Charli XCX had a remarkable evening, winning five awards, including best artist, best album, and best song, along with the songwriter of the year accolade announced prior to the event.
In other highlights, last year’s record-breaking Brits winner, Ray, secured the best RnB act award, while Sam Fender, Fontaines DC, and former Little Mix member Jade also received honors. Jade acknowledged her bandmates during her acceptance speech.
The ceremony featured several unforgettable moments, starting with the opening performance. Sabrina Carpenter made a grand entrance, reminiscent of iconic British fashion moments, donning a red sparkly military-style blazer dress and walking down an aisle illuminated with the Union flag, accompanied by dancing Beefeaters. She kicked off her performance with “Espresso,” followed by a mash-up of “Rule Britannia” and a playful rendition of “Bed Chem.”
Later, Carpenter received the global success award, presented by music legend Diana Ross, who joined via livestream from a New York show. On stage, Carpenter reflected on her first visit to the UK a decade ago when she was relatively unknown. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “The Brits have given me this award, and this feels like such an insane honour in a very primarily tea-drinking country… you really understood my dry sense of humour because your sense of humour is so, so dry. So I love y’all more than you even understand.”
Rising star winner Myles Smith, though new to the Brit Awards, used his platform to address the state of the music industry. The 26-year-old, who performed “Nice To Meet You” and “Stargazing,” posed critical questions to the audience, starting with the government: “If British music is one of the most powerful cultural exports we have, why have you treated it like an afterthought for so many years? How many more venues need to close? How many more music programmes need to be cut before we realise that we can’t just celebrate success; we have to protect the foundations that make it?
