What the 2018 Brit Awards means for British Music

From inspiring young women to talking politics and criticising the prime minister, all of this was covered during the recent 2018 Brits.

Dua Lipa and Stormzy were the big winners of the night taking home two awards each, beating the likes of Ed Sheeran and Paloma Faith, but what do these fresh faces of music stealing the show mean for the future of British music?

Both artists did not shy away from raising awareness to important issues within not only the music industry but society. Starting with Dua Lipa during her acceptance speech she stated : “I want to thank every single female that has been on this stage before me and has given girls like me a place to be inspired by and [someone to] look up to and allow us to dream. Here’s to more women on these stages, winning these awards and taking over the world.”  Dua Lipa’s dedication to women across the world brings attention to the idea of representation especially in the music industry. By using her platform to highlight how important the presence of all the women who came before her is it allows us to realise that seeing women in positions of power and doing what you may aspire to do is effective and essential in ensuring more women continue to pursue their dreams get inspired just as Dua Lipa has done.

Similarly, the South London raised artist Stormzy’s wins were a major milestone for mainstream British music as the Grime artists wins only paved a way for more “urban” and less generic pop music to also make its way to the mainstream media. Stormzy’s music has talked of struggle and his image has been something for young people who can relate to Stormzy’s message and music to look up to and realise there is always opportunity for success.

Stormzy’s performance also created a massive response as it brought attention to the Grenfell Tower tragedy reminding us it is not something that should ever be forgotten with the lyrics, “Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell?” Followed by stating that the government, “just forgot about Grenfell, you criminals, and you got the cheek to call us savages. You should do some jail time, you should pay some damages. We should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.”

Using his platform and influence to bring attention to the Grenfell Tower incident Stormzy reminds us as a nation that the fire killed at least 71 people and that the slow response by the Prime Minister and the government to a fire that could have been prevented is unacceptable. Stormzy is a long time supporter of the victims and has raised money through featuring on a charity single for the victims.

The likes of Dua Lipa and Stormzy will hopefully be a catalyst for an evolution of different types of British music and showcase to the world the variety in authentic British music and continue to use the platforms to inspire and bring justice to others.