Olivia Dean Dominates as Brit Awards Move to Manchester for 46th Ceremony

Olivia Dean swept the 2026 Brit Awards, taking four trophies including artist, song and album of the year. The ceremony, held in Manchester for the first time since the awards began, underscored a crowded field of nominees and a night of staged performances and closed-door rehearsals.

Olivia Dean's four Brit Awards and chart success

Olivia Dean finished the night with four wins, the most of any artist, capping a campaign built around her second record, The Art of Loving. The album, released last October, has topped the charts on four separate occasions. Dean led the nominations heading into the ceremony and converted that momentum into trophies across major categories.

Sam Fender’s two awards and the Rein Me In collaboration

Sam Fender emerged with two wins. He is also credited alongside Olivia Dean on the nominated collaboration "Rein Me In. " Fender’s presence on the winners list included recognition that follows his status as a Mercury Prize winner, which placed him among the stronger competitors for major categories.

Harry Styles’ Manchester performance and rehearsals at Co-Op Arena

Harry Styles returned to the Brits stage three years after his last performance there. In 2023 he performed "As It Was" at the O2 Arena in a spangly red suit jacket and left with four trophies, including album of the year. For 2026 he performed "Aperture, " a single from his forthcoming record Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally. Details of his set were kept under wraps with closed-door rehearsals at Manchester's Co-Op Arena that barred everyone but essential staff. Styles also appeared in a sketch with host Jack Whitehall, who said he had submitted a few ideas for the sketch and joked about one early notion in which he trekked for days to find Styles living in a hut before shaving him.

Lola Young, Lily Allen and a packed shortlist of nominees

Londoner Lola Young led the nominations alongside Olivia Dean, with both artists named on five shortlists before winners were announced. Lily Allen’s album West End Girl received recognition in the shortlist, described as a candid, bitter break-up record and part of the conversation for major awards. Lola Young’s song "Messy" remained eligible for 2026 despite being performed at last year’s ceremony, and was cited as a strong contender for song of the year.

Full breadth of nominations across artists, groups and international acts

The ceremony’s shortlists reflected an eclectic mix. Artists nominated across categories included Dave, Fred Again, Jade, Little Simz, PinkPantheress, Self Esteem, Barry Can’t Swim, EsDeeKid, Jim Legxacy and Skye Newman. Group nominees included The Last Dinner Party, Pulp, Sleep Token and Wet Leg, with Pulp specifically singled out for a best group nomination. Album nominees listed Dave’s The Boy Who Played the Harp, Lily Allen’s West End Girl, Sam Fender’s People Watching and Wolf Alice’s The Clearing.

International and genre-spanning nominees featured Bad Bunny, Chappell Roan, CMAT, Doechii, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Sombr, Taylor Swift and Tyler, the Creator. Other shortlisted names were Haim, Huntr/x, Tame Impala and Turnstile.

Song and single nominations included a wide field: Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas for "Blessings"; Chrystal and Notion for "The Days (Notion remix)"; Cynthia Erivo featuring Ariana Grande for "Defying Gravity"; Ed Sheeran for "Azizam"; Fred Again, Skepta and PlaqueBoyMax for "Victory Lap"; Lewis Capaldi for "Survive"; Lola Young for "Messy"; Myles Smith for "Nice to Meet You"; Olivia Dean for "Man I Need"; Raye for "Where Is My Husband!"; and Skye Newman for "Family Matters. " Additional nominees included Alex Warren’s "Ordinary, " Chappell Roan’s "Pink Pony Club, " Disco Lines and Tinashe’s "No Broke Boys, " Gigi Perez’s "Sailor Song, " Gracie Abrams’s "That’s So True, " Huntr/x’s "Golden, " Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ "Die With a Smile, " Ravyn Lenae’s "Love Me Not, " Sabrina Carpenter’s "Manchild, " Sombr’s "Undressed, " and Taylor Swift’s "The Fate of Ophelia. "

Other named nominees across categories included Blood Orange, Jade, Central Cee, Loyle Carner, Kwn and Mabel, as well as FKA twigs, Sammy Virji and PinkPantheress in production or collaborative listings. The variety of names underlines a ceremony where several categories were described as impossible to call.

Critical reaction and the ceremony’s broader context

Critic Alexis Petridis described the evening as containing "a flicker of chaos" but said the winners were never in doubt. The timing matters because this was the 46th edition of the Brit Awards and the first held outside London since the ceremony's inception in 1977, a move that framed both the performances and the voting outcomes. Observers noted a shift from years when a single artist could dominate the night — as happened in 2023 with Harry Styles, in 2024 with Raye, and in 2025 with Charli XCX — toward a more contested field where multiple artists were in strong contention.

The ceremony combined clear victors on the winners’ board with a shortlist that honored established stars and new voices across pop, rock and international genres.