BRIT Awards 2021: Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks and Celeste lead the race for UK’s Brit Awards

Singer-songwriters Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks and Celeste lead the competition for the Brit Awards, with a trio of nominations apiece for the UK music prizes.

The three British women were nominated for best female solo artist and album of the year on Wednesday. Lipa is additionally up for best British single, for “Physical.” Parks and Celeste – who has an Academy Award nomination for “Hear My Voice,” from the film The Trial of the Chicago 7 – are contenders for the breakthrough artist trophy.

Other triple nominees on the list are DJ Joel Corry and rap duo Young T and Bugsey.

Winners are due to be declared May 11 during a ceremony featuring live musical performances and a limited, socially distanced audience at London’s O2 Arena. The occasion is set to be one of the first awards shows to be held in person since the Covid pandemic started over a year prior.

The Brits are a slick showcase for British talent, yet the nominations have been reprimanded in the past for failing to reflect the diversity of UK music. In 2017, the event of in more than 1,000 music industry professionals that picks the winners was extended trying to make it more gender-balanced and diverse.

Regardless, a year ago the show was criticized for failing to recognize women, with no female performers included on the shortlist for album of the year. This year, that category includes four female acts: Parks, Celeste, Lipa and Jessie Ware. J Hus is the lone male performer nominated.