Jump to content

Brit Awards

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 90.248.151.146 (talk) at 20:51, 29 July 2020. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The BRIT Awards
Current: 2020 Brit Awards
The entrance to Earls Court in London on the evening of the 2008 Brit Awards ceremony
DescriptionExcellence in music
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI)
First awarded18 October 1977; 47 years ago (1977-10-18) (as The BRITish Record Industry BRITannia Awards)
WebsiteOfficial website
Television/radio coverage
Network

The BRIT Awards (often simply called The BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored by Britannia Music Club), but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trusts Show.[1] In addition, an equivalent awards ceremony for classical music, called the Classic BRIT Awards, is held in the month of May. Robbie Williams holds the record for the most BRIT Awards, 13 as a solo artist and another five as part of Take That.[2]

The awards were first held in 1977 and originated as an annual event in 1982 under the auspices of the British record industry's trade association, the BPI. In 1989, they were renamed The BRIT Awards.[3] Mastercard has been the long-term sponsor of the event.[4] The highest profile music awards ceremony in the UK, the BRIT Awards have featured some of the most notable events in British popular culture, such as the final public appearance of Freddie Mercury, the Jarvis Cocker protest against Michael Jackson, the height of a high-profile feud between Oasis and fellow Britpop band Blur, the Union Jack dress worn by Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls, and a Chumbawamba member throwing a bucket of iced water over then-Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.[5][6][7][8] These moments took place in the 1990s when the ceremony had a reputation for being “a little shambolic, unpredictable and, at times, anarchic” with a criticism it has lost its edge since then and “evolved into a more polished, sanitised affair.”[9]

The BRIT Awards were broadcast live until 1989, when Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood hosted a widely criticised show in which little went as rehearsed.[10] From 1990 to 2006, the event was recorded and broadcast the following night. From 2007, The BRIT Awards reverted to a live broadcast on British television, on 14 February on ITV.[10] That year, comedian Russell Brand was the host and three awards were dropped from the ceremony: Best British Rock Act, Best British Urban Act and Best Pop Act.[10] For the last time, on 16 February 2010, the venue for The BRITs was the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The BRIT Awards were held at the O2 Arena in London for the first time in 2011.[11]

The BRIT Award statuette given to the winners features Britannia, the female personification of Britain. Since 2011, the statuette has been regularly redesigned by some of the best known British designers, stylists and artists, including Vivienne Westwood, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Peter Blake, Zaha Hadid, Anish Kapoor and David Adjaye.[12][13][14][15] In 1992, KLF opened the show and invited extreme metal band Extreme Noise Terror on stage, complete with flame-throwers, and fired machine gun blanks over the crowd. The group sent a dead sheep to the aftershow party, and later buried their BRIT Award statuette at Stonehenge signifying their abhorrence of the music industry.[9]

Ceremonies

Most recent Brit Award winners
← 2019 18 February 2020 2021 →
 
Award British
Male Solo Artist
British
Female Solo Artist
British
Group
Winner Stormzy Mabel Foals

The first awards ceremony was in 1977, as "The BRITish Record Industry BRITannia Awards", to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee and was televised by Thames Television. There has been an annual ceremony since 1982.

The 1988 BPI Awards was the first of the ceremonies to be broadcast on live television. The BBC had previously broadcast the ceremony from 1985, with the shows from 1982 to 1984 not broadcast on television. The BBC continued to broadcast the renamed BRIT Awards, live in 1989 and pre-recorded from 1990 to 1992. ITV have broadcast the awards since 1993, pre-recorded until 2006 and live from 2007 onwards.[10] BBC Radio 1 has provided backstage radio coverage since 2008.

Since 2014, ITV have aired a launch show in January called The BRITs Are Coming, which reveals some of the artists who have been nominated at the upcoming ceremony. The first host was Nick Grimshaw, followed by Reggie Yates (2015) and Laura Whitmore in 2016. Emma Willis has hosted the show in 2017 and again in 2018, which was broadcast live for the first time. Clara Amfo hosted the 2019 launch show. Alice Levine hosted the 2020 launch show.

Table summary

BPIs

The first-ever ceremony in 1977 was broadcast by Thames Television.[16] Ceremonies from 1982 to 1984 were untelevised, but the BBC broadcast them from 1985.

No. Year Date British Album of the Year winner(s) British Single of the Year winner(s) Outstanding Contribution to Music / BRITs Icon winner(s) Host Venue
1[a] 1977 18 October Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandThe Beatles "Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" – Procol Harum
L.G. Wood
The Beatles
Michael Aspel Wembley Conference Centre
2 1982 4 February Kings of the Wild FrontierAdam & the Ants "Tainted Love" – Soft Cell John Lennon David Jacobs Grosvenor House Hotel
3 1983 8 February MemoriesBarbra Streisand "Come on Eileen" – Dexys Midnight Runners The Beatles Tim Rice
4 1984 21 February ThrillerMichael Jackson "Karma Chameleon" – Culture Club George Martin
5 1985 11 February Diamond LifeSade "Relax" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood The Police Noel Edmonds
6 1986 10 February No Jacket RequiredPhil Collins "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" – Tears for Fears Elton John
Wham!
7 1987 9 February Brothers in ArmsDire Straits "West End Girls" – Pet Shop Boys Eric Clapton Jonathan King
8 1988 8 February ...Nothing Like the SunSting "Never Gonna Give You Up" – Rick Astley The Who Noel Edmonds Royal Albert Hall

BRITs

From 1989 to 1992, the ceremonies were broadcast on the BBC. Since 1993, they have been broadcast on ITV.

No. Year Date British Album of the Year winner(s) British Single of the Year winner(s) Outstanding Contribution to Music / BRITs Icon winner(s) Host(s) Venue
9 1989 13 February The First of a Million KissesFairground Attraction "Perfect" – Fairground Attraction Cliff Richard Samantha Fox
Mick Fleetwood
Royal Albert Hall
10 1990 18 February The Raw and the CookedFine Young Cannibals "Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins Queen Cathy McGowan Dominion Theatre
11 1991 10 February Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1George Michael "Enjoy the Silence" – Depeche Mode Status Quo Simon Bates
12 1992 12 February SealSeal "These Are the Days of Our Lives" – Queen Freddie Mercury Hammersmith Odeon
13 1993 16 February DivaAnnie Lennox "Could It Be Magic" – Take That Rod Stewart Richard O'Brien Alexandra Palace
14 1994 14 February ConnectedStereo MC's "Pray" – Take That Van Morrison Elton John
RuPaul
15 1995 20 February ParklifeBlur "Parklife" – Blur ft. Phil Daniels Elton John Chris Evans
16 1996 19 February (What's the Story) Morning Glory?Oasis "Back for Good" – Take That David Bowie Earls Court
17 1997 24 February Everything Must GoManic Street Preachers "Wannabe" – Spice Girls Bee Gees Ben Elton
18 1998 9 February Urban HymnsThe Verve "Never Ever" – All Saints Fleetwood Mac London Arena
19 1999 16 February This Is My Truth Tell Me YoursManic Street Preachers "Angels" – Robbie Williams Eurythmics Johnny Vaughan
20 2000 3 March The Man WhoTravis "She's the One" – Robbie Williams Spice Girls Davina McCall Earls Court Two
21 2001 26 February ParachutesColdplay "Rock DJ" – Robbie Williams U2 Ant & Dec
22 2002 20 February No AngelDido "Don't Stop Movin'" – S Club 7 Sting Frank Skinner
Zoe Ball
23 2003 20 February A Rush of Blood to the HeadColdplay "Just a Little" – Liberty X Tom Jones Davina McCall
24 2004 17 February Permission to LandThe Darkness "White Flag" – Dido Duran Duran Cat Deeley
25 2005 9 February Hopes and FearsKeane "Your Game" – Will Young Bob Geldof Chris Evans
26 2006 14 February X&YColdplay "Speed of Sound" – Coldplay Paul Weller Earls Court
27 2007 15 February Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm NotArctic Monkeys "Patience" – Take That Oasis Russell Brand
28 2008 9 February Favourite Worst NightmareArctic Monkeys "Shine" – Take That Paul McCartney The Osbournes
29 2009 18 February RockferryDuffy "The Promise" – Girls Aloud Pet Shop Boys James Corden
Mathew Horne
Kylie Minogue
30 2010 16 February LungsFlorence and the Machine "Beat Again" – JLS Robbie Williams Peter Kay
31 2011 15 February Sigh No MoreMumford & Sons "Pass Out" – Tinie Tempah ft. Labrinth James Corden The O2 Arena
32 2012 21 February 21Adele "What Makes You Beautiful" – One Direction Blur
33 2013 20 February Our Version of EventsEmeli Sandé "Skyfall" – Adele
34 2014 19 February AMArctic Monkeys "Waiting All Night" – Rudimental ft. Ella Eyre Elton John[b]
35 2015 25 February XEd Sheeran "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars Ant & Dec
36 2016 24 February 25Adele "Hello" – Adele David Bowie
37 2017 22 February BlackstarDavid Bowie "Shout Out to My Ex" – Little Mix Robbie Williams[c] Dermot O'Leary
Emma Willis
38 2018 21 February Gang Signs & PrayerStormzy "Human" – Rag'n'Bone Man Jack Whitehall
39 2019 20 February A Brief Inquiry into Online RelationshipsThe 1975 "One Kiss" – Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa P!nk
40 2020 18 February Psychodrama - Dave "Someone You Loved" - Lewis Capaldi
Notes
  1. ^ These awards were to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee and were for the previous 25 years of her reign.
  2. ^ Given at a separate show at the London Palladium theatre the previous October.
  3. ^ Given at a separate show at the Troxy theatre previous November.

Notable moments

Electricians' strike (1987)

In 1987 the BPI Awards ceremony was held in the Great Room at the Grosvenor House Hotel. At the time there was a BBC electricians' strike in effect, and the organisers decided to use a non-TV events production company, called Upfront, to manage the show. Despite the show being picketed, the event was transmitted as intended. For a while, the outdoor broadcast scanner was rocked on its wheels by the protesters and they managed to shut off the power to one of the big GE video screen projectors. Upfront was then asked to organise the following year and persuaded the BPI to move the event to a larger venue, starting the trend that continues to this day, albeit at The O2, and with a different production company (MJK Productions).

Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood (1989)

In 1989, the ceremony was broadcast live and presented by Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood and singer Samantha Fox. The inexperience of the hosts, an ineffective autocue, and little preparation combined to create an unprofessional show that was poorly received. The hosts continually got their lines mixed up, a pre-recorded message from Michael Jackson was never transmitted and several guest stars arrived late on stage or even at the wrong time, such as Boy George in place of The Four Tops.

Freddie Mercury's final public appearance (1990)

The 1990 awards ceremony saw the last public appearance of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.[17] Queen appeared at the ceremony to receive the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[17][18] Mercury (who had been suffering from AIDS since 1987 but had not disclosed it to the public) did not make a speech, as Brian May did the talking on behalf of the other members, but his gaunt appearance was noticeable.[19]

The KLF (1992)

In 1992, dance/art band The KLF was awarded Best British Group (shared with Simply Red) and were booked to open the show. In an attempt to hijack the event, the duo collaborated with grindcore metal band Extreme Noise Terror to perform a death metal version of the dance song "3 a.m. Eternal", a performance that prompted conductor Sir Georg Solti to walk out in disgust.[20] The performance ended with Bill Drummond firing blanks from a vintage machine gun over the audience and KLF publicist/announcer Scott Piering stating "Ladies and gentlemen, The KLF have now left the music business".[21] Producers of the show then refused to let a motorcycle courier collect the award on behalf of the band.[22] Later that evening, the KLF dumped a dead sheep outside the venue of an after-show party,[21][22] whilst their Brit Award was reportedly found buried in a field near Stonehenge in 1993.[9]

Michael Jackson and Jarvis Cocker (1996)

In 1996, Michael Jackson was given a special Artist of a Generation award. At the ceremony he accompanied his single "Earth Song" with a stage show, culminating with Jackson as a 'Christ-like figure' surrounded by children. Jarvis Cocker, of the band Pulp, mounted the stage in what he would later claim as a protest at this portion of the performance. Cocker ran across the stage, lifting his shirt and pointing his (clothed) backside in Jackson's direction. Cocker was subsequently questioned by the police on suspicion of causing injury towards three of the children in Jackson's performance, who were now on stage.

Regarding his actions, Cocker said, "My actions were a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing. I just ran on the stage. I didn't make any contact with anyone as far as I recall."[23]

Oasis and Blur rivalry (1996)

1996 saw the height of a well-documented feud between Oasis and fellow Britpop band Blur. The differing styles of the bands, coupled with their prominence within the Britpop movement, led the British media to seize upon the rivalry between the bands.[24] Both factions played along, with the Gallaghers taunting Blur at the 1996 BRIT Awards by singing a rendition of "Parklife" when they collected their "Best British Band" award (with Liam changing the lyrics to "Shite-life" and Noel changing them to "Marmite").[9]

Chumbawamba and John Prescott (1998)

In 1998, Danbert Nobacon of the politically active band Chumbawamba threw a bucket of iced water over then-Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. Despite apologies on behalf of the band from EMI Europe, Chumbawamba were unrepentant saying "If John Prescott has the nerve to turn up at events like the Brit Awards in a vain attempt to make Labour seem cool and trendy, then he deserves all we can throw at him."

Belle and Sebastian (1999)

In 1999, the Indie band Belle & Sebastian were nominated for Best British Newcomers, despite having released three albums before the 1999 Awards. The award was sponsored by Radio One and voted for online by their listeners. At the time, Steps were arguably Britain's biggest boy/girl pop group and were also nominated. Despite this, the award was won by Belle & Sebastian. On the Saturday after the awards, a story appeared in the press alleging that the group had rigged the vote in their favour, encouraging students from two universities to vote online. However, fans argued that the band had a predominantly large student following, that band member Isobel Campbell had attended one of the universities in question, and in particular, the award ought to be given on artistic merit as opposed to popularity or CD sales.

Ronnie Wood and Brandon Block confrontation (2000)

Dance DJ Brandon Block was told by his friends that he had won an award and had been summoned to the stage to collect it. Because of his advanced state of intoxication, he believed them and walked on to the stage, eventually ending up next to a bemused Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and actress Thora Birch, who were about to present the award for Best Soundtrack Album. After Block was removed from the stage by security, Wood aimed an insult in his direction. A series of insults were then traded between the two, both of which were audible through the stage microphone, causing claims that the whole event may have been staged. Wood then threw his drink into Block's face, and the DJ was ejected from the event. Sometime after the incident, Block claimed that he had subsequently apologised to Wood for his behaviour, and Wood had merely brushed it off.

Geri Halliwell vs. the Spice Girls (2000)

The Spice Girls were set to receive the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at the 2000 BRIT Awards. There was much media speculation before and even during the event as to whether or not former Ginger Spice, Geri Halliwell would accept the award with the four remaining members of the group.[25] On the night, however, Halliwell declined to join her former bandmates and instead ensured front-page coverage the following day by performing her solo number 1 single "Bag It Up" straddling a pole between a pair of giant inflatable legs.

Russell Brand (2007)

Some controversy was caused by the host of the 2007 awards ceremony, comedian Russell Brand, who made several quips relating to news stories of the time including Robbie Williams entering rehab for addiction to prescription drugs, the Queen's 'naughty bits' and a fatal friendly fire incident involving a British soldier killed by American armed forces in Iraq. ITV received over 300 complaint calls from viewers.[26] He would again instigate controversy the following year at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

Vic Reeves and Sharon Osbourne (2008)

After Vic Reeves appeared to forget which award he was presenting, Sharon Osbourne attempted to wrestle the microphone from him, insisted he was drunk and called him a "pissed bastard". She proceeded to make the full announcement herself. The next day it was reported that Reeves was not intoxicated and was hurt by Osbourne's behaviour. The incident has since been ascribed to an autocue malfunction, but Reeves said in his defence that he was trying to read the autocue screen, but he couldn't read it because Osbourne was pushing him out of the way.[citation needed]

Adele speech cut short (2012)

Adele won the award for 'British Album of the Year', widely regarded as the most important award. Less than half a minute into her acceptance speech, host James Corden was forced to cut Adele off in order to introduce Blur who were due to perform an eleven-minute set as they had won the 'Outstanding Contribution to Music' award and the ceremony was running over its allotted time.[27] Adele was visibly annoyed and proceeded to raise her middle finger[28] and the producers of the show came under fire on Twitter for the decision.[29] Following the incident Adele said "I got cut off during my speech for Best Album and I flung the middle finger. But that finger was to the suits at The BRIT Awards, not to my fans".[30] Adele received an apology from the show's organisers, who stated; "We send our deepest apologies to Adele that her big moment was cut short. We don't want this to undermine her incredible achievement in winning our night's biggest award. It tops off what's been an incredible year for her."[31] Due to the tight schedule, only three of the five songs Blur played were broadcast on ITV.

David Bowie enters Scottish independence debate (2014)

At 67 years of age, the influential musician David Bowie became the oldest recipient to date of the Best British Male Solo Artist Award.[32] Bowie used his acceptance speech, delivered in his absence by Kate Moss, to urge Scotland to remain part of the UK in the September 2014 Scottish independence referendum. His speech read: "I'm completely delighted to have a Brit for being the best male – but I am, aren't I Kate? Yes. I think it's a great way to end the day. Thank you very, very much and Scotland stay with us."[33] Bowie's unusual intervention in British politics garnered a significant reaction throughout the UK on social media.[32][34]

Damon Albarn's slurred anti-Brexit speech and Jack Whitehall's response (2018)

When picking up the Best British Group award for Gorillaz, Albarn appeared to be drunk in his speech, slurring his words and starting a rant about Brexit. Taking the microphone while his bandmates hung back, he began: "This country is, believe it or not, quite a small little thing right. "It's a lovely place and it's part of a beautiful world but don’t let it become isolated and don't let yourselves become cut off." The speech appeared to go on for a while and at one point, the camera cut back to Jack Whitehall, who was supposed to continue presenting although it quickly went back to the speech as Albarn carried on speaking. Once the speech was over, Whitehall responded by saying, "I really didn’t want this to be an Adele moment" referring back to 2012 when Adele was cut off and swore at the audience.

British Video of the Year controversy (2018)

The 2018 ceremony garnered controversy when Harry Styles was announced as the winner of the British Video of the Year. The official Brits leaderboard for these votes showed Little Mix consistently maintaining the number one spot each week, followed by Styles at number two. During the final voting event on the night of the ceremony Little Mix and Styles alternated between the top spot on numerous occasions. The last leaderboard update placed Little Mix at the top spot, with Styles at number two. After the announcement of Styles as a winner, the Brit Awards were accused by Little Mix fans of rigging the votes for this category.[35] The Brits responded to the claim, saying: "The final leaderboard was displayed on The BRITs website prior to the final count being checked and verified independently by the Electoral Reform Services, the company that independently run all BRITs voting processes. The leaderboard doesn’t work in real time and the vote was incredibly tight at the top. Fans can have complete confidence in the BRITs public vote." The Electoral Reform Services added: "Robust vote-counting rules and filters are in place which are in accordance with ITV's voting regulations, and agreed and tested prior to any vote taking place. We are confident that the vote integrity has not been compromised".[citation needed]

Notable performances

Spice Girls' performance of "Wannabe" and "Who Do You Think You Are" (1997)

Ginger Spice, Geri Halliwell, wore a Union Jack dress.[7][36][37][38] Spicemania was at its height in the UK and the Spice Girls had just cracked the US as well, reaching number 1 with their debut single and album. Halliwell was originally going to wear an all-black dress, but she thought it was too boring so her sister sewed on a Union Jack tea towel, with a 'peace' sign on the back. The now iconic red, white and blue mini-dress was worn during the Spice Girls' performance of their number one song "Who Do You Think You Are".[39] In 1998 she sold her dress in a charity auction to Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas for a record £41,320, giving Halliwell the Guinness World Record for the most expensive piece of pop star clothing ever sold.[40] This performance won the award for "BRITs Hits 30 – Best Live Performance at The BRIT Awards" at the 2010 BRIT Awards.

Geri Halliwell's performance of "Bag It Up" (2000)

Three years following the iconic Spice Girls performance, Halliwell, now a solo artist, performed her new single "Bag It Up" at the 2000 BRIT Awards. The performance featured Halliwell emerging, whilst dancing on with a pole, from a pair of large inflatable female legs. As the performance continued, her male backing dancers stripped to their pink briefs whilst dancing with the Union Jack flag. It is widely believed that Halliwell lip-synced her performance. In addition to all this, the performance is famous for being performed on the same night that the Spice Girls received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, which Halliwell declined to accept with her former bandmates.

Gorillaz's performance of "Clint Eastwood" (2002)

When it was announced that past Brit Award recipient Damon Albarn, and his project Gorillaz, would be taking the stage at the 2002 Brit Awards, no one knew what to expect. The four cartoon members of the band performed the song on giant life size screens (an early version of a hologram) without the Blur frontman being present at all. The band performed their hit single "Clint Eastwood" alongside UK underground rap group Phi Life Cypher and a group of silhouetted female dancers mimicking the zombies from the band's music video. The performance received rapturous cheers and applause.

Justin Timberlake and Kylie Minogue (2003)

At the 2003 BRIT Awards, Timberlake performed a three-part medley which comprised two of his hit singles, "Cry Me a River" and "Like I Love You", and a cover of Blondie's "Rapture". In addition to Timberlake beat-boxing during the interlude between "Cry Me a River" and "Like I Love You", the performance is most famous for a photo published by the Tabloids the following day which showed Timberlake pinching Minogue's bum. Minogue's appearance was a surprise guest for Timberlake's performance and this performance is regarded one of the best at the BRITs.

Girls Aloud's performance of "The Promise" (2009)

English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud marked their first ever performance at the 2009 ceremony, by performing their single "The Promise". The performance saw the members, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle appear as though they were naked, with their modesty being covered by pink feather fans. This performance was nominated in the 2010 ceremony for the "BRITs Hits 30 – Best Live Performance at The BRIT Awards", alongside Oasis and The Who, which the Spice Girls eventually went on to win.[citation needed]

Cheryl's performance of "Fight for This Love" (2010)

Cheryl performed her debut single "Fight for This Love" at the 2010 BRIT Awards. The performance featured two costumes (one in a white trench coat and another in a black hooded leotard) and sampled the song "Be" by Rowetta Satchell. The performance was mainly noted for being the first time Cheryl had performed without her wedding ring. At the time of the performance, her marriage with footballer Ashley Cole was rumoured to be over following a second round of allegations of infidelity on behalf of Ashley.[41] Whilst at the time she passed this off as a fashion statement rather than a reflection of her personal life, it was later revealed in Cheryl's autobiography that she had broken off the marriage with Ashley by the performance at the BRITs. Despite allegations of lip-syncing,[citation needed] which was later clarified to be an ITV technical problem in the broadcast of the performance, Cheryl received strong applause from the audience. Following the performance, host Peter Kay commented "Fight for This Love, never a truer word spoken", believed to be in reference to the breakdown of their marriage.

Adele's performance of "Someone like You" (2011)[37]

Adele performed her song "Someone like You" at the 2011 Brits with only a piano accompanying her. Her emotional performance was received with a standing ovation at the O2 Arena and the video received 160 million views on YouTube. The performance launched "Someone Like You" 46 spots up the UK charts to number one, and in the process, made Adele the first artist in the UK since The Beatles to have two top five singles and two top five albums at the same time. The performance had all lights down and focused on Adele and her piano.

Kanye West's performance of "All Day" (2015)[36]

On the date of the 2015 BRIT Awards, Kanye West was announced as a surprise performer following reports of Rihanna performing at the ceremony proven to be false.[42] He performed his new single "All Day" during the live broadcast for the very first time: large sections of the performance were muted by ITV due to explicit language, causing outrage from viewers at home who felt they couldn't enjoy the performance.[43]

Madonna's performance of "Living for Love" (2015)[36][37]

Madonna's live return to BRIT Awards after 20 years was widely promoted in the media in the days leading up to the ceremony and during the show itself.[44] During the performance of "Living for Love", she walked onstage wearing an oversized cape. When standing on stairs situated on the stage, the cape's cord failed to separate, so when Madonna's backing dancer pulled the cape behind her, she fell down the stairs and noticeably hit the stage hard.[45] She paused momentarily as her backing music continued, before she managed to separate herself from the cape and then continued performing.[citation needed] In an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, Madonna blamed her fall on a wardrobe malfunction as her cape had been tied too tightly so it could not be unfastened in time, before adding: "I had a little bit of whiplash, I smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3am to make sure I was compos mentis. I know how to fall, I have fallen off my horse many times."[45]

Katy Perry and Skip Marley's performance of "Chained to the Rhythm" (2017)[36]

In the leadup to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Katy Perry was a major endorsement for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, performing at many of her rallies and speaking at public events. After Donald Trump won the election, Perry returned to recording her fifth studio album and in February 2017 released "Chained to the Rhythm". During the performance, she was joined onstage by two large skeletal puppets dressed as Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May.[46] The performance was also notable as a backing dancer fell offstage at the end of the performance whilst wearing a house costume.[47]

Kendrick Lamar's performance (2018)

The performance was notable as there was an apparent technical issue before it began, leading to Kendrick Lamar laying on a glass roof for over a minute before he started singing. However, fans of Lamar claimed that this was part of the performance and was misinterpreted as the backing music kept stopping and starting, also leading to moments of silence, which meant that viewers took to social media in order to see what was going on.[48]

Stormzy's performance (2018)

Stormzy, who had won British Male Solo Artist and British Album of the Year for Gang Signs & Prayer closed the 2018 ceremony. Performing under an indoor shower, he opened with "Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" with masked figures praying behind him before going into a freestyle rap. In his freestyle, he called out Prime Minister Theresa May over the handling of the Grenfell Tower fire. In the performance, he rapped "Theresa May, where's the money for Grenfell? What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell? You criminals and you got the cheek to call us savages. You should do some jail time, you should pay some damages. We should burn your house down and see if you can manage this."[49] He also hit out at tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail asking someone to tell them they can "suck [his] dick". The performance garnered much media attention, with many lauding it the highlight of the night.[50][51] The following day, a spokesperson for May defended the Prime Minister's response to the disaster, stating that "the PM has been clear that what happened at Grenfell was an unimaginable tragedy, which should never be allowed to happen again. She is determined the public inquiry will discover not just what went wrong but why the voices of the people of Grenfell had been ignored for so many years."[49]

Categories

Voting procedure

According to The BRIT Awards website, the list of eligible artists, albums, and singles is compiled by the Official Charts Company and submitted to the voting academy, which consists of over 1,000 members of the music industry, including the previous year's nominees and winners. The voters use a secure online website to vote, and the voting is scrutinized by Electoral Reform Services.[52] The concept of fan voting was abolished after the 2019 Brit Awards.[53]

Performances

Take That, band member Robbie Williams and Coldplay have performed the most number of ceremonies, performing seven times each. Rihanna and Adele have performed at four ceremonies each, with all four performances taking place on the same evenings (2008, 2011, 2012 and 2016).

Year Performers (chronologically)
1985 Alison Moyet, Bronski Beat, Howard Jones, Nik Kershaw and Tina Turner
1986 Huey Lewis and the News, Kate Bush, Phil Collins and Tears for Fears
1987 Chris de Burgh, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Five Star, Level 42, Simply Red, Spandau Ballet and Whitney Houston
1988 Bananarama, Bee Gees, Chris Rea, Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield, Rick Astley, Terence Trent D'Arby, T'Pau and The Who
1989 Bros, Def Leppard, Fairground Attraction, Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, Randy Newman, Tanita Tikaram and Yazz
1990 Lisa Stansfield, Neneh Cherry, Nigel Kennedy, Phil Collins and Soul II Soul
1991 EMF, The Beautiful South and Status Quo
1992 The KLF, Extreme Noise Terror, Lisa Stansfield, Beverley Craven and P.M. Dawn
1993 Suede, Peter Gabriel, Cirque du Soleil, Bill Wyman and Madness
1994 Björk, PJ Harvey, Bon Jovi, Brian May, Dina Carroll, Elton John, Meatloaf, Pet Shop Boys, Stereo MCs, Take That, Van Morrison and Shane MacGowan
1995 Blur, East 17, Eddi Reader, Elton John, Eternal, Sting, M People, Madonna and Take That
1996 Alanis Morissette, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Michael Jackson, Pulp, Simply Red and Take That
1997 Bee Gees, Diana Ross, Jamiroquai, The Fugees, Manic Street Preachers, Mark Morrison, Prince, Sheryl Crow, Skunk Anansie and Spice Girls
1998 All Saints, Chumbawamba, Finlay Quaye, Fleetwood Mac, Robbie Williams, Tom Jones, Shola Ama, Spice Girls, Texas, The Method Man and The Verve
1999 B*Witched, Billie Piper, Cleopatra, Steps, Tina Cousins, Supatroopers, Boyzone, The Corrs, David Bowie, Placebo, Eurythmics, Stevie Wonder, Manic Street Preachers, Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston
2000 Basement Jaxx, 5ive, Queen, Geri Halliwell, Macy Gray, Ricky Martin, Spice Girls, Stereophonics, Tom Jones, Travis and Will Smith
2001 Coldplay, Craig David, Destiny's Child, Eminem, Hear'Say, Robbie Williams, Sonique, Westlife and U2
2002 Anastacia, Jamiroquai, Dido, Gorillaz, Kylie Minogue, Mis-Teeq, Shaggy, Ali G, So Solid Crew, Sting and The Strokes
2003 Avril Lavigne, Blue, Coldplay, David Gray, George Michael, Ms Dynamite, Justin Timberlake, Kylie Minogue, Liberty X, Pink, Sugababes and Tom Jones
2004 50 Cent, Beyoncé, Muse, Black Eyed Peas, Busted, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Missy Elliott, Jamie Cullum, Katie Melua and Duran Duran
2005 Daniel Bedingfield, Natasha Bedingfield, Franz Ferdinand, Green Day, Gwen Stefani, Jamelia, Lemar, Keane, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Scissor Sisters, Bob Geldof, Robbie Williams and The Streets
2006 Coldplay, KT Tunstall, Kaiser Chiefs, James Blunt, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Gorillaz, Jack Johnson, Paul Weller and Prince
2007 Scissor Sisters, Snow Patrol, Amy Winehouse, The Killers, Take That, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Corinne Bailey Rae and Oasis
2008 Mika, Beth Ditto, Rihanna, Klaxons, Kylie Minogue, Kaiser Chiefs, Leona Lewis, Mark Ronson, Adele, Daniel Merriweather, Amy Winehouse and Paul McCartney
2009 U2, Girls Aloud, Coldplay, Duffy, Take That, Kings of Leon, The Ting Tings, Estelle, Pet Shop Boys, Lady Gaga and Brandon Flowers
2010 Lily Allen, JLS, Kasabian, Lady Gaga, Florence + the Machine, Dizzee Rascal, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Cheryl Cole and Robbie Williams
2011 Take That, Adele, Rihanna, Mumford & Sons, Plan B, Arcade Fire, Tinie Tempah, Eric Turner, Labrinth, Justin Bieber, David Jensen, Terry Wogan, Cee Lo Green and Paloma Faith
2012 Coldplay, Florence and the Machine, Olly Murs, Rizzle Kicks, Ed Sheeran, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Chris Martin, Adele, Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Blur
2013 Muse, Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, One Direction, Ben Howard, Mumford & Sons and Emeli Sandé
2014 Arctic Monkeys, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, Disclosure, Lorde, Aluna Francis, Ellie Goulding, Bastille, Rudimental, Ella Eyre, Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
2015 Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Royal Blood, Ed Sheeran, Kanye West, Allan Kingdom, Theophilus London, Take That, George Ezra, Paloma Faith and Madonna
2016 Coldplay, Justin Bieber, James Bay, Jess Glynne, Rihanna, SZA, Drake, Little Mix, The Spiders from Mars, Lorde, The Weeknd and Adele
2017 Little Mix, Bruno Mars, Emeli Sandé, The 1975, Chris Martin, Katy Perry, Skip Marley, Skepta, The Chainsmokers, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Robbie Williams
2018 Justin Timberlake, Chris Stapleton, Rag'n'Bone Man, Jorja Smith, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Liam Gallagher, Sam Smith, Kendrick Lamar, Rita Ora, Liam Payne and Stormzy
2019 Hugh Jackman, George Ezra, Little Mix, Ms Banks, Jorja Smith, Calvin Harris, Rag'n'Bone Man, Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, Jess Glynne, H.E.R., The 1975, Pink and Dan Smith
2020 Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Celeste, Dave, Lewis Capaldi, Mabel and Stormzy

Most successful acts

File:Coldplay Live 2014.jpg
Coldplay performing at their Ghost Stories Tour at the Royal Albert Hall, July 2014. Their nine Brit Awards include four for British Group.

There have been numerous acts, both groups and individuals, that have won multiple awards. The table below shows those that have won four or more awards.[54][55][56]

Number of awards British acts Notes
18 Robbie Williams
  • British Male Solo Artist (4)
  • British Single of the Year (3)
  • British Video of the Year (3)
  • British Song of Twenty Five Year (1)
  • Icon Award (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)

5 with Take That

  • British Single of the Year (3)
  • British Group (1)
  • British Video of the Year (1)
9 Adele
  • British Album of the Year (2)
  • British Female Solo Artist (2)
  • British Single of the Year (2)
  • Global Success Award (2)
  • Critics' Choice Award (1)
Coldplay
  • British Group (4)
  • British Album of the Year (3)
  • British Live Act (1)
  • British Single of the Year (1)
8 Annie Lennox
  • British Female Solo Artist (6)
  • British Album of the Year (1)

1 with Eurythmics

  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Harry Styles
  • British Video of the Year (1)

7 with One Direction

  • British Video of the Year (4)
  • Global Success Award (2)
  • British Single of the Year (1)
Take That
  • British Single of the Year (5)
  • British Group (1)
  • British Live Act (1)
  • British Video of the Year (1)
7 Arctic Monkeys
  • British Album of the Year (3)
  • British Group (3)
  • British Breakthrough Act (1)
Paul McCartney
  • British Male Solo Artist (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
  • Sony Trophy Award for Technical Excellence (1)

4 with The Beatles

  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (2)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Group (1)
One Direction
  • British Video of the Year (4)
  • Global Success Award (2)
  • British Single of the Year (1)
6 David Bowie
  • British Male Solo Artist (3)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • Icon Award (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Phil Collins
  • British Male Solo Artist (3)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Single of the Year (1)
  • Soundtrack/Cast Recording (1)
Oasis
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Album of Thirty Year (1)
  • British Breakthrough Act (1)
  • British Group (1)
  • British Video of the Year (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Ed Sheeran
  • British Male Solo Artist (2)
  • Global Success Award (2)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Breakthrough Act (1)
5 Blur
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Group (1)
  • British Single of the Year (1)
  • British Video of the Year (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Elton John
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (2)
  • British Male Solo Artist (1)
  • Freddie Mercury Award (1)
  • Icon Award (1)[57]
John Lennon
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)

4 with The Beatles

  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (2)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Group (1)
George Michael
  • British Male Solo Artist (2)
  • British Album of the Year (1)

2 with Wham!

  • British Group (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Spice Girls
  • British Single of the Year (1)
  • British Video of the Year (1)
  • Highest Selling Album Act (1)
  • Live Performance of Thirty Year (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Sting
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Male Solo Artist (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)

2 with The Police

  • British Group (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
4 The Beatles
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (2)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Group (1)
Dido
  • British Female Solo Artist (2)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Single of the Year (1)
Manic Street Preachers
  • British Album of the Year (2)
  • British Group (2)
Freddie Mercury
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)

3 with Queen

  • British Single of the Year (2)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Emeli Sandé
  • British Female Solo Artist (2)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • Critics' Choice Award (1)
Paul Weller
  • British Male Solo Artist (3)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
Number of awards International acts Notes
7 Prince
  • International Male Solo Artist (2)
  • International Solo Artist (2)
  • Soundtrack/Cast Recording (1)

2 with The Revolution

  • International Artist (1)
  • Soundtrack/Cast Recording (1)
U2[58]
  • International Group (5)
  • Most Successful Live Act (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
6 Dave Grohl

5 with Foo Fighters

  • International Group (4)
  • International Album (1)

1 with Nirvana

  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
Michael Jackson
  • International Solo Artist (2)
  • Artist of a Generation (1)
  • British Album of the Year (1)
  • British Video of the Year (1)
  • International Male Solo Artist (1)
5 Björk
  • International Female Solo Artist (4)
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
Foo Fighters
  • International Group (4)
  • International Album (1)
4 Beyoncé
  • International Female Solo Artist (2)

1 with Destiny's Child

  • International Group (1)

1 with The Carters

  • International Group (1)
Eminem
  • International Male Solo Artist (3)
  • International Album (1)
3 Beck
  • International Male Solo Artist (3)
Lady Gaga
  • International Album (1)
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Female Solo Artist (1)
Bruno Mars
  • International Male Solo Artist (2)
  • British Single of the Year (1)
Kylie Minogue
  • International Female Solo Artist (2)
  • International Album (1)
R.E.M.
  • International Group (3)
Scissor Sisters
  • International Album (1)
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Group (1)
Justin Timberlake
  • International Male Solo Artist (2)
  • International Album (1)
Kanye West
  • International Male Solo Artist (3)
2 Arcade Fire
  • International Album (1)
  • International Group (1)
Justin Bieber
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Male Solo Artist (1)
Tracy Chapman
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Female Solo Artist (1)
Neneh Cherry
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Solo Artist (1)
Lana Del Rey
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Female Solo Artist (1)
Drake
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Male Solo Artist (1)
Macy Gray
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Female Solo Artist (1)
Green Day
  • International Album (1)
  • International Group (1)
Natalie Imbruglia
  • International Breakthrough Act (1)
  • International Female Solo Artist (1)
Jay-Z
  • International Male Solo Artist (1)

1 with The Carters

  • International Group (1)
The Killers
  • International Album (1)
  • International Group (1)
Kings of Leon
  • International Album (1)
  • International Group (1)
Lorde
  • International Female Solo Artist (2)
Madonna
  • International Female Solo Artist (2)
P!nk
  • International Female Solo Artist (1)
  • Outstanding Contribution to Music (1)
The Revolution
  • International Artist (1)
  • Soundtrack/Cast Recording (1)
Rihanna
  • International Female Solo Artist (2)
Paul Simon
  • International Solo Artist (1)

1 with Simon & Garfunkel

  • International Album (1)

Viewing figures

Year Air date Official ratings[59]
(in millions)
(Includes HD)
Weekly rank[59]
1999 17 February 9.86 12
2000 4 March 9.61 12
2001 27 February 8.62 18
2002 21 February 7.83 15
2003 20 February 7.64 15
2004 17 February 6.18 18
2005 10 February 6.32 17
2006 16 February 4.70 22
2007 14 February 5.43 19
2008 20 February 6.35 17
2009 18 February 5.49 17
2010 16 February 6.52 14
2011 15 February 4.79 18
2012 21 February 6.63 17
2013 20 February 5.91 14
2014 19 February 3.84 18
2015 25 February 5.99 13
2016 24 February 6.22 13
2017 22 February 5.57 14
2018 21 February 4.94 17
2019 20 February 4.10 -
2020 18 February - -

See also

References

General references

  • "BFI Film & TV Database Search results for 'Brit Awards'". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  • "Brit Awards: Did you know...?". BBC News. 16 January 2001. Retrieved 23 February 2008.

Inline citations

  1. ^ BRITs Duo On Track To Reach Dizzee-ing Heights in UK Charts British Recorded Music Industry Retrieved 28 April 2011
  2. ^ "BRITs Hall Of Fame: The 20 Biggest BRIT Awards Winners In History". Capital. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  3. ^ "British Pop's Big Party". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2012
  4. ^ "MasterCard Renews Sponsorship of The BRIT Awards". BPI. Retrieved 23 November 2012
  5. ^ "Brit Awards: 10 memorable moments ahead of 40th ceremony". BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Last Public Appearance: Freddie Mercury & Queen in pictures". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b Amy de Klerk (22 February 2017). "It has been 20 years since Geri Halliwell wore the Union Jack dress". Harper's Bazaar.
  8. ^ "Could Jarvis Cocker flashing hit Brit Awards again?". Metro. UK. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d "Have the BRIT Awards lost their edge?". The Independent. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d "2007 Brits to be broadcast live". BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2012
  11. ^ "The BRIT Awards 2011 with MasterCard unveils new location". BPI. Retrieved 23 November 2012
  12. ^ "This is what Brit winners will take home next year". BBC. 10 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Dame Zaha Hadid's Brit Awards statuette design unveiled". BBC. 1 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Damien Hirst's 2013 Brit Award statue unveiled". BBC. 1 December 2016.
  15. ^ "Sir David Adjaye is 2019's Statue Designer". BRIT Awards. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  16. ^ "History". BRIT Awards. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  17. ^ a b The Highs and Lows of the Brit Awards BBC News Retrieved 28 April 2011
  18. ^ Queen, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May, BRITS 1990 Archived 18 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine BRIT Awards.co.uk Retrieved 28 April 2011
  19. ^ "Brit Awards: A dozen lesser-known moments". BBC News. Retrieved 3 February 2015
  20. ^ "4. The KLF's art terrorism at the Brits 1992". NME. Archived from the original on 17 April 2006.
  21. ^ a b Harrison, Andrew (27 April 2017). "Return of the KLF: 'They were agents of chaos. Now the world they anticipated is here'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  22. ^ a b Kelly, Danny (29 February 1992). "Welcome To The Sheep Seats". New Musical Express. Archived (via the Library of Mu) on 16 September 2016.Wikipedia:WikiProject The KLF/LibraryOfMu/297
  23. ^ "Jarvis' stage invasion at the 1996 Brits". Mlp.cz. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  24. ^ "Pop and the art of bad behaviour". The Independent. Retrieved 4 February 2015
  25. ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (4 March 2010). "Spice whirl casts shadow over Brit awards". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  26. ^ "Viewers complain over Brits jokes". BBC News. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
  27. ^ "Blur to play for record time at Brits 2012, says James Corden". Digital Spy. 20 February 2012.
  28. ^ Ellie (19 June 2012). "BRITs 2012: Adele wins Best Album, gets cut off mid-speech. Ouch. | 110% pop". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  29. ^ Tarley, Rachel. "Adele apologises to fans after flicking middle finger following Brits speech snub". Metro.co.uk.
  30. ^ "News – General – Adele gives the finger at BRIT Awards". 4Music. 21 February 2012.
  31. ^ Adele Receives Apology From BRIT Awards for Acceptance-Speech Interruption The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 February 2012
  32. ^ a b "Oldest Brit winner David Bowie enters independence debate". BBC News. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  33. ^ "Brit Awards 2014: David Bowie wins best British male award". BBC News. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  34. ^ "David Bowie on Scottish independence: Reactions on Twitter". The Independent. London, UK. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  35. ^ "BRITS 2018: Little Mix Fans Confused After 'Touch' Loses Video of the Year". MTV UK. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  36. ^ a b c d "From Katy Perry's Trump skeleton to Adele's middle finger: the most controversial Brit Awards moments – in pictures". The Daily Telegraph. 22 February 2017.
  37. ^ a b c "What to Watch For at the Brit Awards". The New York Times. 22 February 2007.
  38. ^ Spice Girls form The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2012
  39. ^ Alexander, Hilary (19 May 2010). "Online poll announces the top ten most iconic dresses of the past fifty years – Telegraph". fashion.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  40. ^ "Pop World Records, Music World Records, Record Breaking Achievements". Philbrodieband.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  41. ^ "Brit Awards 2010: all eyes on Cheryl Cole". The Telegraph. 17 February 2010.
  42. ^ "Kanye West Replaces Rihanna As 2015 BRIT Awards Performer". Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com. 25 February 2015.
  43. ^ "Kanye West's Brits performance muted constantly". ITV News. 25 February 2015.
  44. ^ "Madonna To Perform at BRIT Awards". Billboard.
  45. ^ a b "Madonna 'suffered whiplash' after Brits fall". BBC News. No. 27 February 2015. 27 February 2015.
  46. ^ "Katy Perry brings dancing Donald Trump and Theresa May skeleton effigies on stage as dancer falls off stage in house costume". The Daily Telegraph. No. 23 February 2017. London.
  47. ^ "BRITs 2017: Katy Perry's backing dancer falls off the stage live on air". 23 February 2017.
  48. ^ Shepherd, Jack (22 February 2018). "Kendrick Lamar Brits performance marred by 'audio muted' issue". The Independent. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  49. ^ a b Elgot, Jessica (22 February 2018). "No 10 defends PM after Stormzy's Grenfell freestyle at Brits". the Guardian.
  50. ^ "All the Brits 2018 performances ranked, worst to best". 22 February 2018.
  51. ^ "The Definitive Ranking Of This Year's Brit Awards Performances". 21 February 2018.
  52. ^ "And the Nominees Are..." Brit Awards 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  53. ^ Grein, Paul (5 November 2019). "U.K.'s BRIT Awards Cut Categories, Eliminate Fan Voting, Give Artists More Control Of Performances". Billboard. Retrieved 16 December 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  54. ^ "Brit Awards 2014". The Independent. Retrieved 10 November 2014
  55. ^ "Brit Awards: Did you know...?". BBC News. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  56. ^ "Brit Awards – History". Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2014
  57. ^ "Sir Elton John wins first Brits Icon award". BBC News. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  58. ^ "The Brit Awards' most successful acts". Telegraph. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  59. ^ a b "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 19 February 2014.