Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, the 1975 Win Big at Brit Awards
By Jem Aswad
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris and the 1975 were big winners at Wednesday night’s Brit Awards, taking home the Best British Single (for Harris and Lipa’s “One Kiss”), Album of the Year (for The 1975’s “Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships”) as well as Best British Group (the 1975).
While the show, livestreamed from London’s O2 Arena, features plenty of non-English talent, the Brits are basically the U.K.’s version of the Grammys, where Little Mix, the 1975, George Ezra and Tom Walker are superstars and Jay and Beyonce and Drake and Ariana are relegated to the “international” categories. The evening featured eye-popping performances from Little Mix, Harris — who was joined by both Sam Smith and Lipa — and not least Hugh Jackman, who opened the show with a “Greatest Showman” bit. There were also comparatively low-key performances from sultry R&B singer Jorja Smith and a duet between Jess Glynne and H.E.R. on Glynne’s song “Thursday” (which revolves around the lyric “I just want to feel beautiful”) that featured dozens of women clad in white removing makeup.
Later in the show, Best British Album winners the 1975 recreated the walking-down-the-street vibe of their video for “Sincerity Is Scary,” complete with a rolling street-scene backdrop and Healy walking on a treadmill wearing a similar goofy hat and backpack (and perhaps inadvertently recalling Jamiroqai’s awards-show performances of “Virtual Insanity”), and Pink — winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, presented by labelmate Khalid — closed the evening with a career-spanning medley of her hits that featured pyrotechnics, waterworks, dozens of dancers and, of course, the singer descending from the arena’s ceiling on a trapeze.
There was also an entertaining pre-recorded acceptance speech from Jay and Beyonce, a loose re-creation of their “Apesh—“ video that found them standing in front of a regal portrait of Meghan Markle while wearing the outfits they wore in the clip; Beyonce read a fairly standard “thank you” speech, after which Jay said “You”re welcome” and their daughter Blue Ivy could be heard yelling in the background; Drake (wearing a T-shirt that read “Summer House, Hackney, East London, Top Boy”) and Grande also sent acceptance videos.
Yet the most striking moment may have come during the 1975’s acceptance speech from Best British Group, which singer Matty Healy devoted almost entirely to quoting from Guardian writer Laura Snapes’ recent article about the sexual misconduct accusations against Ryan Adams: “Male misogynist acts are examined for nuance and defended as traits of ‘difficult’ artists, [while] women and those who call them out are treated as hysterics who don’t understand art.”
The show also featured some comedy bits from host Jack Whitehall, who lambasted Shawn Mendes for his recent beefcake Calvin Kelin ad at least twice during the performance — true to form, Mendes, appeared embarrassed but unruffled by the ribbing.
The complete 2019 winners’ list appears below:
Best British Male Solo
Aphex Twin
Craig David
George Ezra – winner
Giggs
Sam Smith
Best British Female Solo
Lily Allen
Anne-Marie
Florence + The Machine
Jess Glynne
Jorja Smith – winner
Best British Single
Anne-Marie – “2002”
Clean Bandit – “Solo
George Ezra – “Shotgun”
Jess Glynne – “I”ll Be There”
& – “One Kiss” - winner
Dua Lipa – “IDGAF”
Ramz – “Barking”
Rudimental – “These Days”
Sigala & Paloma Faith – “Lullaby”
Tom Walker – “Leave A Light On”
Best British Group
The 1975 – winner
Arctic Monkeys
Gorillaz
Little Mix
Years & Years
Best British Breakthrough
Idles
Mabel
Ella Mai
Jorja Smith
Tom Walker – winner
Best British Artist Video Of The Year
Anne-Marie – “2002”
Jonas Blue – “Rise”
Clean Bandit – “Solo”
Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa – “One Kiss”
Jax Jones – “Breathe”
Dua Lipa – “IDGAF”
Little Mix ft. Nicki Minaj – “Woman Like Me” – winners
Rita Ora – “Phoenix”
Rita Ora and Liam Payne – “For You”
Rudimental – “These Days”
Best International Male Solo
Drake - winner
Eminem
Shawn Mendes
Travis Scott
Kamasi Washington
Best International Group
Brockhampton
The Carters - winner
First Aid Kit
Nile Rodgers & Chic
Twenty One Pilots
Best International Female Solo
Camila Cabello
Cardi B
Christine And The Queens
Ariana Grande - winner
Janelle Monáe
Best British Album
The 1975 – “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” - winner
Anne-Marie – “Speak Your Mind”
Florence + The Machine – “High As Hope”
George Ezra – “Staying At Tamara”s”
Jorja Smith – “Lost & Found”
