For the first time in its history, the BRIT Awards comes to Manchester. On 28 February 2026, the UK’s biggest night in music will be hosted at Co-op Live, marking a major cultural moment for the city and the North.

 

But beyond the headlines, the BRITs 2026 also offer a powerful opportunity to talk about something bigger than trophies: visibility, difference, and neurodiversity in the music industry.

Several of this year’s nominees have spoken openly about being neurodivergent or living with neurological or learning differences. Their honesty matters — not because it defines their talent, but because it challenges long‑standing myths about who gets to succeed, create, and be celebrated.

Neurodivergent voices among the BRITs 2026 nominees

The following artists have publicly and credibly spoken about neurodivergence or related conditions, in their own words or through reputable media interviews.

Lily Allen – ADHD

Lily Allen revealed in 2023 that she had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as an adult. Speaking openly about the experience, she described how understanding her ADHD helped her make sense of long‑standing challenges with focus, impulsivity, and emotional regulation.

Her story echoes that of many adults – particularly women – who are only diagnosed later in life, after years of masking or misunderstanding their differences.

Lily is nominated for: 

• Artist of the Year
• Mastercard Album of the Year (West End Girl)
• Pop Act

Loyle Carner – Dyslexia (and ADHD)

Rapper and poet Loyle Carner has spoken publicly about living with dyslexia, and how traditional education systems failed to support him. Rather than holding him back, his different relationship with language has shaped his distinctive lyrical style and storytelling voice.

Carner’s success is a reminder that learning differences are not deficits – they are differences that require understanding, flexibility, and support.

PinkPantheress – OCD

Producer and singer PinkPantheress has discussed living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), particularly how it affects her creative process and performance anxiety.

Her openness highlights an important truth: neurodivergent and mental health experiences can coexist with creativity, success, and innovation – especially when environments are supportive rather than punishing.

Little Simz – ADHD

Award‑winning artist Little Simz has spoken about having ADHD, describing how her fast‑moving thoughts and wide‑ranging interests influence her creative output.

Rather than framing ADHD as something to be “fixed,” Simz has linked it to her versatility, depth, and refusal to be boxed into a single sound or identity.

Lola Young – ADHD and mood disorders

Singer‑songwriter Lola Young has spoken openly about ADHD and schizoaffective disorder, pushing back against stigma in an industry that often demands perfection and silence around mental health.

Her honesty resonates strongly with younger audiences navigating diagnosis, identity, and self‑acceptance in real time.

Sam Fender – ADHD and depression

Sam Fender has discussed living with ADHD and experiences of depression, particularly in the context of pressure, touring, and sudden success.

His openness adds to a growing cultural shift where male artists, in particular, are challenging outdated expectations around emotional expression and vulnerability.

Chappell Roan – Bipolar II and CPTSD

Pop artist Chappell Roan has spoken openly about living with Bipolar II disorder and Complex Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). In interviews and public appearances, she has linked her diagnoses to both the intensity of her creativity and the challenges of navigating fame at speed.

While definitions of neurodiversity vary, many people include mood and trauma‑related neurological differences within wider neurodiversity conversations. Roan’s openness has been widely praised for helping normalise nuanced, non‑linear mental health narratives – particularly for younger audiences.

What about autism?

Help us organise information, track engagement, and understand the impact of our work – vital for improving services and securing funding.

At the time of writing, none of the BRIT Awards 2026 nominees have publicly disclosed that they are autistic through widely accepted, reputable sources.

And that matters – not because autism needs celebrity validation, but because it reminds us of something important: representation is about more than named diagnoses.

Autistic people already exist in every creative industry. Many are undiagnosed, late‑diagnosed, or choose not to disclose publicly – often for very good reasons, including stigma, misunderstanding, and lack of safety.

According to the NICE, more than 1 in 56 people in the UK are autistic, meaning there are at least 1.2 million autistic people nationwide – likely more.

Autism is not rare. It is not new. And it is not incompatible with creativity, leadership, or success.

Understanding neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is a term that recognises natural variation in how human brains work. It includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other neurological differences – alongside mental health conditions that some people also include within wider neurodiversity conversations.

Crucially, neurodiversity is not a trend or a label. It is a framework that shifts the focus away from “what’s wrong with you?” and towards:

• What support do you need?
• What environments help you thrive?
• What strengths emerge when difference is respected?

In music – an industry built on originality – different ways of thinking are not just welcome. They are essential.

Why this matters – especially now

The music industry has long been shaped by conformity: long hours, sensory overload, relentless schedules, and little space for rest or adjustment. For many autistic and neurodivergent people, these norms have created barriers – not because of a lack of talent, but because the system hasn’t always made room for different ways of thinking and working.

That’s beginning to change.

When high-profile artists speak openly about autism, ADHD, dyslexia, OCD, or mental health, it does more than raise awareness – it creates permission. Permission to ask for adjustments. Permission to challenge damaging norms. Permission to exist without masking.

With Manchester hosting the BRITs, there’s a real opportunity to build on this momentum and re-imagine what inclusion in culture can look like – not as a bolt-on or a special measure, but as a baseline.

A more inclusive future for music

Neurodivergent people don’t need fixing. What needs fixing are systems that mistake difference for deficiency.

As the BRIT Awards take centre stage in Manchester, let’s celebrate not just the artists we see on stage – but the countless neurodivergent people behind the scenes, in studios, in audiences, and in communities, whose creativity makes music what it is.

History has shown us that different minds don’t dilute culture. They create it.

From the BRITs stage to the recording studio

Representation matters at the highest levels of the music industry – but it also matters locally, where access and opportunity are often harder to come by.

At I AM Celebrating Autism, that belief is being put into practice. Recently, members of our community spent time in a professional recording studio, working alongside music artists Lobe Blake and JJ Dean to record an original song.

The track will be launched at our upcoming Spring Ball, creating a moment where autistic creativity isn’t just supported behind the scenes – it’s centre stage.

It’s a reminder that when autistic people are given access, trust, and the right environments, the results speak for themselves.

References

Sources & further reading

The BRIT Awards – Official announcement and nominees: https://www.brits.co.uk 
The Guardian – Lily Allen on ADHD (2023)
The FADER – Loyle Carner interview
Mixmag – PinkPantheress interview
Numero Berlin – Little Simz interview
The Guardian – Lola Young profile
The Times – Sam Fender interview
People.com – Chappell Roan, Who Has Bipolar II, Says TikTok Follower Surge Triggered Hypomania: ‘I Wasn’t Sleeping’
NICE – Autism in adults: How common is it?