Brits 2022: Six biggest talking points, from Anne-Marie’s fall to Adele’s triumph
Ceremony attended by stars including Adele, Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher and Maya Jama took place at the O2 Arena
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Your support makes all the difference.The annual Brit Awards ceremony took place at the O2 Arena in London tonight (Tuesday 8 February).
Some of the biggest names in music attended, including Ed Sheeran and Adele, who scooped prizes for Songwriter of the Year and Artist of the Year, respectively.
Mo Gilligan served as this year’s host, taking over from Jack Whitehall who presented the awards for the past four consecutive years.
There was drama early on in the night, as pop singer Anne-Marie took a tumble during the first moments of her performance.
Here are the biggest talking points from the night:
It didn’t get off to a great start for the “Alarm” singer. Just seconds into her performance of “Don’t Play”, she lost her footing walking down some stairs and twisted awkwardly to the floor to the gasp of the crowd. She never let it phase her and carried on singing throughout the floor and the crowd roared her back to her feet. She later joked on Twitter that she “didn’t need my left ankle anyway”. It wouldn’t be the Brits without something going awry.
Mo Gilligan is a fine if subdued host
Replacing Jack Whitehall, Mo Gilligan was always given a daunting task and struggled to put his own signature stamp on the ceremony. Whereas Whitehall was able to needle the stars with a degree of self-awareness, Gilligan played it safe. He made sure everything ran smoothly at the notoriously boozy do – but a little bit of anarchy wouldn’t have hurt. His high point was a spot-on impression of Liam Gallagher, complete with parka.
Adele is still Queen of the Brits
It’s as though she never went away. Just minutes into the event and Adele picked up the gong for Song of the Year. She kept the speech uncharacteristically short, but did manage to squeeze in a few jokes. “I can’t believe a piano ballad beat all those bangers,” she cracked, as she overcame the likes of Elton John, Dua Lipa and KSI to win the award. She reappeared later in the night for a beautifully heartfelt performance of “I Drink Wine” that brought the crowd to an awed silence, before also going home with Artist of the Year and Album of the Year.
Ed Sheeran collaborates with Bring Me the Horizon
Tasked with opening the show, Sheeran had a trick up his sleeve from the start, performing alongside emo rockers Bring Me the Horizon with frontman Oli Sykes joining him on vocals for a duet of “Bad Habits”. Accompanied by a menagerie of circus performers – including acrobats and trapeze artists – the two acts put a heavier spin on Sheeran’s synth-inspired hit. The collaboration went down pretty well online, with one fan tweeting: “Ed Sheeran and Bring Me the Horizon is a mix I did not know I needed.”
Little Simz triumphs in her Brits debut
Picking up Best New Artist despite releasing her debut album seven years ago, it was a night to remember for Little Simz as she accepted her first Brit award alongside her beaming mother. “Look at what you’ve done, mum,” she says as she holds the award aloft. It was a victory for perseverance and self-belief and remarkable talent. Earlier in the night, Simz ignited the ceremony with a gripping performance of “Introvert”, which included a little help from The Crown star Emma Corrin who narrated a spoken word interlude.
The presenters are an odd bunch
A couple of Cox’s (Brian and Courteney), Mo Farah and Doctor Who herself, Jodie Whittaker all somehow ended up presenting awards at the Brits. Most surprising of all was Logan Roy himself turning up to present Ed Sheeran with his Songwriter of the Year award. The Succession star suavely strut across the stage much to the delight and bewilderment of the audience – the only let down was that he didn’t give Sheeran a hurling of Roy’s famous catchphrase.
While everyone’s attention was focused mostly on the music, fans couldn’t help but spot a new addition to Adele’s jewellery collection. Sporting an impossible to ignore diamond ring on a certain finger, social media quickly went ablaze with speculation that the “Easy on Me” singer had gotten engaged to her boyfriend, sports agent, Rich Paul.
The liveblog is now closed. See the full list of winners here.
A lot of viewers seem to be missing Jack Whitehall, here’s a reminder of why he’s not hosting this year
Fans of Adele are VERY interested in that whopping great diamond ring on her left hand...
The British singer is giving a stonking performance of her song “I Drink Wine”, from her chart-topping comeback album 30.
Adele sparks engagement rumours with diamond ring as she performs at Brit Awards
Adele has sparked rumours that she is engaged to boyfriend Rich Paul, after fans spotted her wearing a diamond ring at the Brit Awards tonight (Tuesday 8 February).
The 33-year-old singer and 40-year-old NBA sports agent have been dating since around May 2021.
Last week, the singer delivered a subtle retort after tabloids in the US and the UK speculated that her relationship was on the rocks. She concluded an Instagram post announcing her Brits appearance by adding: “Oh, and Rich sends his love!”
Adele sparks engagement rumours with diamond ring at Brit Awards
Singer wore a sizeable diamond on her ring finger on the red carpet and while performing ‘I Drink Wine’
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