Harry Styles, Wet Leg, and Beyonce all had successful nights at the Brit Awards.
The lack of gender representation in categories like artist of the year, however, was a major point of discussion both in the run-up to and during the awards.
"Conversation" and the desire for change were the words that artists used to describe their feelings to BBC Newsbeat that evening.
Since the best male and best female awards were eliminated in favor of gender-neutral awards, there were no women nominated for best artist this year.
Rhian Teasdale from Wet Leg responded in the affirmative when asked if the absence of female nominees might "tarnish the reputation of the Brit Awards.
The band added two Grammy awards to their two Brit Awards for best group and new artist, and expressed disappointment that this would still be a problem in 2023.
And it goes beyond things like women in bands. Rhian continues, "It's about all the women in the industry.
It's not that challenging. There are so many talented women in the music industry. Thus, "doesn't it start at the top?".
Lessons must be learned for the future by the female rock band Nova Twins.
Georgia South affirms that moving things forward and making improvements are always positive.
But this night is also a celebration of the incredible female and non-binary artists.
The conversation is crucial, Amy Love continued. Additionally, let's rejoice in the advancements we have made so far.
"We hope that there will be more female and non-binary artists in the category next year. We can now learn from the conversation that has already occurred.
The "conversation" about gender representation, according to Mahalia, is important.
"I really respect the Brits because I've been watching it since I was a child.
"If they don't pay attention, we'll have a different discussion the following year or the year after. And if nothing changes over the years, I believe that will be the point at which it gets frustrating.
According to the R&B singer, the genre should have its own category, which might help female artists gain more exposure.
It simply seems as though there is less and less room for us to exist. And I believe that a lot of people share that sentiment.
The best pop and R&B artist was Harry Styles.
The nominee for best new artist, Kojey Radical, is frequently praised for giving female artists a voice and a platform. He told Newsbeat that his motivation stems from a very personal experience.
I have four sisters, a ton of nieces, and a ton of aunts. Women raised and taught me the majority of the way I was raised.
"The majority of the people who have supported me have been women, so for me, it's a no-brainer.
Because talent transcends gender and speaks for itself, I am enthralled by amazing work all day long.
The Brit Awards, he continues, "hold a lot of power.".
They are heavily involved in determining how we celebrate music in this nation.
Ellie Goulding expressed her "sincere surprise" at the artist of the year category being exclusively male.
"We need to fix it because something went a little awry. We'll probably carry that out the following year, too.
The nominee for best new artist, Rina Sawayama, thinks "the conversation on gender always has to be progressive.".
While reducing the number of nominees was a mistake, she believes it was "a good idea to combine the categories.".
"It does happen that there are some years when more male artists are commercially successful. However, it's crucial to have more nominees in order to prevent an all-male category.
She is not the only one who believes that might be a solution; Mahalia and Kojey Radical both told Newsbeat the same thing.
Rina continues, "It's fairly simple to do.".
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