Harry Styles had a good night at the 2023 Brit Awards. After winning best pop/R&B act, he quickly scooped up best artist of the year—a category laden with controversy after announcing an all-male shortlist despite the decision to introduce gender-neutral awards.
Styles is no stranger to controversy, himself. Earlier this month, he faced criticism for his album of the year Grammys speech, having said, “This doesn’t happen to people like me very often.” While some fans thought this comment was wildly out of touch—given that he’s a cisgender white man—while others pointed out that he was probably referring to his (still relatively privileged) upbringing in Manchester.
The “As It Was” singer was clearly aware of both controversies, as he finished his Brit Awards speech by saying he is “aware of his privilege” before dedicating his award to some of the women pop stars—including Charli XCX, Rina Sawayama, and Becky Hill—who weren’t nominated in the gender-neutral category: “This award is for Rina, Charlie, Mabel, Florence, and Becky.”
