Inflo wins 'Producer of the Year' in a BRITs first

Inflo, the enigmatic producer behind Little Simz, Adele, and Michael Kiwaunka's albums, has received the BRIT Award for Producer of the Year 2022.

He is the first Black producer to get the award, and he will be presented with his trophy at the BRITS' red carpet ceremony on February 8.

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Not only is he the first Black producer - he is the first non-white producer to win the award for this category since the inception of the BRIT awards in 1977.

Inflo is credited on two of the five albums nominated for album of the year at the BRIT Awards this year: Adele's '30' and Little Simz's 'Sometimes I Might Be Introvert'.

"There is no one more deserving of this award", says rapper Little Simz.

"Flo is a true creative in every sense of the word. Music is in his DNA. He really loves, lives and breathes this."

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Speaking on this win, Inflo - real name Dean Josiah Cover - said: “I feel honoured to be a part of change.

“All the Black producers before me, I’m in awe and have studied you. I am you. Thank you for both paving the way and for your integral contribution to British music.”

Inflo produced three tracks on Adele's album, including the album's dramatic centrepiece 'Hold On'.

Adele said she couldn't explain "how I got through life all these years without knowing Flo".

"The reason that we gelled together so well with this record is, first of all, he asked me questions that no one would ever bloody dare," she told BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball.

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Alongside his work producing records for other artists, Inflo also works with Sault, a semi-anonymous UK collective that champions Black artistry and music in the UK.

He has helped produce and put out five albums through Sault over the past two years, which include the album 'Mother' by soul singer Cleo Sol.

Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, and Calvin Harris are among the previous winners of the producer of the year award. Former Mixmag cover star Fred again.. received the award in 2020.

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This award, unlike the other BRIT award categories, is decided by a panel of record label executives rather than the Brits Academy's larger industry panel or the public, who can vote in four new genre-focused prizes this year.

[Via: BBC and Guardian]

Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter