Rosalia wins Best International Artist as CMAT breaks down and Brits red carpet erupts over Reform UK rise
Spanish singer Rosalia won the Best International Artist prize at the 46th BRIT Awards in Manchester, a result that triggered a dramatic reaction from Irish artist CMAT and coincided with a red carpet in which multiple musicians warned about the rise of Reform UK. The outcomes and the comments threaded through the night matter because they combined headline music results with outspoken political concerns from performers and industry figures.
Rosalia claims Best International Artist
Rosalia, 33, accepted the prize onstage after beating nominees including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga. She took the award from JADE and told the crowd: "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. " The ceremony was the 46th edition of the BRIT Awards and took place at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena for the first time on Saturday.
CMAT’s reaction on the night
Irish country-pop singer CMAT, 30, who had been nominated for International Artist of the Year, broke down in tears after losing to Rosalia. On arrival at the awards earlier in the evening she had worn a colourful checkered dress with a long train buttoned at the front, white heeled shoes and a vivid makeup palette. Some cameras captured CMAT collapsing into what has been described as fake tears on the red carpet following the announcement.
Artists on the red carpet warn about Reform UK
On the same red carpet several artists used their visibility to raise alarm about political developments. CMAT said she was "not a big fan of anyone trying to argue that art is not a political place, " adding that "everything is politics" and that "you don't get to make art in a fascist state, " a warning she broadened to say fascism was "on the rise in every single country in the world, " citing Ireland, the UK and the United States.
Wolf Alice bassist Theo Ellis argued musicians have a duty to expose audiences to information they might otherwise miss and pointed to coverage gaps in mainstream outlets, saying that over the course of 2025 some major news organisations had downplayed issues and artists had taken up the mantle. Wolf Alice, who won Group of the Year, described the rise of the far right in the UK as "shocking. " Ellis referenced the Green party victory in the Gorton and Denton by‑election, with Reform finishing second, as evidence of "extreme times. "
Wet Leg frontwoman Rhian Teasdale said, "I think that to be apolitical is political. " Her bandmate Joshua Omead Mobaraki added, "I don't want Reform UK to win any seats, " and praised Hannah Spencer, the Green party's new MP, congratulating the people of Gorton and Denton for electing her and saying he felt "a lot of hope" and "a lot of excitement. " Rapper Loyle Carner and artist Self Esteem were among others voicing concern; Self Esteem, nominated for Artist of the Year, said, "This country's getting scarier and scarier" and that she was "genuinely terrified that we're going into a dark place, darker than where we are already. "
Broader cultural debates and film festival row
The political thread extended beyond the red carpet to cultural institutions. CMAT criticized comments by the Berlin film festival jury president Wim Wenders, who had suggested cinema should "stay out of politics, " a remark that prompted a row and an open letter signed by 80 film professionals. Myles Smith added to the conversation, saying "Art is routed in politics" and calling it "an important tool and vehicle. " What makes this notable is how performers and film figures are converging on the same argument: that artistic platforms are now being used to respond to rapid political shifts.
Olivia Dean’s sweep and other award night outcomes
British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, 26, dominated the awards, winning four trophies — Best Artist, Best Album, Best Song and Best Pop Act — taking every category in which she was nominated. In the Song of the Year field she had two nominations, for "Man I Need" and for "Rein Me In" with Sam Fender; the duet "Rein Me In" won. Olivia also became the first woman since Adele in 2021 to hold the UK's No 1 single and No 1 album in the same week, with "Man I Need" and her album The Art Of Loving, both released in 2025.
Not every veteran artist left with an award. Lily Allen, 40, who charted last year with her fifth studio album West End Girl, failed to take Artist of the Year, Album of the Year or Best Pop Act. The album chronicles the collapse of her marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour, 50, and details his alleged affair with "Madeline" while they were together. Allen, who has been nominated eight times previously but has won only a single BRIT in her career, did not attend the ceremony. Manchester-born Noel Gallagher, 58, was honoured with Songwriter of the Year after reuniting with his brother Liam for an Oasis reunion tour.
The night therefore combined high-profile award results — including Rosalia's international prize and Olivia Dean's four wins — with an unusually politicized red carpet, as artists used the platform to draw attention to the rise of far‑right forces and the broader role of art in public life.
