Despite drawing criticism from the public over a severe lack of female nominations, a common trend this awards season, the buzz amongst the room was electric. With the room packed to the brim with fans and industry professionals alike, the night began with a blast as Mabel took to the stage. Complete with all the high energy dancing you could want for a show opener, there’s no doubt that ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ packed a punch. Even if lip syncing appeared to be on the line throughout.
Then onto what could only be described as the briefest acceptance speech ever from Lewis Capaldi, taking home ‘Best New Artist’. While many fans lost it when his best mate and ex-One Direction star Niall Horan handed over the award, his actual speech was muted.
“Thank you very f***ing much. I’ll see you later.” - Lewis Capaldi
Quickly followed by the velvet smooth vocals of Harry Styles singing ‘Falling’ in a grecian swimming pool along with a waterfall piano. Despite being known for his eccentric style and high energy shows, it was a true delight to see a stripped back performance from him that was tear jerking for all the right reasons.
Last year's Brits fell under heavy criticism for being overwhelmingly white. This is something that the committee has clearly tried to combat with nominations that truly reflect the rising cultural importance rap and grime have in the UK. This intention can be seen with my standout moment from the entire night – grime artist Dave’s performance of ‘Black’.
Some people argue that award shows shouldn’t be political. They’re wrong. The song perfectly encapsulates the raging inequality in our country and the systematic racism that exists in our political and cultural atmosphere. It takes a lot to completely silence an entire arena of people but Dave did so with ease. The only other person to do so was Billie Eilish with her live debut of Bond song ‘No Time To Die’.
Accompanied by Hans Zimmer’s expert orchestra, the performance was full of class and was a true testament to the metaphorical rise to fame that 18-year-old Billie Eilish has seen this year. But fame is never easy to handle, much less for a girl growing up in the public eye, and whom, while fighting to keep her tears at bay as she accepted her award for ‘Best International Female’, admitted that the tidal wave of hate sent her way after the Grammy’s had affected her much more than anyone knew.
By this point, the night always tends to veer on the edge of chaotic as host Jack Whitehall interviews the wealth of celebrities at the event who’ve made a good dent into the free alcohol. The energetic flirting between Lizzo, Harry Styles and Jack Whitehall was almost inevitable.
Whilst accepting another award, this time for ‘Best Song’, Lewis Capaldi and his Buckfast Wine shut down rumours about ‘Someone You Loved’ was inspired by his ex “who you can all see every night on Love Island,” and was in fact about his Grandma. This was followed by him thanking her for dying and his parents for ‘making love’ so he could write the best song.
Then as the night drew to a close with a performance from Stormzy that was so outstanding it had every middle-aged white man on their feet in a standing ovation at the end. If that’s not a testament to Stormzy’s artistry and energy then I quite frankly don’t know what else is.
So as Rod Stewart sang his last note the entire room dispersed to afterparties, boat parties or their own homes, the door closed on yet another successful year for British music in 2019, and a celebration of the last 40 years the awards have been going.
A full list of nominees and winners is below:
Male Solo Artist
Dave
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Winner: Stormzy
Female Solo Artist
Charlie XCX
FKA Twigs
Freya Ridings
Mabel
Mahalia
Winner: Mabel
Best Group
Bastille
Bring Me The Horizon
Coldplay
D-Block Europe
Foals
Winner: Foals
Best Song
AJ Tracy ‘Ladbroke Grove’
Calvin Harris/Rag N Bone Man ‘Giant’
Dave ft Burna Boy ‘I Don’t Care’
Lewis Capaldi ‘Someone You Loved’
Mabel ‘Don’t Call Me Up’
Mark Rohnson ft Miley Cyrus ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’
Sam Smith ft Normani ‘Dancing With A Stranger’
Stormzy ‘Vossi Bop’
Tom Walker ‘Just You and I’
Winner: Lewis Capaldi ‘Someone You Loved’
Album of The Year
Dave ‘Psycodrama’
Harry Styles ‘Fine Line’
Lewis Capaldi ‘Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent’
Michael Kiwanuka ‘Kiwanuka’
Stormzy ‘Heavy Is The Head’
Winner: Dave ‘Psycodrama’
Best New Artist
Aitch
Dave
Lewis Capaldi
Mabel
Sam Fender
Winner: Lewis Capaldi
Best International Female
Ariana Grande
Camilla Cabello
Billie Eilish
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
Winner: Billie Eilish
Best International Male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Tyler The Creator
Winner: Tyler The Creator
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