LONDON – British singer Harry Styles won the top awards on Saturday at Britain’s biggest popular music prizes, the Brit Awards, while acknowledging his “privilege” for triumphing in a supposedly gender-neutral category that featured no female artistes.

Styles, 29, made multiple appearances on stage, winning awards for Artiste Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year for As It Was and Best Pop/R&B Act.

“This night has been really, really special to me and I will never forget it,” he said. “I’m so, so proud to be a British artist in the world out there.”

The awards ceremony for the second year running handed out a gender-neutral main prize for British Artiste Of The Year.

This title was introduced in 2022 to increase inclusivity after non-binary singer Sam Smith was automatically excluded from previously gendered categories in 2021.

Yet, the category had an all-male shortlist in 2023, and Styles in his acceptance speech named women artistes who were originally shortlisted for the category but did not make the final list.

“I’m really really grateful for this and I’m very aware of my privilege up here tonight, so this award is for Rina, Charli, Florence, Mabel and Becky,” he said, referring to Rina Sawayama, Charli XCX, Florence Welch, Mabel and Becky Hill.

The Brit Awards chairman Damian Christian told Music Week in February that it was “disappointing to see the lack of female representation”, blaming a lack of eligible releases by female stars in 2022.

Styles’ clutch of awards came as little surprise after the former One Direction member earlier in February won the coveted Grammy Award for Album Of The Year for Harry’s House, which was Britain’s biggest-selling album in 2022.

Styles’ reference to his “privilege” last Saturday came after he prompted mockery with his Grammy acceptance speech by saying “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often”.

Critics pointed out that Styles as a white Englishman hardly falls into any underprivileged category.

Beyonce wins

American star Beyonce won the International Artiste Of The Year and Best International Song categories, though she did not attend in person.

It was also a big night for several young acts making their recording debuts in 2022.

Wet Leg, an indie rock band from the Isle of Wight off England’s south coast, won Group Of The Year and Best New Artiste after releasing their catchy debut single Chaise Longue – which they performed at the ceremony – and their eponymous debut album.

They beat Britain’s 2022 Eurovision Song Contest entry, Sam Ryder – the first contestant from the flamboyant Europop event to be shortlisted for a Brit Award – for Best New Artiste.

Ryder, 33, came second at Eurovision with his song Space Man, losing to Ukraine but achieving Britain’s highest place at the contest for two decades.

“I used to be on the wedding circuit before this,” he said during the Brits show, upbeat despite not winning. “I feel a responsibility to show immense gratitude.”

Rapper Aitch, 23, whose debut album Close To Home included non-fungible token technology, won in the Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap category, beating top star Stormzy.

The Brit Awards were first held in 1977. The event is run by British Phonographic Industry, a trade association that represents the British music industry. AFP