The Brit Awards are to undergo a considerable reinvention in 2020, with the number of awards being reduced and fan votes coming to an end. It’s been announced that the ceremony itself will feature “more music” and that acts will be given greater control over their performances. However, awards for best male and female are set to remain in spite of recent rumours.
Awards that won’t be handed out in 2020 include Best International Group and Best British Video, with the Outstanding Contribution Award being rested for the moment. The ceremony has seen a decline in ratings over recent years, with 400,000 fewer viewers tuning in this year than in 2018. Some changes have already proved controversial, with fans of K-pop band BTS lamenting the loss of Best International Group.
The Brits organisers now say acts booked to perform will face no “creative limitation”. It’s thought the aim is to see a rise in social media-friendly viral moments. Nonetheless, there are worries that this could cause issues for ITV, the station that has broadcast the ceremony since the early 1990s. The 1975 were instructed not to perform the Trump-inspired ‘Love It If We Made It’ this year due to its explicit lyrical content, with the band refusing to change the words for the performance.
Winners will be chosen by an “official voting academy” of 1,200 industry figures. It’s feared that poppier BRIT winners like Little Mix could miss out on future awards due to the lack of public input. Brits chairman David Joseph said the changes would help “make the Brits night a world-class celebration”, with “exceptional performances” being placed “at the heart of the show”.
