Olivia Dean crowned UK queen of pop as Brit Awards move to Manchester
olivia dean was crowned the UK's new queen of pop after a night of headline performances and historic firsts at the Brit Awards in Manchester. Her four wins, including best British artist and best album, underlined a breakthrough moment as the ceremony left London for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Olivia Dean's four awards and the categories she won
Olivia Dean won four awards on the night, taking best British artist, best album, song of the year and best pop act. She beat breakthrough act winner Lola Young, best rap act Dave and best rock act Sam Fender for the best British artist prize. Her best album award was for The Art of Loving, described in coverage as a transatlantic hit, and she won song of the year for Rein Me In, her current number one collaboration with Sam Fender.
Stage moments: performance of Man I Need and earlier charity show
The 26-year-old Londoner delivered an elegant rendition of Man I Need during the ceremony; that song is one of the standout tracks on her pillowy, jazz-toned second album alongside Nice to Each Other and So Easy (To Fall in Love), all of which hit the top 10 last year. Ahead of the ceremony, the Brit School alumnus warmed Manchester with a radiant, candlelit charity gig at the city's Albert Hall on Thursday.
High-profile live set pieces and guests — Harry Styles, Rosalía and Björk
Harry Styles opened the show with his return single, Aperture, which was a UK No 1 in its release week; he performed with his band, backing singers and dancers in snail T-shirts and sunglasses. Rosalía made history as the first ever Brit winner recognised for music sung in a foreign language and was joined on stage by Björk for a showstopping performance of Berghain. The host noted that their turn began like the "Last Night of the Proms" and ended like an Ibiza club rave.
Other winners, tributes and surprise appearances
Best group winners Wolf Alice performed, pop star Raye delivered a powerful Nightingale Lane — a song about the London street where she watched her first love walk away — and Alex Warren was joined on piano by a velveted James Blunt. Robbie Williams closed the show with a full-throated tribute to Ozzy Osbourne alongside some of the late star's former bandmates. Ronson was given the outstanding contribution to music award, with a performance that included Ghostface Killah giving an avuncular roll through Ooh Wee followed by Amy Winehouse material. Surprise guest Dua Lipa performed Dance the Night and Electricity; Bruno Mars did not perform Uptown Funk on the night.
Historic milestones, station renaming and backstage notes
Several firsts were recorded at the ceremony. Rosé became the first K-Pop act to win an award, taking international song of the year for her duet with Bruno Mars, APT. Manchester's Deansgate train station was renamed Olivia Deansgate for the week in her honour. The night also reinforced Dean's rising profile after her recent Grammys success in Los Angeles last month, where she won best new artist.
Censorship, protests and on-stage reactions
The ceremony was described as protest-filled and relatively edgy, with broadcast censors busy through the night. There were fake stage invaders and a censored Peter Mandelson joke among the moments that drew attention. On stage, Dean held back tears as she said, "This album is just about love and loving each other in a world that feels loveless, " and later declared, "I don't know if I ever really thought I'd get one [a Brit award], but I did!" as she celebrated at the winner's podium.
Other evening details included PinkPantheress, who had been named producer of the year ahead of the event and temporarily became the official voice of the Manchester Metrolink; she was heard telling passengers travelling to the awards, "If you're heading to the show, make sure you hop off the tram at the Etihad campus. " One coverage line noted, perhaps wryly, that "Hopefully she will find the tram she needs to get home on Sunday. "
