Laura Mvula has responded to being snubbed by this year’s BRIT Awards, saying that she is “genuinely hurt” to have missed out on a nomination.
The nominations for the 2017 awards were announced in full this evening (January 14), with Skepta and David Bowie among the leading nominees.
Mvula, however, has expressed her disappointment at the announcement after not being recognised in any of the categories. Mvula released her second album, ‘The Dreaming Room’, in June 2016, which would have qualified her to be nominated – the album was included on the shortlist for the Mercury Prize last year.
However, after missing out, Mvula took to Twitter to register her shock and sadness at not being recognised by the BRITs, with an emphasis on the British Female Artist category.
Before tweeting a screenshot of the nominees in that category – who include Anohni, Ellie Goulding and Emeli Sandé – Mvula said she was “feeling not quite good enough,” writing: “genuinely hurt #BRITs2017. maybe if I wrote better music?”
See the tweets below.
feeling not quite good enough
— LAURA MVULA (@lauramvula) January 14, 2017
— LAURA MVULA (@lauramvula) January 14, 2017
.genuinely hurt #BRITs2017
— LAURA MVULA (@lauramvula) January 14, 2017
.maybe if I wrote better music?
— LAURA MVULA (@lauramvula) January 14, 2017
Mvula did not attend last year’s BRIT Awards after citing a “diversity issue” with the make-up of the awards – a criticism that the organisers have tried to address with this year’s ceremony.
“Growing up, my black identity is something that is hugely important to me and something that as I’m now going in to my 30s I’m thinking lots and lots more about,” she told the Andrew Marr Show back in February 2016. “I guess the problem for me is knowing that there are young black kids growing up feeling that they’re not acknowledged in society, in media and in mainstream music.”
Asked at the time if she’d attend this year’s ceremony, Mvula responded: “Maybe next year when I have my album out it makes sense for me to be there.”