Jewish artists have already scored ahead of this year’s Brit awards, and more could pick up awards on Saturday.
Jessie Ware could be crowned artist of the year at Saturday’s awards.
The Jewish singer-songwriter and former JC writer is up against RAYE, Dua Lipa, Central Cee, J Hus, Arlo Parks, Dave, Fred again, Little Simz and Olivia Dean in the prestigious artist of the year category. She has received six Brit Award nominations over the course of her career, four of them for British female solo artist, and won the Mercury Prize for her debut album Devotion back in 2006.
Ware released her celebratory and sensual disco-fuelled That! Feels Good! in April 2023 to wide critical acclaim. The follow-up to 2020’s dancefloor-ready What’s Your Pleasure?, it was nominated for the Mercury Prize (won by Ezra Collective) and features the lyrics “I’m a lover, a freak and a mother” on the song “Pearls”. Ware has described the album as being the most true to herself. “What I was doing was not giving enough of myself in my music. But that’s only because I was scared,” she told The Independent last year.
This year’s BRIT awards have already proven successful for one Jewish musician. On Monday, Chase & Status, comprising north London’s Saul Milton (Chase) and his musical partner Will Kennard (Status), were crowned producer of the year in advance of the BRITs ceremony. The trailblazing electronic music duo, who have worked with everyone from Rihanna to Jay-Z and Craig David during their 21-year career, are also nominated for group of the year. One of their two hit singles released last year, “Disconnect” featuring Becky Hill, scored 48 million streams in the UK – and they also lay claim to 2.2 billion streams worldwide for their own repertoire, and 9.11 billion for tracks on which they have production credits.
Commenting on their win, the duo said: “We couldn't be more proud – we've been flying the flag for British music now for a long time, we're super proud of all the music that has come out of the UK. As producers, and as a creative duo, I think we are probably in one of the best places we've been.”
Meanwhile, the Canadian rapper Drake also appears in the nominations for song of the year, for his vocals featured in J Hus’s track “Who Told You”. In the international song of the year category are rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer Doja Cat, born Amala Zandile Dlamini, with “Paint the Town Red”, and Noah Kahan, another new American artist with one Jewish parent, with his single “Stick Season”. Kahan, who grew up on a farm in Strafford and later moved to New Hampshire, where his Jewish father taught him to play guitar, became the UK’s first number 1 on the year with the shortlisted single.
Drake picks up his Brit Award (Photo: Getty Images)[Missing Credit]
Nominated in the international artist of the year category is innovative American artist Caroline Polachek, whose great-grandfather Arthur Polachek was a Jewish confectioner from a Slovak village. The classically trained cofounder of the band Chairlift, who took the Brooklyn indie-pop scene by storm in the 2000s and is compared to Kate Bush for the ethereal intensity of her voice, is having a successful year with her first BRIT nomination and a prize at the new Resonator Awards which honours women in music.
Saturday’s ceremony at the O2 will feature performances from Chase & Status with two-time BRIT winner and best dance act nominee Becky Hill, plus Dua Lipa, Tate McRae, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, RAYE, Rema, and Jungle.
