@MoTheComedian is your #BRITs 2022 host // Dream duo @MayaJama and Clara Amfo will be taking on presenting duties for The BRITs Are Coming nominations show + The BRITs 2022 red carpet pic.twitter.com/EjTlJ9qB9v

— BRIT Awards (@BRITs) November 22, 2021

The Brit Awards was previously known as The British Record Industry Britannia Awards and was used to mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. There has been an annual ceremony since 1982 and the Classical Music Brt Awards is held in May annually. The name change from The British Record Industry Britannia Awards to the Brit Awards occurred in 1989. The 2022 Brit Award Ceremony will be making Brit history with the nominated categories now being made, gender-neutral to recognise equality, diversity and inclusion.

Organisers of the Brit Awards said at the time of the announcement that, “The change was to reward 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”

Maya Indea Jama is an English television, radio presenter and DJ, who began her presenting career at the age of 18 in 2012. Jama’s presenting debut was for the weekly music video countdown on JumpOff TV. Jama also presented shows such as Cannonball, Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer and was also the radio host for #DriveWithMaya between 2014 and 2017. Maya previously presented the 2017 Pre-Brit Awards Party and hosted the Livestream Brit Award Red Carpet event in the same year. Jama has also been announced as the host for the December show Walk The Line.

Clara Amfo is a British radio, voice-over artist and television presenter, who is known for being a BBC Radio presenter. Amfo previously hosted the Brit Awards Backstage event in 2017 and 2020 with Jama as her co-host. Clara also interviewed singer Billie Eilish for the BBC One TV special entitled Up Close in July. The presenter was also announced as the new radio presenter for Annie MacManus aka Annie Mac’s show Future Sounds on, July 30th. Clara also appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with her brother Andy in June.

Both Jama and Amfo are now set to co-present the Brits Are Coming in December. Jama and Amfo are delighted to be co-hosting together again with Jama saying “I am so excited to be back on presenting duties for the BRITs 2022″ and Amfo stating “It is such an honour and pleasure to be part of The BRITs presenting team for 2022″ 

The Brits Are Coming event aires on ITV, on December 18th at 5 pm local time and will showcase performances from Joel Corry, Anne-Marie, Glass Animals, Mimi Webb and Mabel. The nominees will also be announced in preparation for the main event where the winners will be announced on the night. Adele, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran are also set to perform, on February 8th for what is to be a truly historical night at the Brit Awards 2022.

it’s almost time to find out the #BRITs 2022 nominees don’t miss The BRITs Are Coming on @ITV and @WeAreSTV on Saturday 18 December, featuring performances from:@AnneMarie@GlassAnimals@JoelCorry & @Mabel@MimiWebb pic.twitter.com/7PRLx6uEuW — BRIT Awards (@BRITs) November 29, 2021

See the details of the Brit Awards Main event below and purchase tickets for The Brit Awards here

08/02/22 Brit Awards Main Event-The 02-London

See the categories for the Brit Awards below

Artist of the Year with YouTube Music
Group of the Year
Brit’s 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

Set in a big, artfully lit studio, London Grammar’s Live Lounge session has a specific ambience to it. Hannah Reid’s haunting voice carries the first verse and chorus, before Dan Rothman comes in with the guitar and triggers the recognisable riff from The Weeknd’s chart topping hit. The London Grammar cover actually bears more resemblance to some of The Weeknd’s earlier work.

Alongside their cover, London Grammar performed their own newest single, ‘Baby It’s You’. This was released in August as the lead single on their upcoming album – the details of which, the band are keeping a secret for now. ‘Baby It’s You’ was favourably received by critics, but it was exceptionally well received by fans, who have been waiting in anticipation of London Grammar’s next move since 2017’s Truth Is A Beautiful Thing.

Fan support extended to their Live Lounge session, as proved by the comments section of the two Youtube videos. One fan enthusiastically declared that “everything they touch turns to gold. Outrageously talented band.” In an Instagram post, Radio 1 called their cover “spine tingling.”

View this post on Instagram

Spine tingling performance from @londongrammar today in the #LiveLounge They performed ‘Baby It’s You’ and a beautiful cover of @theweeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ Listen again on @bbcsounds or watch it @bbciplayer

A post shared by BBC Radio 1 (@bbcradio1) on Sep 22, 2020 at 12:44pm PDT

Blinding Lights is the hit from The Weeknd’s latest album, After Hours. Just yesterday, it broke the record for the most weeks spent in the Top Five of the Billboard Hot 100. Spending 28 weeks there, it passes previous record holder, Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’. Elsewhere, The Weeknd has been busy in collaboration with Calvin Harris on their new single ‘Over Now’. The single is a unique combination of the two artists’ talents, but fans have noted influences ranging from Michael Jackson to Daft Punk.

London Grammar’s Live Lounge session is part of Radio 1’s Live Lounge Month throughout September. The return of Live Lounge Month was announced a few weeks ago. It takes place on Clara Amfo’s show, with new sets every Tuesday and Thursday, and classic favourite sessions on Monday and Wednesday – including Harry Styles, Demi Lovato and Usher. The lineup of new artists for Live Lounge Month is below.

At the time of announcement, Clara Amfo said, “I am absolutely delighted that Live Lounge Month is returning in September! Live music is an infinite source of joy and something that I know we have all missed terribly over the past few months. From rapidly emerging artists, to our established faves, I can’t wait to hear what all our Live Lounge artists have lined up for us!”

Live Lounge Month Line-up (in alphabetical order!)

Anne-Marie
Arlo Parks
Biffy Clyro
Declan McKenna
Jorja Smith
Little Mix
London Grammar
Miley Cyrus
YUNGLBUD

Playing two of her originals and two surprise covers, the artist’s signature warm and husky vocals were supported by an interesting musical arrangement for Cyrus. Each social distancing and wearing masks, the band consisted of a pianist, a cellist, a drummer, and two guitarists who also provided backing vocals.

View this post on Instagram

Honored to be the 1st performing for @bbcradio1 Live Lounge Month 2020! Link in stories to see more…. @billieeilish “my future”…..

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Sep 1, 2020 at 9:49am PDT

The songs of choice began with ‘Midnight Sky’, the most recent release from the singer and first single from her next album.  She commented, “There’s a lot of pressure when it comes to releasing the first song. I thought that lyrically and sonically this was a good reflection of where I’m going,” going on to reveal that the song was only written six weeks ago.

Following this was 2019 single ‘Slide Away’, which Cyrus belted out with beautifully emotive performance. She described the song as “a point of reference of the growth and of my journey over the past year and a half.”

Next came two covers, starting with The Eagles who were a huge influence to Miley Cyrus in the former years of her career. Originally steady and clean, ‘Take It To The Limit’, she stayed true to the heart of the song, tuning into the country feel.

Finally, a surprising cover from the artist, ‘My Future’ by Billie Eilish, only released at the end of July. Cyrus landed perfectly on the jazzier notes of the song, bringing her unique power to the vocals and a filled out instrumental. She explained how important self-acceptance is to her, especially as a woman, calling Eilish a “really healthy role model” for young girls. The reaction from fans was incredible, showing their support online and sending comments to the show. For those who missed it or simply want to listen again, the show is available now on Radio 1 Sounds, with three videos released on the Live Lounge YouTube channel.

As only the first live lounge performance of the month, it was an astounding success, with more to come. Artists including Yungblud, Little Mix, Biffy Clyro, Jorja Smith, Declan McKenna, Annie Maire, and Arlo Parks will appear on the show throughout September, so stay tuned for more.

NAO first revealed the news last week in an Instagram post with the caption, “It’s been too long, it’s time to drop new music …. THIS MONTH.” On Sunday 23rd August, just a day before the release, she announced La Havas’ feature, the release date, and confirmed that the song would be premiered as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World on BBC Radio 1 (currently covered by Clara Amfo).

View this post on Instagram

I have something real special for you coming tomorrow with my fav girl @liannelahavas Tune in to @bbcradio1’s hottest record in the world from 7pm (UK) for 1st listen. Track comes out straight after

A post shared by Nao (@this_nao) on Aug 23, 2020 at 9:22am PDT

In the interview, both La Havas and NAO discussed the song and its importance. “It kind of came together during the time of the Black lives matter movement, and obviously both me and Lianne being women of colour and being British as well, it felt like a really important song to release and talk about, empowerment. And especially as women of colour, celebrating ourselves and all we’ve done and how far we’ve come,” NAO explained.

Following on, La Havas said, “I think it’s important all the time to empower black women so I don’t mind that this has come out a little later in the year. I think it’s always a good message to be empowering women.”

Combining both NAO’s self-described ‘wonky funk’ sound and La Havas’ soulful guitar and vocals, the song has resonated with many, gaining 4,000 views on the music video in the first four hours. The video shows colourful, intricate animations and features both artists, to the absolute joy of their fans.

NAO has been creating music professionally and publicly as a singer, songwriter, and producer, since 2014, releasing her debut album ‘For All We Know’ in 2016, and sophomore, ‘Saturn’, in 2018. She has been nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist, Album of the Year at the Mercury Prize, and Best Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards.

La Havas wrote her first song at age 11, learning guitar when she was 18. Her first solo EP was released in 2011 after she signed with Warner Bros. Records the year before. ‘Lost and Found’ was the name of the EP, and La Havas went on to create another EP and three studio albums. Her debut album ‘Is Your Love Big Enough?’ won iTunes Album of the Year, followed by self-titled work released in 2020.

Hurt is out tomorrow. My heart is bursting I’m so ready to bring this bop into your lives. Don’t forget to smash that pre-save link. Wishing you butter toast n immaculate vibes. https://t.co/nr721GnajQ pic.twitter.com/hT8GwSh12J

— Arlo Parks (@arloparks) August 17, 2020

Kicking off the conversation, Amfo praised Parks’ use of spoken word in the third verse, and asked how it came about. To this, she replied, “I’ve always really been inspired by like poetry and spoken word and hip-hop, and I felt like story telling was at the heart of this song, and I kind of wanted to add a bit more visual imagery into the track.” She also said that she had been “a little bit nervous” to include it.

Written at a friends’ apartment, the upbeat song contains some loaded lyrics, such as “Wouldn’t it be lovely to feel something for once/Wouldn’t it be lovely to feel worth something.” But, it offers a solitude in the chorus, with the words “I know you can’t let go of anything at the moment/Just know it won’t hurt so much forever.” The songwriter explained, “There are some tricky topics tackled but I wanted it to be something playful,” and this was certainly achieved.

‘Hurt’ was co-written by Parks and Gianluca Buccellati, who also produced the track. Prior to the release, Parks shared a video online, commenting, “My heart is bursting I’m so ready to bring this bop into your lives.” Despite how little the video gave away, fans were excited to listen and view the music video. ‘Hurt’ is out now via Transgressive Records, and Parks has asked fans to let her know how the song makes them feel, hoping that it can uplift them and wishing that everyone is “being sweet to themselves”.

Hurt is out now! I hope it brings you joy and uplifts you even if it’s only in a small way – I’d love to know how it makes you feel – hope everyone’s being sweet to themselves https://t.co/nr721GnajQ Alexandra Waespi pic.twitter.com/a40RNUc2Px — Arlo Parks (@arloparks) August 18, 2020

At only 20 years old, the singer-songwriter has achieved much success, releasing her most moving song to date, ‘Black Dog’, earlier this year. Furthermore, she has featured on songs with Easy Life and Future Utopia, appeared on Michelle Obama’s podcast playlist, and partnered with Amazon Music’s Breakthrough programme for new artists. Parks has confirmed that she is working on her debut album, but nothing has been publicly announced yet.

This appeal comes in the wake of last week’s Blackout Tuesday, a grassroots social media campaign instigated by music professionals Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas that urged the industry to halt their ‘business as usual’ online presence in solidarity with the worldwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, was suffocated to death on the 25th of May whilst under arrest by several officers of the Minneapolis Police Department. 

Echoing Agyemang and Thomas’ desire to hold to account a multi-billion dollar industry “that has profited predominantly from black art”, the letter highlighted how despite the music industry having “long profited from the rich and varied culture of black people for many generations”, it nevertheless “has failed to acknowledge the structural and systematic racism affecting the very same black community”. The letter also repurposed a phrase originally spoken by American actor and DJ Amanda Seales and later quoted by radio broadcaster Clara Amfo, accusing the industry of “effectively enjoying the rhythm and ignoring the blues”.

BBC 1 Radio host Clara Amfo recently delivered a moving speech addressing how the death of George Floyd had impacted her mental health.

Another notable demand was for the words ‘urban music’ be dropped as an industry term and be replaced by ‘black music’ with immediate effect. The descriptor has long been a hotbed for controversy owing to accusations that it demarcates (and thus implicitly subordinates) the work of black artists into a separate category from their white counterparts. 

January’s 62nd Grammy Awards faced harsh criticism from its own recipients on this very issue. Tyler, the Creator, winner of 2020’s Best Rap Album, lamented that despite a nod from a major awards academy, he felt his album IGOR had been miscategorised as ‘rap’ (the album mostly comprises of sung vocals) based on the colour of his skin. “Whenever we – and I mean guys that look like me – do anything that’s genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category”, he said whilst backstage after accepting his award. “I don’t like that ‘urban’ word. It’s just a politically correct way to say the N-word … why can’t we just be in pop?”, he asked in frustration, presumably referencing fellow award winner Lizzo whose album Cuz I Love You was nominated for the Best Urban Contemporary Album category, rather than as an entry for Best Pop Vocal Album. 

Following in the footsteps of major label Republic Records, who on Friday announced they would no longer be using the term ‘urban’, as of today the Grammy Awards announced that they would be renaming their ‘Best Urban Contemporary Album’ category to ‘Best Progressive R&B Album’. Curiously however, ‘Best Latin Pop Album’ (a category that was mired in its own controversies this year) has also been renamed ‘Best Latin and Urban Pop Album’.

Read the full letter published online by IQ Magazine here.

View this post on Instagram

This weekend has been a lot, this life has been a lot, we are in the middle of a pandemic and the wheels of injustice keep turning. Just some thoughts I’ve gathered, I have more but real talk I’m on deadlines for things, so don’t have time to write a full op ed style post. Honestly I, like many black people I know are mentally exhausted but just wanted to share some of my recurrent thoughts.FYI comments are off cos I’ve learned to protect my energy and I refuse to give it to the wilfully ignorant. ⁣ ⁣ DMing me to tell me that you hate racism accompanied with a holiday snap of pictures with your black friends (yes that really happened this weekend) is useless.⁣ Posting Martin Luther King quotes and other platitudes with a peace sign isn’t enough.⁣ Telling me you’re sorry and can’t believe it at this point in history, although well intentioned, sadly useless. ⁣ If you’re a non black person who has told yourself that exclusively having sex with and dating black people is a personality and therefore enough to absolve you from being racist….newsflash it’s not! ⁣ ⁣ Same goes for music fans who happily indulge in the talent and work of black people and industry people who profit off us but stay silent when shit gets real . How could I forget that guy who told me on this same app that he couldn’t be racist cos he listens to Travis Scott ⁣ ⁣ I feel like there is a small shift happening, I honestly can’t tell if it’s going to lead to permanent change due the echo chamber of social media that I pay attention to versus what is shown on the news globally. ⁣The subjugation of black people the world over is not new news to us, the institutions of white supremacy are not new to us. It seeps in to EVERYTHING and we don’t have the choice to unsee it or feel it, proverbially and violently known as the “chip on your shoulder” or “making every thing about race” I notice I always lose followers when I speak about racial injustice, who can forget the “oh blimey unfollowing” lady from a few weeks ago when I spoke of the brutal murder of Ahmuad Aubrey?? ⁣ Why do you think I made a choice to use Rihanna’s speech on my last post? Most importantly because what she said was 100% true

A post shared by Clara Amfo (@claraamfo) on May 31, 2020 at 1:44am PDT

After acknowledging the previous day’s absence, Amfo gave a “race and violence” content warning, before admitting that she had not had the mental strength to ask listeners how their weekend had been since she had spent her own weekend “angry, confused, and also stuck at the news of yet another brutalised black body”. Amfo was referring to George Floyd, an unarmed black man who on the 25th of May was suffocated to death whilst under arrest by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department.  

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

…but because she is RIHANNA, she is beyond proud of her blackness but she is also a palatable enough black woman that I knew most white people would listen to over me. She would grab your attention, perhaps provoke more thought.⁣ ⁣ If you “follow” me, enjoy my work, aesthetic, however you process me. You must understand that I am a WHOLE BLACK PERSON. I can’t “oh blimey unfollow” myself, nor do I want to. If you are uncomfortable with what you read today, ask yourself why? If you’re not down with me, don’t announce it, just unfollow and keep it moving.⁣ ⁣ I love blackness, it is STUNNING, MAJESTIC, INSPIRING but it is also not here to serve non black people when it suits them via sports, music, hairstyles, entertainment etc, it should be respected in the workplace and shouldn’t be ignored when it’s crying out in fear of being killed.⁣ ⁣ You really want that utopian ideal of what our world could be? You want to be proudly and ACTIVELY anti racist more than fearing being called a racist? I want that for you too.⁣ ⁣ If so, then DO the work, educate yourself and others stand by us loudly, consistently, FOREVER . ⁣ Link in bio if you’re about it. ⁣ BLACKLIVESMATTER⁣ ALLBLACKLIVESMATTER A post shared by Clara Amfo (@claraamfo) on May 31, 2020 at 1:48am PDT

Responding to a call about a counterfeit $20 bill, Officer Derek Chauvin – with the help of Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao – handcuffed and restrained Floyd to the ground by pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck. Despite the hold being reserved solely for when a suspect is actively resisting, Chauvin continued to press down on Floyd’s neck even as Floyd pleaded for his life, telling bystanders he couldn’t breathe and that the officers were going to kill him. Chauvin rejected Lane’s suggestion to roll Floyd onto his side, keeping compression on Floyd’s neck for nearly three minutes after Floyd had lost consciousness and even after paramedics had arrived on the scene. All four of the officers have since been arrested, with Chauvin now facing charges of manslaughter and murder in the second degree.

“Knowing how the world enjoys blackness and seeing what happened to George”, Amfo continued, “we black people get the feeling that people want our culture but they do not want us”. Her address yesterday coincided with ‘Blackout Tuesday’, a grassroots social media campaign started by music industry professionals Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas designed to hold to account a multi-billion dollar industry “that has profited predominantly from black art”. Before ending her speech by playing Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” (which has become an anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement) Amfo echoed the widely circulated appeal that ‘non-racism’ is not a sufficient substitute for active ‘anti-racism’. She also encouraged listeners to tune into a show dedicated to black artists that have enriched the music landscape hosted by Annie Mac, as well as another in which Seanie B and Ace spoke about their experiences as black men in the UK. Listen to the full speech below:  

“You cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues” This is incredibly powerful from @claraamfo on the death of George Floyd, racism and its effect on her own mental health. pic.twitter.com/qxHrvKfn0e — BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) June 2, 2020