FEBRUARY

Raye’s 6 BRIT Award wins this past Saturday, have cleared some doubts and restored much faith in the UK music industry. With many music lovers feeling that perhaps we have returned to an era where the authenticity of British artists is beginning to be rightfully recognised. 

Raye’s journey to this point has not been an easy one, with several setbacks, as highlighted through her ‘Mastercard Album of the Year’, My 21st Century Blues, making her many barefoot acceptance speeches all the more joyous and respected.

Whilst there are many others who deserved to be rewarded, there are equally several moments throughout the show that you may have missed and should be highlighted. . 

Here at February, we are self-confessed lovers of Jungle (the genre too, but in this case the incredible band), and so their ‘Group of the Year’ win is a top 3 moment for us, second only to their mid-show performance of ‘Back on 74’. 

Chase and Status’ award for ‘Producer of the Year’ in recognition for their contribution to DnB, an acknowledgement for Calvin Harris’ 2023 comeback in the form of ‘Dance Act’, and Raye’s outstanding performance, including a snippet of an unreleased song, are all also worthy of mention.

Even with all the rightful recognition given, it can still be said that the sadness brought about by many losses is indicative of the current climate of British music. There is an overwhelming number of artists and artistry worthy of praise. 

With Olivia Dean, Mahalia, Yussef Dayes and Cleo Sol, to name a few, all missing out on awards, it is clear there is talent beyond recognition. 

And so, we keep on listening, we keep on streaming and we keep on championing British  artists until they are recognised – a key reason February was formed.