Olivia Dean crowned as BRITs move to Manchester for 46th ceremony
olivia dean arrived at the BRIT Awards in Manchester as both front-runner and headline name, and by the end of the night she had performed and taken home major prizes. The ceremony’s relocation to the city amplified scrutiny of nominees and performances as the evening unfolded at the Co-op Live Arena.
Olivia Dean's nominations and awards
olivia dean and Lola Young led the field in nominations, with five apiece, and Dean’s second record, The Art of Loving, had been highlighted in the run-up to the ceremony as a leading contender. Since its release last October, that album topped the charts on four separate occasions. On the night, Dean performed and won some of the ceremony’s biggest categories, including album of the year and artist of the year, a sweep that industry observers framed as a coronation of her place in British pop.
Harry Styles performance and closed-door rehearsals at Co-Op Arena
Harry Styles returned to the BRITs stage for the first time in three years, performing Aperture from his forthcoming record Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally. The performance came amid closed-door rehearsals at Manchester’s Co-Op Arena that barred everyone but essential staff, keeping details tightly controlled. Styles also appeared in a sketch with host Jack Whitehall; Whitehall said he had to send over a couple of ideas because the first few were not appropriate, and one early concept involved him trekking for days to find Styles living in a hut and shaving him.
Venue shift: Co-op Live Arena and the ceremony's history
The 46th edition of the BRIT Awards was staged in Manchester, marking the first time the ceremony has been held outside London since its inception in 1977. Red carpet coverage noted that, in what some described as a milestone for the show, the Brits swapped London for Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena in what was also framed as a first in the awards’ 50-year history.
International winners and red carpet fashion
Rosé, the BLACKPINK singer, won international song of the year for APT, her duet with Bruno Mars. On the red carpet, fashion was a focal point: Dean wore a yellow, floor-length gown in a classic, sophisticated style; Harry Styles chose a disco-approved pinstripe suit; Maya Jama appeared in an all-white glittery dress with a flowing fur shawl; and JADE—known for last year’s winged performance of Angel Of My Dreams—arrived in an extremely voluminous peplum-skirted dress. The US singer Sombr, who had been nominated for international artist and international song of the year, left the ceremony without trophies.
Nominations landscape: Lola Young, Lily Allen and others
Lola Young’s Messy was a strong contender for song of the year and had been performed at the previous BRITs; it remained on the charts during the eligibility period for this ceremony. The wider shortlist included recognitions for Lily Allen’s West End Girl, songs from the movie musicals Wicked and KPop Demon Hunters, and a best group nomination for Pulp. Observers noted that the nominations list featured a broad cross-section of artists—Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Lily Allen, Dave, Sam Fender and PinkPantheress among them—making some categories difficult to call.
Context and implications for the UK music scene
After a period in which single artists dominated multiple years—Harry Styles in 2023, Raye in 2024 and Charli XCX in 2025—the ceremony produced a fresh set of outcomes this year. What makes this notable is that the shift of venue and the spread of nominees together signalled an intentional reset: a major awards night staged outside London, closed rehearsals for headline acts, and a new wave of winners led by Dean. The broader implication is that the BRITs are repositioning both their geography and their spotlight as the UK industry seeks a different balance between established stars and emerging voices.
Other red carpet moments included coordinated looks from Wet Leg and matching ensembles worn by Kelly and Sharon Osbourne. Maya Jama joked online about the coincidence of the BRITs moving to Manchester at the same time she relocated to be with her boyfriend, Manchester City player Rúben Dias.
