There is always more to the Brits than the awards, despite the fact that Harry Styles has stolen all the attention, hearts, and likely a few bottles of champagne.
Who were the O2 Arena's real winners and losers on a night filled with inflatable pants, dancing owls, and awkward pauses?
Harry Styles is presently the biggest pop star in Britain, thirteen years after his X Factor audition. He won awards for best artist, best pop act, and song of the year for the well-known and fantastic As It Was.
He also took home the contentious best artist award, which was instituted last year after the male and female categories were combined. Styles dedicated the award to the people he had usurped after realizing there had been no nominations for women in the category.
I'm very aware of my privilege being up here tonight, so Rina Sawayama, Charli XCX, Florence, Mabel, and Becky Hill deserve this award. Thank you so much.
Sam Smith limped onto the red carpet wearing a specially made black latex outfit from London's Harri.
Because of how bulky the costume was, they were forced to forgo the standard golf buggy from the dressing room and teeter around the O2's perimeter in high heels.
Meanwhile, listeners debated whether Smith was honoring David Bowie or a spatchcock chicken.
From the floor of the O2 Arena, host Mo Gilligan declared, "There's a singer-songwriter who is the spirit of the Brit Awards distilled in human form.".
"Sam Capaldi, the brilliant actor, is here with his incredible number-one single Forget Me.
Half Lewis Capaldi, half Sam Smith makes up Sam Capaldi. an evil gene-splicing experiment. comparable to Jeff Goldblum in The Fly, but with a taste for delicate ballads.
Thankfully, the Brit Award organizers haven't completely overindulged in power. The autocue had simply made a mistake.
Lewis Capaldi had the last laugh on his Twitter feed, as is his wont.
Due to a diamond necklace that cost a staggering £1.2 million, pop star Mimi Webb shone on the red carpet.
The young woman, 22, said, "I can't believe I'm wearing it.
Even the necklace had a guard, who followed Mimi all night in case someone attempted to steal the jewels.
She said, "If it was me or the diamonds, he'd save the diamonds.
Fortunately, neither Mimi nor the neckpiece suffered any damage, and she was able to enjoy her first ever Brits with her parents.
The organizers reacted defensively when no women were nominated by the Brits for the best artist award.
A spokesperson for the awards said, "We also have to acknowledge that 2022 saw fewer high-profile female artists in cycle with major releases, as was the case in 2021." The situation was described as "disappointing.".
Not a fan, said Charli XCX.
There has been much discussion about the lack of female artists in the album cycle, she told BBC News. "But I was in the middle of an album cycle and I had a number one album; there are lots of us.
"I don't think it's our fault; we're doing everything right.
"I believe they may be the owners.
Rina Sawayama is skilled at persuading the British to change their minds. The Japanese-British singer successfully petitioned organizers to change the rules after learning she wasn't eligible for the awards in 2020 because she didn't have a British passport (Japan doesn't permit dual citizenship).
When questioned about the lack of female representation this year, she claimed a single, easy change could solve the issue.
She explained that although they combined the male and female categories, they didn't increase the number of nominees. I merely want to see the categories expand, so to speak. The Grammys accomplish that.
"People don't realize that even a nomination can change an artist's life; it would be unfortunate to take that away because there are only five spots available.
Wet Leg arrived at the Brits after winning two Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
However, they were denied the opportunity to bring their awards home.
Singer Rhian Teasdale expressed her surprise at learning the awards they were presented on stage weren't genuine by saying, "I think they pop them in the post.
They were handing them out from a large mountain of them backstage while yelling, "You have a Grammy! You have a Grammy!".
They would then give the same trophy to the following act after saying, "Right, you have to give it back.
It was similar to learning that Santa Claus is fake, she added.
The band later went on to win two Brit Awards, including best group and best new artist, while performing their cult hit Chaise Longue in front of Morris dancers and giant owls.
If they received the Brit Award statuettes, it has not yet been confirmed.
Nova Twins, an alt-rock duo, are renowned for their hardcore, DIY aesthetic, which extends to their stage attire.
The Brits created and sewed their own clothing, going for "a punk fairy vibe.".
They found the safety pins, jewels, clasps, and badges in junk shops and used them to adorn the outfits.
Georgia South, the bassist, recalled once creating an outfit out of curtain rings. "You're very resourceful.
Amy Love, a musician and singer, expressed her hope that it would remain intact, adding that she had brought a needle and thread in case anything happened to come loose.
"No nip slips.
The Sugababes' original lineup returned to the red carpet for the first time since 2001, when Overload was nominated for best single.
Keisha Buchanan, however, does not have the best recollections of that evening.
She admitted to the BBC, "I had chicken pox.". The day of the ceremony, I contracted chicken pox, but I didn't realize it until halfway through the night when I started to develop spots.
The fact that it was the most rock and roll thing to happen to us "shows how young we were.
Harry Styles (and who else?) won the best pop and R&B award this year, a category notable for only including pop musicians and completely omitting R&B.
Mahalia, who is known for the song "Wish I Missed My Ex," expressed her sentiments on the red carpet by donning a coat that read, "Long live R.".
She told the BBC, "I think it's not talked about enough and it's a genre I feel very passionate about.
There is a notion that Americans are. We need to have a more upbeat discussion about that.
claiming that pop and R.
The pneumatic rendition of Unholy by Sam Smith and Kim Petras was a true show-stopper. A production snag prevented their elaborate stage setup from being taken down in time after they finished playing.
Producers made the unprecedented decision to replay Adele's I Drink Wine performance from the previous year's award show, but even after that, host Mo Gilligan was forced to fill four awkward minutes of unused airtime.
He asked AJ Odudu, "Are you enjoying yourself?". He questioned Maya Jama, "Are you enjoying yourself?". He questioned Keith Lemon, "Are you having fun?".
All of the readers responded "yes.".
Like Adele's 2011 performance of Someone Like You, everyone at the Brits hopes to have a career-defining moment.
The closest competitor on Saturday was relative unknown Cat Burns, who used her break-up ballad Go as the ideal showcase for her tender, soulful style.
Her vocals were flawless; they were hushed and hurt in the verses, and defiant and joyful in the chorus. It was like Christmas had already arrived when she entered the song's drum and bass remix with the confetti cannons on full blast.
Before long, she'll be back on that stage.
Bless.
Oh my, that thing is heavy.
Okay, Becky Hill's acceptance speech for best dance act wasn't the best. She then made an attempt to thank her fellow nominees but managed to make reference to nominees from 2022.
Oh God, I'm really making a pickle of this, she sighed.
Then, however, she came to her senses, quoting Beyoncé and praising the LGBTQ community for establishing dance music as "the best genre on earth.".
But she blinked back tears as she said, "The biggest thanks of all have to go to my fans who, for another year, have helped me win a Brit Award.".
"When the nominees were announced, I immediately experienced imposter syndrome, and I was so terrified.
However, I was deeply moved after reading all of their comments, so thank you.
