A Live Lounge Failed To Go Ahead After A Brits Nominee Accused Radio 1 Of Not Being Allowed To Play The Covers He Wanted

Loyle Carner decided not to perform on Radio 1's Live Lounge, and two live previously-recorded songs were broadcasted on the station instead.

This week, Radio 1 has broadcast a series of special Live Lounge shows to celebrate the British Breakthrough Act category at next week’s Brit Awards. As a "supporter" of the category, they have so far featured performances from Dua Lipa, J Hus and Sampha throughout the week.

Twitter: @LoyleCarner

Live Lounge, a segment where an artist or band perform their own song followed by a cover of another artist, has aired on Radio 1 for a number of years. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley, Clara Amfo currently hosts the segment on her show.

Today, however, one of the nominees, Loyle Carner, tweeted that he wouldn't be performing in his slot, and accused the station of rejecting the covers he submitted because they weren’t “big enough hits.”

Twitter: @LoyleCarner

Carner is also nominated for British Male Solo Artist, alongside Sampha, Liam Gallagher and Stormzy.

Fans reacted to the news with disappointment.

Danny Jackson DJ @DannyJacksonDJ

@LoyleCarner What! Absolutely robbed of a great cover! 😣😣

01:56 PM - 15 Feb 2018

Chris Cottam @Chris_Cottam

@LoyleCarner

01:19 PM - 15 Feb 2018

The Twitter account for Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6 Music show then offered him a slot.

Twitter: @BBC6MorningShow

In a statement, Radio 1 told BuzzFeed News: “This is a special Brits Live Lounge week and we have worked very closely with the Brits Breakthrough acts on selecting a cover track by a Brit Award winning artist which is familiar to a daytime Radio 1 audience.”

bbc.co.uk

All of the artists that performed so far this week had covered Brit Award winners, including Dua Lipa covering the Arctic Monkeys, and J Hus covering 50 Cent, who won two Brit Awards in 2004.

One source close to the situation has told BuzzFeed News that not all of the songs that Carner tweeted were presented as options to the station for a cover. BuzzFeed News contacted Carner for comment, but at the time of publication he had not responded.

While Carner did not appear on the show, the station did play two songs by him during the show. "Loyle Carner won't be on the show today, but we do have some live music from him to celebrate his nomination," Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo told listeners.

bbc.co.uk