Billboard UK
Page: 10
Not everyone could go home with an iconic BRIT trophy.
Charli XCX gave the BRIT Awards a Brat makeover on Saturday night (Mar. 1) by scooping the biggest prizes of the night, including the coveted album of the year prize.
She won four awards at the ceremony: song of the year, dance act, artist of the year and album of the year. She also collected the honorary songwriter of the year prize, while Brat‘s executive producer A.G. Cook won producer of the year.
Speaking when she collected the album of the year prize, Charli said: “I used to tell myself things like this weren’t important and that was easy for me to do because until last year I wasn’t nominated for anything. I always felt like an outsider in the British music industry, so it feels nice to be recognized on this album when I actually haven’t made any sacrifices.”
Brat was one of 2024’s defining records, landing at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Album Charts and at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It was named the Billboard staff’s album of the year.
The awards took place at The O2 Arena in London, and were hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall for a fifth time.
Elsewhere it was a big night for Chappell Roan, who triumphed in the international artist and international song categories, beating off competition from Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Beyoncé.
Sabrina Carpenter opened the show with a two-song medley of “Espresso” and “Bed Chem” and collected the honorary global success award.
Sam Fender had a big night , winning rock/alternative act and performing the title song from People Watching. On Friday, the North Shields-born musician’s third album went to No. 1 and clocked the biggest opening week for a British act in three years, topping over 100,000 units.
Ezra Collective collected group of the year and shouted out youth clubs and the musical opportunities they offer, while Myles Smith challenged the U.K. government to do more for grassroots venues in his speech while collecting BRITs Rising Star.
Baroque-pop group The Last Dinner Party performed “Nothing Matters” and picked up best new artist. Like Smith, they used their speech to champion the small venues in the U.K.
RAYE won best R&B act, and Stormzy shouted out his fellow nominee Central Cee when he triumphed in the best hip-hop/grime/rap.
Performances came from Carpenter, Teddy Swims, Ezra Collective, Fender, The Last Dinner Party, JADE and Lola Young.
In December, the BRITs announced Luton-born singer-songwriter Myles Smith as the recipient of the 2025 BRIT Rising Star award — a new music prize that is handed out to the British act that the voting academy believes will make the biggest impact on music in the coming year. He performed his breakout song “Stargazing” on the night.
It was not Dua Lipa’s night: She went 0-4. The Cure and Central Cee were also shut out, despite three nominations.
The nominees and winners were chosen by the BRIT Awards Voting Academy, its membership made up of musicians and industry figures; the public decided the winners of the genre categories, with voting taking place via a WhatsApp campaign.
Here’s the complete list of 2025 BRIT Awards winners.
Mastercard album of the year
WINNER: Charli XCX – Brat, Atlantic/Warner Music Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching, Partisan RecordsDua Lipa – Radical Optimism, Warner/Warner MusicThe Cure – Songs of a Lost World, Polydor/Universal MusicThe Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy, Island/Universal Music
Artist of the year
Beabadoobee, Dirty Hit Central Cee, Columbia/Sony MusicWINNER: Charli XCX, Atlantic/Warner Music Dua Lipa, Warner/Warner MusicFred Again.., Atlantic/Warner MusicJamie xx, Young/XL BeggarsMichael Kiwanuka, Polydor/Universal MusicNia Archives, Island/Universal MusicRachel Chinouriri, Parlophone/Universal MusicSam Fender, Polydor/Universal Music
Group of the year
Bring Me the Horizon, RCA/Sony MusicColdplay, Parlophone/Warner MusicWINNER: Ezra Collective, Partisan Records The Cure, Polydor/Universal MusicThe Last Dinner Party, Island/Universal Music
Best new artist
English Teacher, Island/Universal MusicEzra Collective, Partisan RecordsMyles Smith, RCA/Sony MusicRachel Chinouriri, Parlophone/Universal MusicWINNER: The Last Dinner Party, Island/Universal Music
Song of the year
“I Like the Way You Kiss Me,” Artemas, Parlophone/Warner Music“Kisses,” BI3SS x CamrinWatsin (ft. Bbyclose), Atlantic/Warner Music “BAND4BAND,” Central Cee (ft. Lil Baby), Columbia/Capitol/Motown/Sony MusicWINNER: “Guess,” Charli XCX (ft. Billie Eilish), Atlantic/Interscope/Warner Music“Backbone,” Chase & Status (ft. Stormzy), 0207 Records/EMI/Merky/Universal Music“Feelslikeimfallinginlove,” Coldplay, Parlophone/Warner Music“Training Season,” Dua Lipa, Warner/Warner Music “Alibi,” Ella Henderson (ft. Rudimental), Atlantic/Warner Music“Angel of My Dreams,” Jade, RCA/Sony Music “Kehlani,” Jordan Adetunji, Warner/Warner Music“Thick of It,” KSI (ft. Trippie Redd), Atlantic/Warner Music“Stargazing,” Myles Smith, RCA/Sony Music“You’re Christmas to Me,” Sam Ryder, East West/Rhino/Warner Music “Somedays,” Sonny Fedora/Jazzy/D.O.D, Solotoko/Ada Warner Music “Now and Then,” The Beatles, Apple/UMR
BRITs Rising Star
WINNER: Myles Smith, RCA/Sony Music Elmiene, Polydor/Universal MusicGood Neighbours, Polydor/Universal Music
International artist of the year
Adrianne Lenker, 4AD/XL BeggarsAsake, YBNL NationBenson Boone, Warner/Warner MusicBeyoncé, Columbia/Parkwood Entertainment/SonyBillie Eilish, Interscope/Universal MusicWINNER: Chappell Roan, Island/Universal Music Kendrick Lamar, Interscope/Universal MusicSabrina Carpenter, Island/Universal MusicTaylor Swift, EMI/Universal MusicTyler, the Creator, Columbia/Sony Music
International group of the year
Amyl and The Sniffers, Rough Trade Records/XL BeggarsConfidence Man, Chaos/Universal MusicWINNER: Fontaines D.C., XL Recordings/XL Beggars Future & Metro Boomin, RCA/Sony MusicLinkin Park, Warner/Warner Music
International song of the year
“Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone, Warner/Warner Music “Texas Hold Em,” Beyoncé, Columbia/Parkwood Entertainment/Sony“Birds of a Feather,” Billie Eilish, Interscope/Universal MusicWINNER: “Good Luck, Babe!,” Chappell Roan, Island/Universal Music “End of Beginning,” Djo, AWAL/Djo/The Orchard “Houdini,” Eminem, Interscope/Universal Music “Too Sweet,” Hozier, Island/Universal Music“Lovin On Me,” Jack Harlow, Atlantic/Warner Music“Stick Season,” Noah Kahan, Republic Records/Universal Music“I Had Some Help,” Post Malone (ft. Morgan Wallen), Republic Records/Universal Music“Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter, Island/Universal Music“A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey, American Dogwood/Empire“Fortnight,” Taylor Swift (ft. Post Malone), EMI/Universal Music“Lose Control,” Teddy Swims, Atlantic/Warner Music“Million Dollar Baby,” Tommy Richman, ISO Supremacy/Pulse/Stem Disintermedia
Alternative/rock act
Beabadoobee, Dirty HitEzra Collective, Partisan RecordsWINNER: Sam Fender, Polydor/Universal Music The Cure, Polydor/Universal MusicThe Last Dinner Party, Island/Universal Music
Hip-hop/grime/rap act
Central Cee, Columbia/Sony MusicDave, Def Jam/Universal Music Ghetts, Warner/Warner Music Little Simz, AWAL/Sony MusicWINNER: Stormzy, 0207 Records/EMI/Merky/Universal Music
Dance act
Becky Hill, Polydor/Universal MusicWINNER: Charli XCX, Atlantic/Warner Music Chase & Status, 0207 Records/Universal MusicFred Again.., Atlantic/Warner MusicNia Archives, Island/Universal Music
Pop act
Charli XCX, Atlantic/Warner MusicDua Lipa, Warner/Warner MusicWINNER: Jade, RCA/Sony Music Lola Young, Island/Universal MusicMyles Smith, RCA/Sony Music
R&B act
Cleo Sol, AWAL/Sony MusicFlo, Island/Universal MusicJorja Smith, FAMM/The Orchard/SonyMichael Kiwanuka, Polydor/Universal MusicWINNER: Raye, Human Resources/The Orchard/Sony
Songwriter of the year
WINNER: Charli XCX
Producer of the year
WINNER: A.G. Cook
Global success award
WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter
Sam Fender has soared to the top of the U.K. Albums Chart with the biggest opening week for a British solo act since 2022 (Feb. 28). His third album, People Watching, took the No. 1 spot with 107,000 units across physicals and streaming. People Watching is now Fender’s third No. 1 album in the U.K., […]
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” has bagged a second week at No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart (Feb. 28). The song – first released in May 2024 – gave the Compton rapper his maiden No. 1 single in the U.K. last week, and stays strong at the summit in consecutive weeks. Explore Explore See […]
The 2025 edition of Iceland Airwaves has unveiled its first wave of artists set to perform in Reykjavík, Iceland, in November.
The list sees a wealth of emerging names, such as Domino signees Fat Dog, Manchester’s Antony Szmierek, singer-songwriter Jasmine.4.t and experimental pop act Ratbag.
Other artists set to appear at the festival include Babymorocco, Deadletter, Jelena Ciric and The Orchestra (For Now), who appeared in Billboard U.K.’s Ones to Watch list for 2025. (You can view the full lineup on the festival’s website.)
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
There will also be a strong presence of local talent, from Sunna Margrét to Milkywhale and Magnús Jóhann. A new pledge to support the future of Icelandic music will also see a handful of selected 2025 performing artists travel to Austin, Texas, in March to play at an exclusive SXSW showcase presented by Iceland Airwaves, Iceland Music, Business Iceland and Record in Iceland.
Weekend, single-day and conference passes are currently available through the festival’s official website, starting at 10.900 ISK ($78.55). There are also travel bundles available for those who would like to purchase flights and accommodation along with a festival ticket.
Trending on Billboard
Launched in 1999, Iceland Airwaves is a world-renowned music showcase. Over the years, the festival has welcomed the likes of Mac DeMarco, James Blake, Sufjan Stevens, Young Fathers, Sigrid and Florence + The Machine to Reykjavík.
Each November, global artists and industry converge in the Icelandic capital for three days of live performances, panels and workshops. The 2024 edition saw Shygirl, Bar Italia, Anish Kumar and Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul take to the stage, among others.
The festival is promoted and produced by the concert company Sena Live, with support by Iceland’s national airline and founding sponsor, Icelandair, and in cooperation with the City of Reykjavík.
See Iceland Airwaves’ lineup announcement of the first wave of artists below:
Little Simz has kicked off her 2025 with the release of a mighty new single, “Flood,” and announced her upcoming sixth album, Lotus.
The new album will be released on May 9 via AWAL, and will be her first studio LP since 2022’s No Thank You.
Featuring vocals from both Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly, the lead track marks the first slice of new material from Simz this year. It arrives accompanied by a striking video, which was directed by Salomon Ligthelm.
In February 2024, Simz put out her Drop 7 EP, which was followed by surprise single “Hello, Hi” in December. Throughout the year, she also made a slew of guest appearances on other artists’ tracks: Coldplay’s “We Pray,” Sampha’s “Satellite Business 2.0” and Wretch 32’s “Black and British.” In June, she appeared on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, marking her biggest show to date.
More recently, Simz was nominated in the hip-hop/rap/grime category at The BRITs 2025, which will take place at London’s O2 Arena Saturday (March 1). She has previously triumphed at the awards ceremony, scooping the best new artist gong in 2022.
In January, it was announced that the 31-year-old will curate this year’s Meltdown Festival at the capital’s Southbank Centre. Taking place between June 12-22, the event will see Simz craft a wide-ranging bill of music, art and workshops across 11 nights, with the full lineup expected to arrive soon.
Trending on Billboard
Across the course of an illustrious career, Simz has released five studio albums, among a wealth of mixtapes and extended projects. In 2022, she won the Mercury Prize for her fourth LP Sometimes I Might Be Introvert – her highest charting record in the U.K. to date, landing at No. 4 upon release.
Wet Leg, Underworld, Kneecap, TV on The Radio and Beth Gibbons have been announced as headliners for Wales’ Green Man festival this summer (Aug. 14-17). The event, which is already sold-out, will host an array of U.K., Irish and International acts in the Black Mountains in Wales’ Bannau Brycheiniog National Park over four nights in August.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Kneecap will headline the opening night’s bill, with indie duo Wet Leg following on the Friday, and dance icons Underworld topping the lineup on Saturday. On the final evening, TV On The Radio and Portishead’s Beth Gibbons (solo) will close the festival with co-headline slots.
Trending on Billboard
Elsewhere there’ll be performances from Wunderhorse, Greentea Peng, CMAT, Perfume Genius, MJ Lenderman, English Teacher, Fat Dog, Yard Act, Nilüfer Yanya, Warmduscher and more. See the full lineup below.
It’s the latest show announced for Wet Leg as they gear up for their highly-anticipated sophomore album. The band’s self-titled 2022 debut was nominated for best alternative album at the Grammys the following year, and saw them support Harry Styles extensively on his most-recent world tour.
Green Man festival was established in 2003 and has been held annually (aside from 2020) ever since. 2024’s edition was headlined by Big Thief, Sampha, Jon Hopkins, Sleaford Mods, while previous headliners across the two decades include Fleet Foxes, St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Father John Misty, Fontaines D.C., Kraftwerk and more.
The 25,000 capacity event will also host comedy and theatre performances, literature discussions, science workshops in its wide-ranging program. An accompanying statement by the festival reports that Green Man generates £28 million into the Welsh economy, and is one of the largest independent festivals in the U.K.
Charli XCX will collect the songwriter of the year award at the upcoming BRIT Awards. The Brat star is the recipient of the honorary prize, which has previously been won by British acts Ed Sheeran (2022), Kid Harpoon (2023) and most recently, Raye (2024).
The BRIT Awards ceremony will take place Saturday (March 1) at London’s O2 Arena, and will be hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall. Performances on the night will come from Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Fender, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and more.
Charli is also competing in five additional categories on the night, including album of the year and British artist of the year. The songwriter of the year prize gives Charli her first-ever BRIT Award win, having been nominated four times previously in 2015, 2020, 2023 and 2024.
Brat was named Billboard staff’s album of the year, with Kristin Robinson writing that the LP had “most exciting and culturally significant album launches in modern memory,” and catapulted “the longtime music maker into a new stratosphere of stardom.” The record peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart.
On Monday (Feb. 24), it was announced that A.G. Cook, Charli’s close collaborator and an executive producer on Brat, would collect the producer of the year prize. The trophy was first awarded in 1977 to Beatles producer George Martin, and in recent years has been won by Fred again.. (2020), Inflo (2022), David Guetta (2023) and Chase & Status (2024).
Speaking to Variety in 2020, Charli described her working relationship with Cook. “We really trust each other, and challenge and push each other in the right ways. And we’re also very smart and equally dumb, and I think that’s really important in pop music,” she shared. “A.G. will make a beat in a few minutes and I’ll yell over it, and even if it sounds crazy, we’re not afraid of sounding stupid because we know we can get there eventually.”
She continued, “We enjoy twisting formats and breaking rules but we also kind of like some rules; we’re a bit winky but we’re also very serious; we’re both fans of pop music but equally fans of wanting to disrupt things; and we like to dance around what people think we should be doing. So there’s enough tension and push and pull to make really interesting music.”
The BRIT Awards will be broadcast live on ITV and on streaming service ITV X from 8:15 p.m. GMT.
Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, Annie Lennox and Hans Zimmer are among the artists who have contributed to a new “silent” album to protest the U.K. government’s stance on artificial intelligence (AI).
The record, titled Is This What We Want?, is “co-written” by more than 1,000 musicians and features recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. In an accompanying statement, the use of silence is said to represent “the impact on artists’ and music professionals’ livelihoods that is expected if the government does not change course.”
The record was organized by Ed Newton-Rex, the founder of Fairly Trained, a non-profit that certifies generative AI companies that respect creators’ rights. The tracklisting to the 12-track LP reads: “The British government must not legalise music theft to benefit AI companies.”
Is This What We Want? is now available on all major streaming platforms.
Also credited as co-writers are performers and songwriters from across the industry, including Billy Ocean, Ed O’Brien, Dan Smith (Bastille), The Clash, Mystery Jets, Jamiroquai, Imogen Heap, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Riz Ahmed, Tori Amos, James MacMillan and Max Richter. The full list of musicians involved with the record can be viewed at the LP’s official website. All proceeds from the album will be donated to the charity Help Musicians.
Courtesy Photo
The release comes at the close of the British government’s 10-week consultation on how copyrighted content, including music, can lawfully be used by developers to train generative AI models. Initially, the government proposed a data mining exception to copyright law, meaning that AI developers could use copyrighted songs for AI training in instances where artists have not “opted out” of their work being included.
The government report said the “opt out” approach gives rightsholders a greater ability to control and license the use of their content, but it has proved controversial with creators and copyright holders. In March 2024, the 27-nation European Union passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, which requires transparency and accountability from AI developers about training methods and is viewed as more creator-friendly.
Speaking at the beginning of the consultation, Lisa Nandy, the U.K.’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said in a statement: “This government firmly believes that our musicians, writers, artists and other creatives should have the ability to know and control how their content is used by AI firms and be able to seek licensing deals and fair payment. Achieving this, and ensuring legal certainty, will help our creative and AI sectors grow and innovate together in partnership.”
Industry body UK Music said in its most recent report that the music U.K. scene contributed £7.6 billion ($9.6 billion) to the country’s economy, while exports reached £4.6 billion ($5.8 billion).
“The government’s proposal would hand the life’s work of the country’s musicians to AI companies, for free, letting those companies exploit musicians’ work to outcompete them,” said Newton-Rex in a statement on the album release. “It is a plan that would not only be disastrous for musicians, but that is totally unnecessary: the UK can be leaders in AI without throwing our world-leading creative industries under the bus. This album shows that, however the government tries to justify it, musicians themselves are united in their thorough condemnation of this ill-thought-through plan.”
Jo Twist, CEO of the British Phonographic Institution (BPI), added, “The UK’s gold-standard copyright framework is central to the global success of our creative industries. We understand AI’s potential to drive change including greater productivity or improvements to public services, but it is entirely possible to realise this without destroying our status as a creative superpower.”
Speaking to Billboard U.K. in January, alt-pop star Imogen Heap — a co-writer on Is This What We Want? — expanded on her approach to AI. “The thing which makes me nervous is the provenance; there’s all this amazing video, art and poetry being generated by AI as well as music, but you know, creators need to be credited and they need to tell us where they’re training [the data] from.”
The BRIT Awards has announced that A.G. Cook is the recipient of this year’s producer of the year award.
The British musician was an executive producer for Charli XCX’s Brat LP, which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart.
Cook has had co-writing and co-producer credits on a number of albums, including Beyoncé’s Renaissance in 2020, but he is best known for his working relationship with Charli XCX. Cook has played executive producer on several of Charli’s projects: 2017 mixtapes Number 1 Angel and Pop 2; 2019 LP Charli; and 2020’s How I’m Feeling Now.
Speaking on the news, Cook said, “As someone who’s always felt like a bit of an outsider, I’m very flattered to be recognized by The BRITs. From the early PC Music days to the Charli mixtapes and beyond, I’ve been lucky to work on so much music that I truly believe in. In particular, I’d like to dedicate this moment to Sophie, whose vision and artistry is still a driving force for producers everywhere.”
The honorary producer of the year prize was first awarded in 1977 to The Beatles producer George Martin, and in recent years has been won by Fred Again.. (2020), Inflo (2022), David Guetta (2023) and Chase & Status (2024). Cook was selected for the prize by a panel of expert judges.
Cook has been a key player in the British and international pop scene for the past decade. In 2013, he established the influential PC Music record label, which is credited with spearheading the hyperpop sound. In 2024, he released his third studio album, Britpop, which appeared on Billboard U.K.’s albums of the year list, with Sophie Williams writing that the LP “felt like a safe, uplifting, candy-striped wonderland where one could hide from growing global anxiety.”
The BRIT Awards ceremony will take place Saturday (March 1) at London’s O2 Arena, and will be hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall. Performances on the night will come from Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Fender, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and more, and the ceremony will be broadcast live on ITV and on streaming service ITV X from 8:15 p.m. GMT.