brit awards

At 2025’s two biggest music awards shows thus far, winning musicians have used their platforms to try to foster change.
At the Grammys in February, Chappell Roan sparked debate when she challenged record labels to provide better healthcare provisions and a living wage for stars, saying, “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?” Then, at the U.K.’s BRIT Awards on Saturday night (Mar. 1), homegrown artists like Myles Smith and Ezra Collective used their winners’ speeches to spotlight the importance of music education and youth clubs in the U.K. As Smith collected the BRITs Rising Star Award, the folk-pop star discussed his upbringing in Luton, England, in a single-parent household and lamented the lack of opportunities in state schools to learn about and play music.
Speaking directly to the U.K. government, Smith — whose single “Stargazing” peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January — asked, “If British music is one of the most powerful cultural exports we have, why have we treated it like an afterthought for so many years? How many more venues need to close? How many more music programs need to be cut before you realize that we can’t just celebrate success, you have to protect the foundations that make it?”
Also speaking up at the BRITS was jazz band Ezra Collective, whose members shouted out youth clubs that give teenagers extra-curricular opportunities to learn music skills following its triumph in the group of the year category. “This moment right here is because of the great youth clubs, and the great teachers and the great schools that support young people playing music,” drummer Femi Koleoso said. He shouted out youth organisations in London, such as Kinetica Bloco and Tomorrow’s Warriors, and said that the solution for youth disengagement in the U.K. “lies with giving a young person a trumpet.”
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It’s a topic that hits home amid industry panic about the next wave of superstars from the U.K. and Ireland. In February, the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) reported that no British artists featured in the top 10 bestselling singles or albums charts globally for the first time in two decades. Just two years ago, seven of the 20 artists in the two charts were British.
U.K. Music reports that in 2023, the music scene was worth £7.6 billion ($9.78bn) to the U.K. economy, an increase from 2022. Incoming figures for 2024 will no doubt see a similar bounce following the U.K. leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour alongside other big-name tours. But a number of companies in the sector tell Billboard U.K. that the pipeline from schools to stages is at risk.
While music lessons feature on the national curriculum for U.K. state schools (non fee-paying comprehensives), over the last decade there’s been a considerable drop in the number pupils studying the subject at GCSE (14-16 year olds) and A level standards (16-18 year olds). National exam results in 2023 reported that fewer than 5,000 students in England took A level music, a 46% drop since 2010.
Music Hubs — a national programme to provide high-level music education to schools — set up by the Department of Education (DfE) will provide funding to schools to the tune of £79 million ($101 million) in 2025, and that funding may be extended to 2028. But Demos, a think tank, says that the new Labour government has inherited a “black hole” in its music education budget of £32.3 million ($41.6 million) per year, with rising staffing costs and a lack of specialist music teachers being part of the issue.
The Labour government has made positive noises about the sector. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at the party’s conference in September that “every child deserves the chance to study the creative subjects that widen their horizons, provide skills employers value, and prepare them for the future, the jobs and the world that they will inherit.” But some feel that in the government’s mission to drive growth in the economy, creative sectors in education are being left behind in favour of other subjects like maths, English and sciences.
Writing in the show programme for The BRIT Awards, Alexis Cruickshank of The BRIT School says that fundraising efforts to ensure a high standard of education are a constant pressure. The BRIT School is a state school in Croydon, South London, with a particular focus on performing and creative arts that has spawned stars including Adele, RAYE and Amy Winehouse.
“We need to keep the fundraising efforts to top up the shortfall between what the government give us to run a state secondary school and the contribution we receive annually from our founding funding partners, The BRIT Trust,” Cruickshank wrote. “Our focus is always nurturing and supporting the young people currently studying at the school — they are our future. The UK does the arts brilliantly. It’s such a source of pride, and it needs to be invested in.” In 2023, it was announced that a satellite campus in Bradford, Yorkshire, in the north of England, would form the BRIT School North.
The disparity between those educated at state schools and those in private institutions was brought into focus following recent comments by Sam Fender. Speaking to The Sunday Times last month, the high-flying rocker claimed that the U.K.’s music industry is “80%, 90% kids who are privately educated,” and that a young musician from his hometown in the north east of England “will not be seen because it’s rigged.”
A 2024 report from the non-profit organisation The Sutton Trust indicates that best-selling musicians are six times more likely to have been privately educated than educated at a state school, and that privately educated students take up more than half of enrollment at the most prestigious music conservatoires such as London’s The Royal Academy of Music (60%) and Royal College of Music (56%). Arts Council England says that without sustained financial support, a child from a lower-income family has “virtually no chance of becoming a professional musician.”
While a number of this year’s BRITs winners were educated at state schools, leading artists such as Charli XCX — who picked up five awards on the night, including the prestigious album of the year prize — were educated at fee-paying schools. Charli studied at the £38,319 ($49,368) per year Bishop’s Stortford College in Hertfordshire, while her Brat collaborator A.G. Cook, who picked up producer of the year, was enrolled at The King Alfred School in London to the tune of £30,000 per year ($38,489).
Joe Armon-Jones, keyboardist of Ezra Collective, was a former pupil at elite institution Eton College (former pupils include heir to the throne Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry), while lead singer Abigail Morris of The Last Dinner Party — which won best new artist — was educated at Bedales School in Hampshire with an annual fee of up to £43,000 ($55,321).
The 93% Club, a network of state educated students and professionals, say that music education goes beyond practical teaching, and that showcasing and encouraging career pathways should form a larger part of the curriculum. “The sharp decline in arts education in state schools remains a pressing issue, driven by the separation of the arts from so-called ‘strategically important’ subjects,” says Fin Wright, head of communications at The 93% Club. He adds that the larger companies in the music industry “have a duty to support talent from state schools and lower socioeconomic backgrounds” and calls on them to offer additional work placements and to abolish unpaid internships, saying that they exclude those unable to work for free.
The importance of opening career paths rings true with Ben Selway, the managing director of Access Creative College, the U.K.’s largest independent training provider across creative fields. Former pupils at Access Creative’s seven campuses include Ed Sheeran (now a patron of the ACC), Rita Ora and Jorja Douglas of BRIT-nominated girl group FLO.
Selway concurs with Smith that there needs to be a greater focus on making music education a viable option for young people. “The lack of access to music education for under-16s results in a generation of young people who’ve not been afforded the opportunity to spark their interest in music and realise their talent,” he says. “There is significant pressure caused by venues closing which results in ever shrinking opportunities for young performers to put their craft into practice. A lack of celebration of the arts being a credible career option built over time can at times make it difficult.”
The positive noises by the government need to be backed up by action, Selway says, but acts like Sheeran are stepping up to fill the void. In January, the “Shape of You” singer established the Ed Sheeran Foundation, which provides grants for select schools, projects and community music groups across the UK. The mixed funding approach from both state sources and private investment will no doubt be key in the coming years.
Smith’s speech has resonated across the industry and brought back to the forefront an important conversation. As Selway says, the lessons learned can resonate for decades to come: “We want to give young people the opportunity to find their tribe and the space to develop their careers, and not just moments.”
Not everyone could go home with an iconic BRIT trophy.
Chappell Roan seems to have started a trend with her pointed acceptance speech at the Grammys on Feb. 2, in which she challenged labels to provide better healthcare and financial support for their new and developing artists. At the BRIT Awards on Saturday (March 1), several artists used their acceptance speeches to make points that mattered to them.
Myles Smith, whose “Stargazing” was a global hit, posed three questions, to the government, music venues and label executives. Georgia Davies of The Last Dinner Party challenged successful arenas like The O2, where the Brits were held, to do more to support small independent venues, who, she said, were dying. And Chappell Roan had still more to say about artistic freedom and queer joy in her two acceptance speeches.
Here, we look at three artists who used their acceptance speeches at the BRITs not just to recite a laundry list of thank yous, but to actually say something. These are the pertinent excerpts from their speeches.
Chappell Roan
Award: International song of the year for “Good Luck, Babe!”
“Over the years, I have written many songs. I don’t believe in bad art, but let’s just say I had to write a lot of bad songs to get to the good ones, and artists deserve that freedom to write bad songs and to explore horrible concepts and to flop — and rise and not be pressured into making music based off of what’s trending. So, we must continue to support these artists so they can find success on their own terms and have long careers. So, this is dedicated to the people who have helped me protect my bad art and lifted me up along the way.”
Award: International artist of the year
“Chappell Roan was born through experiencing queer joy. It’s so special I had to write an entire album about it. I dedicate this to trans artists, to drag queens, to fashion students, sex workers and Sinéad O’Connor. Because of all those people, they have laid the groundwork for me to be here today. I did not give up because of them and I will continue going because of them.”
Myles Smith
Award: BRITs Rising Star
“Tonight, whilst I have the attention of the nation and this award, which gives me kind of like this really cool speaking power, I want to ask three questions:
“My first is to the government. If British music is one of the most powerful cultural exports we have, why have we treated it like an afterthought for so many years? How many more venues need to close? How many more music programs need to be cut before you realize that we can’t just celebrate success, you have to protect the foundations that make it?
“My second is to the biggest venues in the country and around the world. If artists selling out your arenas and your stadiums started in grass-roots venues, what are you doing to keep them alive?
“And my third, to the industry, to the execs in the room and to the people behind-the-scenes. Are we building careers or are we just chasing moments because moments fade and careers take time. So please stick with artists past their first viral hit, please stick with artists past their first tour, because it really matters to us. And moments, they fade, but careers last forever.”
Georgia Davies of The Last Dinner Party
Award: Best new artist
“We wouldn’t be a band, and a lot of the artists here would not be bands either, without the U.K.’s incredible independent venues, and they are the lifeblood of the music industry and they are dying. And if venues like this, like The O2, like arenas, stadiums across this country contributed even a tiny bit toward these independent venues, then we would not be losing them at this alarming rate. We wouldn’t be here without them. None of this would be happening without them. So, I want to say to those artists who are playing independent venues all over the country tonight — keep going because that’s the best kind of art there is. In a time when art is under threat, that is the most important thing to keep supporting.”
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With the best and brightest in music, including Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Beabadoobee and others, flocking to London, the Brit Awards will surely be a star-studded ceremony in 2025.
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And if you want to watch online, the 2025 Brit Awards livestreams from the O2 Arena in London, England on Saturday (Mar. 1) on the United Kingdom’s ITV1 and ITVX.
British comedian Jack Whitehall hosts this year’s ceremony. Keep reading for nominees and presenters, plus ways to watch and stream from anywhere.
How to Watch the 2025 Brit Awards: Ways to Stream
The Brit Awards will broadcast live on ITV1 at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT in the United States. The show livestreams on ITVX.
No cable? No worries! American viewers can stream the English broadcast of the Brit Awards with a VPN (virtual private network), which lets you access a number of streaming platforms, like ITV1 and ITVX, legally on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or smart TV — even if you’re outside of the country.
Although ITV1 and ITVX are free to watch online in England, viewers in the U.S. can’t access it without a VPN. And one of the best ways to stream is with ExpressVPN, NordVPN or PureVPN.
With prices starting at $4.99 per month, ExpressVPN encrypts all your data in a virtual “tunnel,” so can switch your online location to another country, like the United Kingdom. Once your internet service provider reroutes your activity, you can livestream the 2025 Brit Awards on ITV1 and ITVX online. Learn more about ExpressVPN here.
Additionally, it’s also available on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook.
During the awards ceremony, hit recording artists Sabrina Carpenter, JADE, Myles Smith, Ezra Collective and Jorja Smith, Teddy Swims and The Last Dinner Party are set to perform.
Watch the Brit Awards 2025 on Saturday, Mar. 1 at 3:15 p.m. ET/12:15 p.m. PT. The best ways to watch ITV1 and ITVX are with ExpressVPN. Check out a complete list of nominees here.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
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.
Sam Fender might only be days removed from the release of his third album, People Watching, but already the English musician is thinking of shaking things up for his next record.
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On Friday (Feb. 21), Fender put an end to the multi-year wait for another studio album by releasing People Watching as the follow-up to 2021’s critically-acclaimed Seventeen Going Under. Having teased the album since the release of its title track in November, the record is on its way to becoming a watershed moment for the singer-songwriter.
However, while Fender has managed to harness his heartland rock style with great success, a new interview indicates that he’s looking for a bit of a sonic shift when it comes to album number four.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Fender revealed that he has piles of new material at the ready, going so far as to show his phone to the interviewer and previewing “dozens of demos.” According to the article, these include songs such as “Drugs” and “Hornsby,” the latter of which is named for its sonic similarities to U.S. musician Bruce Hornsby.
Most notably, Fender adds that he’s “desperate” to record a punk album. “I’m buzzing! I’m just singing at you!” he tells the interviewer, going so far as to belt out a Tom Petty-esque track as a preview.
“People are going to hate you, whether you’re a saint, sinner, giver or a taker,” Fender sings on one of his as-yet-unreleased tracks. “But a big old heart is all that it’s worth. And he said, ‘You’ve got a big old heart, kid! Don’t let them own it.’”
Currently, it remains to be seen when Fender will actually get some time to hit the studio and work on his desired punk album, given his hectic live schedule.
In December, he cut short a run of U.K. tour dates following a diagnosis of a hemorrhaged vocal cord, and he’s currently set to return to the global stage for a series of European dates in early March. He’ll hit the U.S. and Canada the following month, with a series of summer dates scheduled for the U.K. and Europe throughout June, July, and August.
Before he returns to the touring circuit, Fender will also perform at the Brit Awards on Saturday (March 1). He’s also up for two awards at the ceremony, including British artist of the year, and best alternative/rock act, the latter of which he previously won in 2022.
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.
Brat Summer has extended deep into awards season. Charli XCX’s Brat is competing for a Brit Award for British album of the year on Saturday (March 1), just weeks after it competed in the Grammy race for album of the year. Brat is the first album to be nominated for the top album honor on […]
The BRIT Awards has finalized its performer lineup for the 2025 ceremony with two new additions. Sam Fender and Lola Young will both play live during the broadcast on March 1 at The O2 Arena in London. They join a stacked bill of performers including Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims, JADE, The Last Dinner Party […]
Sabrina Carpenter is the latest act to join the list of performers at the upcoming BRIT Awards (March 1), and will collect the global success award on the night. The “Espresso” singer will head to The O2 Arena in London to perform during the ceremony. She joins JADE, Myles Smith, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims and The […]