Brit Beat: Little Simz Plots Post-BRITs Stardom, With an Eye to the U.S.

variety.com:

Mark Sutherland February in the U.K. music industry is traditionally dominated by the BRIT Awards, and this year the ceremony returned to its customary slot, having been forced to move to May in 2021 by the pandemic.But, despite resuming its rightful place in the calendar with a star-studded line-up including Adele, Ed Sheeran and Liam Gallagher, the event posted its lowest-ever TV ratings with 2.7 million tuning in, down from 2.9m last year.However, bosses won’t be too concerned because, as in the U.S., TV ratings only tell part of the story: The ceremony also reported record digital engagement under chairman Tom March’s multi-platform plan.

There were 27 million views for BRITs content on YouTube, a 42% year-on-year increase in TikTok views, and 1.6m visitors to the official Roblox after party.

The event also sold over 1,500 units in its first NFT drop. Adele, Dave and Ed Sheeran saw the largest impact in terms of post-telecast rising album sales, but one artist feeling the uplift of BRITs exposure is rising UK rapper Little Simz.

She was nominated for four awards, winning Best New Artist, and also delivered one of the night’s standout performances of tracks from her album “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert”, overseen by creative director Jeremy Cole.“The crossover has started,” Simz’s manager, Robert Swerdlow of Starwood Management, tells Variety. “We’ve connected a lot of dots and created a halo effect.