Brit Award for International Artist

The Brit Award for International Solo Artist 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 are determined by the Brit Awards voting academy with over one-thousand members, which comprise record labels, publishers, managers, agents, media, and previous winners and nominees.[3]

Brit Award for International Solo Artist
2024 winner SZA
Awarded forAchievement in Excellent International Solo Artist
CountryUnited Kingdom (UK)
Presented byBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI)
First awarded1983
Currently held bySZA (2024)
Most awardsPrince (3)
Most nominationsMadonna, Prince (5)
Websitewww.brits.co.uk

First presented at the 3rd Brit Awards in 1983 to Kid Creole and the Coconuts, the award has been presented with various names over its tenure. Including his win with The Revolution, Prince has the most wins in this category, with three while Madonna has the most nominations without a win, with five. The award has been won eleven times by artists from the United States and once by an artist from Sweden. As of 2024, the current holder of the award is SZA.

History

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The award was first presented in 1983 as International Artist, where both groups and solo artists of any gender could be nominated. From 1986 to 1988, in 1990 and again in 1992 and 1993, it was presented as International Solo Artist (given to a male or female artist) while groups were honored with the newly created Brit Award for International Group from 1986 onward. The accolade was not handed out at the 1989 and 1991 ceremonies and has been defunct as of 1993.

In 2021, it was announced that the category had been revived and returned to its original name Best International Artist of the Year following the removal of gendered categories, and combines the International Male Solo Artist and International Female Solo Artist categories. This new iteration of the award was first presented at the 42nd Brit Awards.[4] The number of nominees in the category was increased from five to ten in 2024.[5]

Winners and nominees

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International Artist (1983-1985)

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Three-time winner Prince
Year Recipient Nominee
1983
(3rd)
Kid Creole and the Coconuts
1984
(4th)
Michael Jackson
1985
(5th)
Prince & The Revolution

International Solo Artist (1986-1988, 1990, 1992-1993)

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Neneh Cherry was the inaugural female recipient in 1990
Year Recipient Nominee
1986
(6th)
Bruce Springsteen
1987
(7th)
Paul Simon
1988
(8th)
Michael Jackson
1990
(10th)
Neneh Cherry
1992
(12th)
Prince
1993
(13th)
Prince

International Artist (2022-present)

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Billie Eilish, the winner of the newly-revived category in 2022
Year Recipient Nominee
2022
(42nd)
Billie Eilish
2023
(43rd)
Beyoncé
2024
(44th)
SZA

Multiple nominations and awards

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "About the BPI". British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  2. ^ "BRIT Awards". British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  3. ^ "And the nominees are..." Brits.co.uk. British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Brit Awards scrap male and female categories". BBC News. 22 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Brit awards extend best artist shortlist to 10 after 2023's all-male lineup". The Guardian. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.