Tonight she will be competing against Dua Lipa, Dave, Jesssie Ware and Raye among others for the Brit Artist of the Year, but ELL readers have already named Little Simz as their choice for the coveted award in our special poll.

In the past, winners in The Brit Awards, being screened on ITV from the O2 Arena in Greenwich, have been determined by a panel of around 1,000 individuals who work in the music industry. But this year the Brit Awards Voting Academy gave the fans the chance to vote for their favourite musicians in five categories including best Pop, R&B, and Rock acts.  

But Eastlondonlines has got ahead of public vote tonight by asking our readers to make their vote for their Brit Artist of the Year and our winner is Little Simz, the Islington-born and highly regarded rapper, singer and actress, whose first album was released in 2015. Her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert won the 2022 Mercury Prize for best album and Brit Award for Best New Artist.

Representation for female artists this year has significantly improved following a controversy in 2023 when both Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year nominees were all male– two years after genderless categories were introduced.  

This year, women have received appraisal and recognition in the top categories- six out of ten Artist of the Year nominees were women.  

Here at Eastlondonlines, we wanted to allow our readers to have a say on the highly anticipated category, Artist of the Year and we can now reveal ELL’s full ranking of BRIT Artist of the Year… .

Yo, listen, you hear that? Fred Again is tenth on our list. The electronic musician and producer is known for this innovative approach to electronic music production, blending unique sounds of pop, electronic and dance. Fred Again had a year filled with festivals including Glastonbury and Park Life. But, if you missed his eccentric performances, he is headlining Reading and Leeds in August. 

The rapper who pioneered the genre Afroswing, J Hus is number nine on our list. In 2023, he released his third studio album Beautiful and Brutal Yard, which was nominated for Album of the Year and featured songs with Drake, Jorja Smith and Naira Marley. His music reflects his upbringing in east London and the sounds and cultures that raised a generation of black British kids. He gained four Brit nominations this year.  

Soulful Jessie Ware is placed eighth on our list. Singer-songwriter from Clapham released her fifth studio album That! Feels Good! in 2023, we’re sure she feels good about her nomination too.  

Neo-soul singer, Olivia Dean has been nominated for three Brit awards including Best New Artist after releasing her debut album Messy last year. This 24-year-old has nailed heartbreak ballads and sing-along self-love anthems, that will make your heart ache (in the most cathartic way possible). She is placed at number seven. 

Our number six is a drill rapper from Shepard’s Bush, Central Cee. He has been nominated twice for Best Song, following success in the past year for his song Sprinter with fellow Artist of the Year nominee, Dave. His song Let Go, sampled from Passengers Let Her Go 2012 hit, is also nominated.  

In 2020, Dave gave what has been hailed by the music industry as one of the greatest Brits performances and the best political speech in a decade. He performed the Dave political ballad Black from his Psychodrama album. This year, he released the collaborative EP Split Decision with fellow nominee Central Cee. He placed fifth on our list.   

Brit’s Breakthrough Artist of 2021, Arlo Parks is number four on our list. Her introspective lyrics and soulful vocals make this 23-year-old a real poet.  

Six-time Brit winner Dua Lipa received three nominations this year and a bronze medal for ELL’s Brit Artist of the Year. Her single for the Barbie soundtrack, Dance the Night reached UK number-one. Her third studio album is planned to be released in 2024, showcasing hits including Houdini and Training Season. It’s going to be a good year for Dua!  

Our runner-up is pop singer, RAYE. She made Brit award history by becoming the first artist to score seven nominations in a single year, marking an amiable career U-turn after spending years in limbo with her record label. RAYE described her nominations as a “miracle” and thanked her fans for the support. Now an independant artist, her debut album My 21st Century Blues received both commercial and critical success, as it was nominated for a Brit award and a Mercury Prize.  

Little Simz crowns ELL’s top Brit Artist of the Year. Her bold lyricism and versatile flow shine throughout all her albums which have now won a host of awards. Her latest EP has been dubbed her “clubbiest” release yet after she surprised her fans with its release. And, Simz, our polls shows that our readers love you.  

The Brits will be broadcast on at 8.30 pm tonight on ITV.