Girl Group FLO Follow Adele and Sam Smith to Win the Brits Rising Star Award 2023

As soon as Christmas is over, the countdown begins for the Brit Awards 2023. While the who's who of British music prepares for a raucous night in February [1], honouring the music stars that have plagued our Spotify Wrapped lists [2], there is one award that has already been handed out. The Brits Rising Star Award, previously known as the Critics' choice, recognises up-and-coming artists who are singled out for great success and on 8 Dec. the winner was revealed as R&B Girl Group, FLO. And they made history by being the first ever group to bag the prize.

The trio – Renée, Jorja, and Stella – burst onto the scene seven months ago with their debut single, "Cardboard Box" which won them a legion of fans. This was followed by their critically acclaimed EP, "The Lead", in summer 2022. They were announced as the winners of the Brits Rising Star Award on Clara Amfo's "Future Sounds" show. "From growing up watching the BRITs, to finding each other and forming FLO, releasing our first body of work in 2022 and winning a BRIT award in the same year!! We are so shocked and grateful," FLO said of the accolade. "We are the first group to win the BRITs Rising Star! We've just made history and couldn't have done it without our wonderful fans and supportive families. It's truly a dream come true. We feel so empowered creating the music we love and we hope others feel that too."

FLO were nominated alongside incredible artists, Cat Burns [3] and Nia Archives, who have both had great success in 2022. The Rising Star Award, which is chosen by a panel of music industry insiders and experts, has long been seen as the measuring stick for the next big thing in music. Previous winners have included some little-known names who have not done too badly since bagging the award [4]. You might have heard of Adele? Or perhaps you've listened to the odd Sam Smith track? Jorja Smith ring any bells? You get the idea. The winner in 2022 was Holly Humbertsone [5], with Griff taking the crown in 2021.

The Brit Awards 2023 is already set to make history. Taking place on Saturday, 11 Feb., it will be the first time the event has taken place on a Saturday. Read on to watch the videos of these three incredible artists.

Brit Rising Star Award 2023 Nominee: FLO

It's been less than a year that this three-piece girl group dropped their debut single, "Cardboard Box", yet they have taken the industry by storm. Stella Quaresma, Jorja Douglas, and Renée Downer are the first girl group to ever be shortlisted for this award. "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. We're grateful to everyone who has believed in our vision so far and can't wait to share more music with the world," they said in a statement following the announcement. They released their debut EP in the summer, titled "The Lead" and amassed over 70 million global streams.

Brit Rising Star Award 2023 Nominee: Cat Burns

The Brit School alum released her first album, "Adolescent", in 2016, but she was really catapulted to stardom in 2020 thanks to, you guessed it, TikTok. Her single, "Go", went viral on the social media platform, and went on to reach the UK Top 3. Sam Smith jumped on the track in June 2022, drawing more attention to Burns's stellar songwriting ability. "A nomination was a major thing on my bucket list for me this year," Burns told the BBC [6]NME [7] said she is "leading the charge for a new generation of ravers". Her debut EP, @Headz Gone West" was released in August and made from her bedroom studio. "Words won't describe how I'm feeling about being nominated for the Brits Rising Star," she said to the BBC "Growing up and watching it on TV, I really never thought it could happen to someone like me."

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