After being criticised for its lack of representation and inclusion in its shortlists, the Brits has released its 2024 nominations, and women make up more than half (55%) of the nominations – either as solo artists or as part of all-woman groups. And one artist, in particular, has received a record number of nominations.

Raye, who released her debut studio album in 2023, has been nominated seven times, receiving nods for album of the year, artist of the year, best new artist, best R&B act, best pop act and song of the year (twice!). She’s the first artist to do this since the awards began back in 1977, overtaking the record six nominations held jointly by Robbie Williams (1999), Craig David (2001) and Gorillaz (2002).

Her album, My 21st Century Blues, was a huge success, reaching the number two spot in the charts and earning her a Mercury Prize nomination. The lead single on the album, Escapism (nominated for best song), topped the singles chart.

Even though Raye has been nominated in the best new artist category, she has been making music for over a decade. She also has songwriting credits for major artists including Beyoncé, John Legend and Little Mix and has appeared on several tracks over the years, including Jax Jones’s 2016 hit You Don’t Know Me and Jonas Blue’s By Your Side, but only started releasing her own solo music in the past couple of years.

It was in 2021 that Raye took to social media to share her experience with her label at the time, Polydor, and the music industry generally, saying: “I have been on a four album record deal since 2014… and haven’t been allowed to put out one album.”

Brit Awards 2024: Why we’re so excited about Raye’s record-breaking 7 nominations