It has been confirmed that Doja Cat will no longer perform at the 2022 The BRIT Awards. The singer was set to perform at the ceremony on 8th February 2022 at London’s O2. The “Kiss Me More” singer cited the cancellation to COVID-19, saying that members of her crew had tested positive for the virus thus posing a threat to others’ safety. The singer took to Twitter to post a full apology which also outlined her reasons for pulling out of the London show.
— doja cat (@DojaCat) January 31, 2022
The 26-year-old artist is included within this year’s nominations. Doja Cat is shortlisted for International Artist Of The Year and Best International Song for her collaboration with SZA entitled “Kiss Me More”. The single was released on 9th April 2021 and sired the rapper great success along with three Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The multi-talented artist is no stranger to accolades, however this year marks her first nomination for a Brit award and this year’s ceremony would also have been her first performance at the awards event.
This recent cancellation is the hitmaker’s third termination of a live performance due to COVID. On 11th December 2021, the singer was forced to withdraw from several shows from the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the cancelled shows were scheduled for New York and Boston. Doja Cat confirmed the cancellation was due to members of her road crew receiving positive tests for COVID. At the time of the confirmation, the singer took to Twitter to post a full statement.
iHeart update…I love you guys so much and I’m so sad this is happening but I will see you all soon pic.twitter.com/kwcmdGJTe4 — doja cat (@DojaCat) December 10, 2021
On 12th December 2021, the singer confirmed that she could not finish the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour as she had tested positive for the virus herself. The “Woman” singer had six dates remaining and was forced to cancel shows in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta and Miami. To announce the cancellation, the singer also took to Twitter to share an emotive statement confirming the news.
— doja cat (@DojaCat) December 12, 2021
This year’s BRIT Awards will be a historical event in music and cultural history, for the first time, the awards will feature genderless categories. The 2022 ceremony will also include four new genre-based awards, Alternative/Rock Act, Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act, Dance Act and Pop Act. Speaking on the British institution’s changes, co-president of Polydor Records has stated, “It is important that the Brits continue to evolve and aim to be as inclusive as possible.”
Hosting responsibilities for this year’s event have been bestowed to Mo Gilligan. the comedian will be replacing veteran host Jack Whitehall who stepped down after four years at the helm. Gilligan is best known for his chat show The Lateish Show, a Channel 4 production which debuted in 2019. The remaining performers for the event are still scheduled to take the stage, Brit icon Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, Dace, Sam Fender, Little Simz and 2022’s Brits rising star award winner Holly Humberston are all billed to perform at the ceremony.
