Adele declares “I love being a woman” during Brit Awards Acceptance Speech

Adele declared her love for “being a female artist” as she took home the gender-neutral award for Artist of the Year at the Brits 2022.

Last year, in 2021, the Brit Awards confirmed that its 2022 ceremony would ditch gendered categories for the first time to celebrate “artists solely for their music and work”. At the time, Tom March, the Brit Chair and Co-President of Polydor Records, stated: “It is important that The BRITs continue to evolve and aim to be as inclusive as possible. He continued, “It feels completely the right time to celebrate the achievements of artists for the music that they create, and the work thatAdele they do, irrespective of gender.” The move meant that awards such as British Female Solo Artist and British Male Solo Artist would be replaced with British Artist of the Year, an award subsequently won by Adele.

Adele won big at the 2022 show on the 8th of February, taking home the aforementioned trophy alongside Song of the Year for’ Easy on Me’ and Album of the Year for ’30’. This comes following the album becoming the highest-selling record of 2021 after just six weeks on sale.“I love being an artist, I really do, and I genuinely can’t believe that it’s my job,” the 33-year-old said as she won her 12th overall Brit award and last of the night”

After giving some words of support to her fellow musicians, she added: “I understand why the name of this award has changed, but I really love being a woman and being a female artist. I do, I do! I’m really proud of us, I really, really am.”

She dedicated her Album of the Year award to her son and ex-husband, Simon Konecki. “This album was all of our journey, not just mine, and I’m very proud of myself for sticking to my guns and putting out an album that was so personal to me – ’cause not many people do that anymore,” she told the audience. “My son has been so kind and gracious and patient with me over the years.”

A small number of people online suggested that Adele’s words were intended as a coded statement against trans people, with several news outlets reporting on the supposed backlash to her comments. However, Adele has reportedly affirmed her stance on the matter during a surprise appearance at the London nightclub Heaven.

As well as dancing during the club’s popular G-A-Y night, Adele is said to have addressed the crowd at one point in the evening. The i journalist and broadcaster Benjamin Butterworth wrote on Twitter, “Oh. My. God. Adele just turned up on stage at G-A-Y to stick two fingers up to every transphobe who misinterpreted her words at the Brits and told the crowd: ‘You’re all women who identify as women.’”