Key points
- Harry Styles was the big winner at the Brit awards, winning all four categories he had been nominated in.
- The contenders for the now-gender-neutral artist of the year prize were all men.
- Styles dedicated the artist of the year award to a list of female singers.
Harry Styles was the big winner at the Brit awards, Britain's pop music honours, winning all four categories he had been nominated in, a week after his .
Styles took home the coveted album of the year for Harry's House, song of the year for his synth pop hit As It Was, best pop/R&B act, and artist of the year — one of two gender-neutral categories introduced last year after Brit awards organisers got rid of female and male distinctions.
, which had irked many in the industry and on social media.
"I'm really, really grateful for this and I'm very aware of my privilege up here tonight," Styles said in his acceptance speech, dedicating the artist of the year award to a list of female singers.
The 29-year-old, who rose to fame on talent show The X Factor as a member of boy band One Direction, last week won two Grammy awards, including album of the year. Some social media users took issue with a line in where he said, "This doesn't really happen to people like me very often".
After his Brits win for best album, Styles said he was "so, so proud to be a British artist out there in the world".
"This night has been really special to me ... Thank you so much for the welcome home," he said.
A statement on the Brit Awards' website said the gender-neutral categories had been introduced so artists were judged "solely on the quality and popularity of their work, rather than on who they are, or how they choose to identify."
But it added that organisers "acknowledge and share in the disappointment" of no women making the list.
"A key factor is that, unfortunately, there were relatively few commercially successful releases by women in 2022 compared to those by men."
Wet Leg won two Brit Awards: group of the year and best new artist. Source: Press Association / Ian West
Singer Rina Sawayama welcomed the change to gender-neutral categories but said the list of nominees should be longer.
"If you have more nominees then you're going to see a cross section of what has happened throughout the year and who has made an impact," she said on the red carpet.
Indie rockers Wet Leg won group of the year and best new artist.
Music star Beyonce was named international artist of the year and her hit Break My Soul won international song of the year.
