Brit Awards 2022: Ed Sheeran, Adele, and Dave nominated for gender-neutral award

When the British Awards announced last month that they would end the gender category that separates male and female talent, there were concerns that this would lead to the abandonment of women.

Culture Minister Nadine Doris said she was "concerned" about women's representation, while Pierce Morgan described the move as "built garbage."

But the first nominations under the new system provide the most women nominated in more than a decade, with Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, and Dua Lipa vying for multiple awards.

Adele teamed up with Ed Sheeran, Little Sims, and Dave for most nominations. They received four each, and all competed in the prestigious categories for Best Album and Best British Artist.

Sam Fender topped this award list and received his third award for best rock artist. Rapper newcomer Central Cee also received three nominations, including Best New Artist.

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Little Mix, who became the first girl group to be recognized as the best British band this year, is again competing for the award.

Their rivals include Coldplay, who received a record-breaking ninth nomination in the category (they have won four times), dirty band D-Block Europe, and two groups with female faces, Wolf Alice and London Grammar.

And Abba sealed their win again by being included in the list of the best international brands. This is the first nomination for Sweden since the first Brit Awards in 1977 - when they missed out on international awards for the album Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel.

They met K-pop giant BTS, Eurovision winner Måneskin, indie band The War On Drugs, and Bruno Mars' the 1970s project Silk Sonic.

A total of 13 artists were nominated twice, including Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Glass Animals, Wolf Alice, and Dua Lipa. Lipa's manager Ben Mawson is among those helping England neutralize the sexes.

"It's great to see the UK continue to move towards a more inclusive awards show where talent comes first," he told the last month. "This is a move we welcome."

Four new genre awards will be presented at the ceremony - recognizing the best pop, rock, dance, and hip-hop singers of the year. Winners in this category will be determined by public voting on TikTok.