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Dua Lipa, Stormzy Win The Big BRIT Awards
Last night’s BRIT awards went down at the O2, London. The live broadcast was a smooth production with solid performances and few surprises.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images – BRITS 2018
Stormzy delivered a show stopping performance
Dua Lipa was crowned British Breakthrough Act and Best British Female, winning out over tough competition by Jessie Ware, Kate Tempest, Laura Marling and Paloma Faith. “Im so grateful for this, and so humbled,” said the singer. “I also want to thank every single female that has been on this stage before me, that has given girls like me, not just girls in the music industry, but girls in society, a place to be inspired by, to look up to, and that have allowed us to dream this big.”
Stormzy took home two trophies as well, one for Best Male Solo Artist and the other for his Album “Gang Signs & Prayer.” He had been up against Dua Lipa, Rag N Bone Man, J Hus and Ed Sheeran in the album category. In his acceptance speech, Stormzy said, “firstly, thank God, because that’s the reason why I’m here. That’s the reason why I’m able to do what I do. My mom’s somewhere here. I love you mom, thank you.”
When he accepted his second award of the night, he added: “This was the hardest thing. I’ve never worked on something like this in my life. I’ve never given my entire being, my entire emotion. Everything I put in that album, I didn’t have anything left after.”
Ed Sheeran, who like Dua Lipa, had a shot at five BRIT Awards in total, took home the Global Success award for British artists, who’ve had tremendous success abroad. He lost to Stormzy in the Male Solo Artist and Album of the Year categories. Sheeran was also on the list for British Single, which went to Rag N Bone Man for Human, and Video of the Year, which went to Harry Styles for the visuals to “Sign Of The Times.”
Announcing the Global Success award’s recipient was Elton John via video message. Other speakers included the legend Ronnie Wood, Tottenham Hotspurs’ Harry Kane, Camila Cabello, Little Mix, who’d been nominated twice themselves, but didn’t win, Nile Rodgers and Gary Barlow, who remembered the victims of the May 22 attack on Manchester Arena.
His speech was followed by a heartfelt performance of Oasis’ “Live Forever” by Liam Gallagher, stepping in for Ariana Grande, who had to cancel her appearance.
Kendrick Lamar, who was crowned International Male Solo Artist, performed “Feel” and the Rich The Kid collaboration “New Freezer” live, standing on a giant glass cube. Inside the cube, Rich The Kid literally smashed it, causing as much damage to an orange Lamborghini with a baseball bat as he could in five minutes.
It was the only performance that experienced technical difficulties, unless it was part of Lamar’s plan to have his track restart three times. The rest of the BRITs went smooth, and the speed with which the production team moved the stage around in-between breaks was astonishing. BRITs TV produce the show, with Sally Woods being the executive producer and Misty Buckley as production designer.
Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage – BRITS 2018
Dua Lipa took home two awards, one for British Breakthrough and one for Best Female Solo Artist
Foo Fighters, who won International Group, also performed standing on top of an object, in this case, a house resembling a sky hut. Host Jack Whitehall remarked how an act whose 2015 Glastonbury appearance had to be cancelled because Grohl had tripped and broken his leg on stage, was now choosing to play on top of a “hastily constructed ski chalet.”
Gorillaz did not perform live, but was on site to collect the British Group award. Damon Albarn brought collaborators Dram, Little Simz and Jehnny Beth on stage with him to accept the award, and commented on the current political climate in the UK: “This country is, believe it or not, quite a small little thing. But it’s a lovely place and it’s part of a beautiful world. What I want to say is don’t let it become isolated, don’t let us become cut off. We do incredible things in music, we’ve got a real spirit and a real soul. Don’t let politics get in the way of all that shit.”
The nights other performers include Dua Lipa (“New Rules”), Sam Smith (“Too Good At Goodbyes”),
Stormzy closed the show, starting with “Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 2,” while being heavily rained upon. He then shed his soaked shirt and shoes for “Big For Your Boots,” pacing and leaping around the stage energetically, literally stopping the show.
BRITs winners of 2018:
British Female Solo Artist: Dua Lipa
British Male Solo Artist: Stormzy
International Group: Foo Fighters
British Single: Rag’n’Bone Man – “Human”
International Male Solo Artist: Kendrick Lamar
British Breakthrough Act: Dua Lipa
International Female Solo Artist: Lorde
British Group: Gorillaz
Global Success: Ed Sheeran
British Artist Video of the Year: Harry Styles
Mastercard British Album of the Year: Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer
BRITs Critics’ Choice: Jorja Smith
Producer of the Year: Steve Mac