The Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist was an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom. The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebration of British and international music. The winners and nominees were determined by the Brit Awards voting academy with over one-thousand members, which comprise record labels, publishers, managers, agents, media, and previous winners and nominees.
History The award was first presented in 1989 as International Male Solo Artist. The accolade was not handed out at the 1990, 1992 and 1993 ceremonies, with the award for International Solo Artist (given to a male or female artist) being awarded instead. The award for International Male Solo Artist was reinstated in 1994, but was again retired in favour of the gender-neutral award following the abolition of gendered categories in 2022.
International Male Solo Artist was won by Beck, Kanye West and Eminem the most times, with three wins. Three artists had two consecutive wins; Prince in 1995 and 1996, Beck in 1999 and 2000, and West in 2008 and 2009. Artists from the United States almost exclusively were nominated for and won the award, aside from one Australian win (Michael Hutchence in 1991), one Jamaican-American win (Shaggy in 2002) and four Canadian wins (Justin Bieber in 2016, two-time winner Drake in 2017 and 2019, and the Weeknd in 2021).
Winners and nominees
YearRecipientNominee 1989 Michael Jackson Terence Trent D'Arby Alexander O'Neal Prince Luther Vandross 1990 align="center" colspan="2" 1991 Michael Hutchence Jon Bon Jovi MC Hammer Prince Paul Simon 1992 align="center" colspan="2" rowspan="2" 1993 1994 Lenny Kravitz Terence Trent D'Arby Billy Joel Meat Loaf Neil Young 1995 Prince Bryan Adams Youssou N'Dour Luther Vandross Warren G 1996 Coolio Lenny Kravitz Meat Loaf Neil Young 1997 Beck Bryan Adams Babyface Robert Miles Prince 1998 Jon Bon Jovi Coolio LL Cool J Sash! DJ Shadow 1999 Beck Eagle-Eye Cherry Neil Finn Pras Will Smith 2000 Eminem Ricky Martin Moby Will Smith 2001 Eminem Wyclef Jean Ronan Keating Ricky Martin Sisqó 2002 /Shaggy Ryan Adams Dr. Dre Bob Dylan Wyclef Jean 2003 Eminem Beck Moby Nelly Bruce Springsteen 2004 Justin Timberlake 50 Cent Beck Sean Paul Damien Rice 2005 Eminem Usher Tom Waits Kanye West Brian Wilson 2006 Kanye West Beck Jack Johnson John Legend Bruce Springsteen 2007 Justin Timberlake Beck Bob Dylan Jack Johnson Damien Rice 2008 Kanye West Michael Bublé Bruce Springsteen Timbaland /Rufus Wainwright 2009 Beck Neil Diamond Jay-Z Seasick Steve 2010 Jay-Z Michael Bublé Eminem Seasick Steve Bruce Springsteen 2011 CeeLo Green Eminem David Guetta Bruce Springsteen Kanye West 2012 Bruno Mars Ryan Adams Bon Iver Aloe Blacc David Guetta 2013 Frank Ocean Michael Bublé Gotye Bruce Springsteen Jack White 2014 Bruno Mars Drake Eminem John Grant Justin Timberlake 2015 Pharrell Williams Beck Hozier John Legend Jack White 2016 Justin Bieber Drake Father John Misty Kendrick Lamar The Weeknd 2017 Drake Bon Iver Leonard Cohen Bruno Mars The Weeknd 2018 Kendrick Lamar Beck Childish Gambino Drake DJ Khaled 2019 Drake Eminem Shawn Mendes Travis Scott Kamasi Washington2020 Tyler, the Creator Burna Boy Dermot Kennedy Post Malone Bruce Springsteen2021 The Weeknd Burna Boy Childish Gambino Bruce Springsteen Tame Impala
Multiple nominations and awards
+ Artists that received multiple nominationsNominationsArtist10Beck8Eminem7Bruce Springsteen5DrakePrinceKanye West3Michael BubléBruno MarsJustin TimberlakeThe Weeknd2Bryan AdamsRyan AdamsBon IverJon Bon JoviBurna BoyChildish GambinoCoolioTerence Trent D'ArbyBob DylanDavid GuettaJay-ZWyclef JeanJack JohnsonLenny KravitzKendrick LamarJohn LegendRicky MartinMeat LoafMobyDamien RiceWill SmithSeasick SteveLuther VandrossJack WhiteNeil Young
+ Artists that received multiple awardsAwardsArtist3BeckEminemKanye West2DrakeBruno MarsPrinceJustin Timberlake
Countries by nominations + Country Nominations First nomination Last nominationArtist/s (including )11219892021Majority of nominees191994Neil Young, Bryan Adams, Michael Bublé, Rufus Wainwright, Drake, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Leonard Cohen, Shawn Mendes520012020Ronan Keating, Damien Rice, Hozier, Dermot Kennedy319912021Michael Hutchence, Gotye, Tame Impala220112012David Guetta20012002Wyclef Jean20022004Shaggy, Sean Paul20202021Burna Boy11998Sash!1997Robert Miles1999Neil Finn1995Youssou N'Dour1999Eagle-Eye Cherry
Notes Michael Jackson (1984), Prince (1985) also won Brit Award for International Artist Michael Jackson (1988), Prince (1992–1993) also won Brit Award for International Solo Artist Justin Bieber (2011) also won Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act
References