Olivia Dean sweeps the BRITs as Manchester night delivers theatrics and shocks
olivia dean swept every category she was nominated in at the 2026 BRIT Awards, taking home artist of the year, song of the year, best pop act and album of the year — a clean sweep that landed amid a night of audacious performances and offbeat moments in Manchester.
Olivia Dean sweeps four major awards
The 26-year-old dominated the ceremony at Co-op Live arena, winning artist of the year, pop act, song of the year for the Sam Fender duet "Rein Me In, " and album of the year for The Art of Loving. Dean made three trips to the podium and at one moment appeared overwhelmed, telling the room, "It takes a lot of good people to make a good artist... I don't know what else to say. Thank you, bye!"
Accepting album of the year, she added, "This album is just about love, and loving each other in a world that feels loveless right now. " The Art of Loving is presented as her second album and was singled out for songs that address the joys and frustrations of casual modern dating while finessing styles such as bossa nova, trip-hop, neo-soul and jazz.
Alongside the BRIT prizes, olivia dean has also this year won a major Grammy award, taking best new artist in the United States, underlining her commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic.
Rein Me In: a duet and a chart-topper
"Rein Me In" began life as a solo Sam Fender track on his People Watching album before it was released as a single with a new verse from Dean; that collaborative version is now at the top of the UK singles chart. Dean also faced herself in the song category — her solo single "Man I Need" was another nominee and has barely been out of the UK Top 10 since its release in August. The public voted the song category by WhatsApp, the same method used for the international song prize.
Rosalía’s spectacle and an international win
Rosalía, described as one of the less familiar names on the bill, stole the show with a dramatic performance of her single "Berghain. " The set featured thunderous strings and Wagnerian vocals, opened like an opera, changed tempo three times, introduced a guest verse from Björk and ended in a rave breakdown — complete with Björk dressed in what was described as the entrails of a blue alien. The room was left spellbound by what critics called one of the night's most audacious moments.
Rosalía also won best international artist and told the audience, "It's such an honour to bring my music far from home and I would love to share this with all my peers who also make music in Spanish. " Country-pop singer CMAT, who had been up for the same prize, reacted by collapsing in mock tears for the cameras.
Hosts, high fashion and headline moments
Harry Styles opened the show by performing "Aperture" while wearing what was described as a Chanel pin-striped suit styled like a school uniform; the waistband was quipped to be "high enough to crush his lungs" but he still recreated the video's fluid, technically challenging choreography. His set was framed as the launch of a "Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally" era, pitched as a clubbier direction for his music. Host Jack Whitehall supplied rapid-fire zingers all night, calling the performance "the musical equivalent of sitting on the washing machine" and urging everyone to try descending from the ceiling on a disco ball.
Whitehall lampooned a range of celebrities — calling US singer Alex Warren "what you get if you order Ed Sheeran on Temu, " saying Robbie Williams had "more comebacks than his hairline, " and describing Shaun Ryder and Bez as "ageing like service station flowers. " He also ribbed Manchester mayor Andy Burnham that the BRITs were apparently "the only party he's allowed into these days. " Whitehall referenced another awards ceremony and a recent N-word controversy when he joked about having "the guy who did the Baftas" manning a button to silence swearing on the broadcast; a separate joke about Peter Mandelson — "no, sorry, that was another list" — was edited out of the television broadcast.
Rising stars, rivals and wider winners
One of rap's most talked-about newcomers, Jim Legxacy, lost the best breakthrough artist prize to Lola Young. Young, who had five nominations, was described as Dean's main rival and left with a single win for breakthrough artist; she had been nominated for the critics' choice award in 2021 and is now on her third album. Details about her trajectory after the release of her song "Messy" in May 2024 are unclear in the provided context.
Sam Fender also featured among the night's winners, taking the alternative/rock category — his third win in that category following victories in 2022 and 2025 — and he previously won the critics' choice award in 2019. Fender and Dean were the only multiple winners at the ceremony. Other named winners on the night included Rosé, Wolf Alice and Mark Ronson, who also took top honours in their categories.
The BRIT Awards ceremony was held in Manchester for the first time at the Co-op Live arena. Details about the next BRIT Awards schedule or the next confirmed industry event are unclear in the provided context.
