Cat Burns said a Brit rising star nomination was on her bucket list (Picture: Getty Images)
The Brit Awards’ new batch of rising stars nominees have been announced and, this year, it’s all about representation with three Black acts making the cut.Â
The trio have been shortlisted for the rising star award, which has seen Adele, Sam Smith and Florence and the Machine among past winners, ahead of the winner announcement on December 8.Â
Voters will have to decide whether they want Flo, Cat Burns or Nia Archives to scoop the top prize.Â
Reacting to the nominees list, one fan tweeted: ‘All of the BRIT AWARD rising stars for 2023 are black females and I love this for us.’Â
In 2020, Burns, 22, went viral on TikTok with her track Go, which peaked at number two on the UK singles chart, becoming her first platinum-selling hit.Â
Reacting to her nomination, she said: ‘A Brits Rising Star nomination was a major thing on my bucket list for me this year, so to have achieved that honestly means the world to me.Â
It’s a year of Black excellence with this year’s Brit rising star shortlist comprised of Black acts (Picture: PA)
‘I’m super grateful for the year I’ve had and am so honoured to have been chosen!’Â
Burns released her six-track EP Emotionally Unavailable in May and even went on to support Ed Sheeran on the European leg of his Mathematics Tour earlier this year. She’s not slowing down either as she’s due to support Sam Smith on their UK and Ireland headline tour in Spring 2023.
R&B girl group Flo, consisting of Renee, Jorja and Stella, have been taking the music world by storm this year.Â
They released their debut single Cardboard Box at the top of the year and have earned praise from the likes of Kelly Rowland, Missy Elliott, Sugababes and Sza.Â
The trio, who are all 20 years old, have performed on late night US TV show Jimmy Kimmel, the UK’s Later…with Jools Holland, and at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards among other events.
Nia Archives appeals to extroverted introverts (Picture: WireImage)
Speaking about their rising star nomination, they said: ‘We all grew up watching the Brits with our mums, and have been inspired by the girl groups and powerful female artists who have performed on that stage.Â
‘We’re grateful to everyone who has believed in our vision so far and can’t wait to share more music with the world.
‘Girl groups are back and we want to pave the way for more artists to achieve their dreams. We hope that this is the first of many Brit nominations for Flo.’Â
Flo released their debut EP The Lead last summer to critical acclaim, and it has since amassed over 70million global streams.
Flo is made up of (l-r) Stella Quaresma, Jorja Douglas and Renee Downer (Picture: WireImage)
Joining them on the shortlist is Archives, who hails from Leeds and taught herself how to produce music at the age of 16, in order to develop her own brand of soft-hearted lo-fi jungle for introverted extroverts.
She recorded her first EP, Headz Gone West, in the early hours of the morning in her cramped bedroom studio last August.
‘Words won’t describe how I’m feeling about being nominated for the Brits Rising Star. Growing up and watching it on TV, I really never thought it could happen to someone like me,’ she said.Â
The Brits rising star winner, organised by the Brit Awards 2023 with Mastercard, will be announced next week on December 8.
The Brits 2023 will take place on Saturday, February 11 – the first time the show will be held on a Saturday in its history – and will broadcast live on ITV and ITVX from The O2 Arena.
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The trio are hoping to win the coveted award ahead of the February 2023 ceremony.Â
