It was home turf for Harry Styles, as he expectedly swept the four categories he was nominated in — Best Artiste, Best Album, Best Pop/R&B Act and Song of the Year. After opening the show with a dazzling performance of As It Was in a red-hot sequin jacket, Harry accepted the awards, giving a shoutout to the snubbed female artistes in the unified Best Artiste category, which had a allmale nominee list, after male and female categories were merged last year. Harry also made the crowd go gaga when he thanked his One Direction bandmates for helping him scale the heights.
Queen Beyonce, on a roll, was awarded the Best International Artiste. “Thank you so much for this incredible recognition. I’d like to say thank you to all of my friends out there in Britain for your continuous support over the years. The Renaissance begins. I’ll see you all on tour. Thank you so much for this honour,” she said via a video message.
Lizzo, at the O2 Arena, performing a medley of hits from her 2022 album, Special. While wearing a giant pink fluffy collar and surrounded by backup dancers, Lizzo dropped powerful performances of Special, 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready), and About Damn Time. And for the most-awaited element, she broke out her flute for a solo as well.
The fairy tale continued for the British indie band grabbing headlines at the moment, Wet Leg. After marking their presence at the Grammys last week, Wet Leg won two at the O2 Arena in London — Best New Artiste and Group of the Year. Tipping the hat to Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner’s iconic speech at the 2014 Brit Awards, Rhian Teasdale said: “That rock ’n’ roll, hey? That rock ’n’ roll. It just won’t go away. It might hibernate from time to time and sink back into the swamp.” They also performed a brilliant rendition of Chaise Lounge.
Pictures: Getty Images
