music’s Roberto Neri.
Lifetime achievement awards, dubbed Artists’ Artist and Managers’ Manager, went to songwriter and performer Tim Burgess and manager Martin Hall, respectively. Hall has managed Manic Street Preachers, The Script and Wet Leg, among others.
Burgess received his award from Brix Smith and PPL Chief Executive Peter Leathem. Hall’s award was preceded by video messages from Manic Street Preachers, The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue, Wet Leg and Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer, who said: “How many managers can say that 25 years ago they were taking a new band to No. 1 in the album charts, and here they are again, in 2022, managing a new band to No. 1 in the album chart. That longevity speaks volumes for you, Martin.”
Indeed, Manic Street Preachers’ This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 1998. Wet Leg’s Wet Leg topped that same chart this year. Moreover, Wet Leg was nominated for four Grammy Awards, including best new artist, on Tuesday.
The ongoing challenges surrounding live music were raised in a joint opening address by the FAC’s CEO, David Martin, and Annabella Coldrick, chief executive of the MMF.
“There’s no point pulling any punches,” Martin said. “For the majority of artists, the past few years have been pretty hard. We’ve had Brexit, a pandemic, and now a cost-of-living crisis. It’s been tough to make a living from music, and it remains tough.”
“Without addressing these issues, the next generation will really struggle to break through – and that will have ramifications for every promoter, record label, music publisher and tech company here tonight,” Coldrick added.
The show also recognized the work of Music Declares Emergency as 2022’s Industry Champions for driving momentum towards more environmentally sustainable practices – particularly in live touring. Presented by Sam Lee, the award was accepted by co-founder Lewis Jamieson and director of creative strategy and artist spokesperson Fay Milton.
The ceremony was hosted by Doc Brown (aka Ben Bailey Smith) and featured live performances by London-based pop-punk artist GIRLI and rapper FelixThe1st.
Here’s the full list of winners at the 2022 Artist & Manager Awards in association with beatBread:
Artist of the Year: Becky Hill
Manager of the Year: Bose Ogulu
Artists’ Artist: Tim Burgess
Managers’ Manager: Martin Hall
Breakthrough Artist: Beabadoobee
Breakthrough Manager: Callum Reece
Team Achievement: Groundworks
Entrepreneur: Krept & Konan
Innovation: ABBA Voyage
Pioneer: Carl Cox
Writer/Producer Manager: Red Light Management
Industry Champion: Music Declares Emergency
Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams has been accused of making “derogatory and sexually explicit remarks” about contestants on the talent show.
According to an exposé in The Guardian, Walliams — one of the U.K.’s best-known TV personalities and a hugely successful children’s author — was heard in a recording of one episode of the show repeatedly calling one contestant the C-word and saying that another “thinks you want to f— her.”
According to the report, the comments were made during an audition show filmed at the London Palladium in January 2020 and had been picked up by microphones used to record conversations between the judges, for which the paper then saw the transcript.
Lawyers for Walliams and Thames TV, which produces Britain’s Got Talent, told The Guardian that the comments were part of a private conversation never intended for broadcast.
In one incident, the transcript claimed that Walliams described an older performer — after he had failed an audition and made a joke about the judge — as “a c—” three times. In another, after a female contestant walked offstage, Walliams described her as being “like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f— them, but you don’t,” according to the transcript.
In a statement, Walliams said: “I would like to apologize to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and — like most conversations with friends — were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.