The Brit Award for British Pop Act is an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom.[1] The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebration of British and international music.[2] The winners and nominees were initially determined by the Brit Awards voting academy with over one-thousand members comprising record labels, publishers, managers, agents, media, and previous winners and nominees, [3] but starting with the 42nd Brit Awards ceremony, the award is voted by fans.[4]
Boy band Five are the first winners of the category, while Westlife and Dua Lipa have the most wins, with two. The category was exclusively won by bands until 2006, when James Blunt became the first solo artist to receive the award. S Club 7 hold the record for most nominations without a win, with three. The current holder of the award is Dua Lipa, who won in 2024.
History
The award was first presented as Best British Pop Act at the 2000 Brit Awards and was retired in 2006.
In 2021, it was announced that the category had been revived and renamed Best British Pop/R&B Act following the removal of gendered categories. This new iteration of the award was first presented at the 42nd Brit Awards and the winner is voted for by the public on TikTok alongside the three other genre categories (Rock/Alternative Act, Dance Act and Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act).[5]
For the 2024 Brit Awards, it was announced that Best British Pop Act would return as it split from R&B and the award for Best British R&B Act. The change follows criticism from many artists in the R&B community around the lack of representation in the category.[6]
Winners and nominees
British Pop Act (2000–2006)
| Year | Recipient | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Five | |
| 2001 | Westlife | |
| 2002 | Westlife | |
| 2003 | Blue | |
| 2004[7] | Busted | |
| 2005[8] | McFly | |
| 2006[9] | James Blunt[10] |
British Pop/R&B Act (2022–2023)
| Year | Recipient | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dua Lipa | |
| 2023 | Harry Styles |
British Pop Act (2024–)
| Year | Recipient | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dua Lipa |
Multiple nominations and awards
|
|
Notes
- Blue (2002) Busted (2004) also won Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act
- James Blunt (2006) also won Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist
- Dua Lipa (2018, 2021) also won Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist
- Dua Lipa (2018) also won Brit Award for Best New Artist
- Westlife (2001~2002), only foreign artist winner
- Foreign artist nominees:
- Australian: Kylie Minogue
- Canadian: Avril Lavigne
- Ireland: Westlife
- Spanish: Enrique Iglesias
- United States: Britney Spears, Pink, Christina Aguilera, The Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Madonna
References
- ^ "About the BPI". British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ^ "BRIT Awards". British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ^ "And the nominees are..." Brits.co.uk. British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ^ Public vote for The BRIT Awards 2022 genre awards opens Thursday 20th January!
- ^ "Brit Awards scrap male and female categories". BBC News. 22 November 2021.
- ^ "Brit awards extend best artist shortlist to 10 after 2023's all-male lineup". The Guardian. 2023-11-24. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "Brits 2004: The nominations". News.bbc.co.uk. 12 January 2004. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "BRITs 2005 Nominees Announced - MTV UK". Mtv.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Brit award nominations hail the Kaiser Chiefs". The Independent. 11 January 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Brit awards winners list 2013: every winner since 1977". The Guardian. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2018.