Harry Styles addressed his privilege during his Brit Awards speech after he was accused of being "ignorant" at the Grammys earlier this month.
Just last week, the 'Sign of the Times' singer found himself on the receiving end of some backlash after he claimed that "this doesn't happen to people like me" during his Album of the Year speech at the Grammys.
Styles went up against other major artists in the industry including ABBA, Adele, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, and Coldplay.
Taking to the global stage, the former One Direction member said: "I've been so, so inspired by every artist in this category with me and [during] a lot of times in my life, I listened to everyone in this category..."
He then went on to say that "...On nights like tonight, it’s obviously so important for us to remember there’s no such thing as best in music," before adding: "I don’t think any of us sit in the studio making decisions based on what is gonna get us one of these. This is really, really kind. I’m so, so grateful."
However, the next part of his speech seemingly ruffled a few feathers as the British-born artist claimed that "this doesn’t happen to people like me very often and this is so, so nice."
Fans took to Twitter to criticize Styles for his "ignorant" comment, stating that being a white man in the industry gives him an upper hand against his competitors.
"Saying 'this doesn’t happen to people like me very often' when a Black woman hasn't won that award since 1999 is crazy lol," tweeted writer, Ashley K. Smalls while another user clarified that while he may not have been referring directly to his male-ness but his small-town upbringing in the UK, it was still an "ignorant" comment to make.
"During his acceptance speech, he said 'this doesn't happen to people like me very often' and i don't think he was referring to his being a cis white man, but the fact is he IS a cis white man, an overrepresented and overhyped population, so it's still an ignorant thing to say," they wrote.
However, he's now seemingly addressed the issue.
Much like the Grammys, it truly was 'Harry's House' at last night's Brit Awards as the star-studded event saw the 29-year-old singer sweep up four coveted awards including Best Pop/R&B Act, Album of the Year for 2022’s Harry’s House, and Song of the Year for the LP’s lead single 'As It Was,' which he was also given the honor of performing live during the show.
During his latest speech, he thanked his mom, his former One Direction boyband members Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik, and also talked about his "privileges."
"I want to thank my mom for signing me up for X Factor without telling me, so I literally wouldn’t be here without you," he said. "I want to thank Niall, Louis, Liam, and Zayn, so I wouldn’t be here without you, either. Thank you so much. And I’m really, really grateful for this."
He then added: "I’m very aware of my privilege up here tonight so, this award is for Rina [Sawayama], Charli [XCX], Florence [Welch], Mabel, and Becky [Hill]" - all of whom were shut out of the category this year as per Rolling Stone.
Congratulations to the singer on all of his wins this month!
