Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘Utterly incredible’: Fans applaud Elton John and Olly Alexander’s performance of ‘It’s a Sin’ at Brit Awards

‘I kept thinking of all the young queer people watching at home that are finally seeing themselves,’ tweeted one viewer

Ellie Harrison
Wednesday 12 May 2021 04:53 EDT
Comments
Elton John and Years & Years perform 'It's a Sin' at BRIT awards 2021

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Elton John and Olly Alexander’s performance at the Brit Awards on Tuesday night (11 May) has been hailed as “utterly incredible” by viewers.

John and the Years & Years singer debuted a new version of Alexander’s cover of the Pet Shop Boys hit “It’s a Sin” from the acclaimed series of the same name.

“By fighting together, we’ve changed the world. Today, HIV is no longer a death sentence,” John’s husband, David Furnish, said to introduce the performance, explaining how medication can make HIV undetectable and untransmittable.

“The fight goes on until we can banish stigma, ignorance, fear, and the virus itself forever.”

The performance opened with Alexander lying across John’s piano in a black lace outfit. As the lights went up, dancers, drag queens and confetti filled the stage.

“Woah. Holy f***. That @yearsandyears @alexander_olly @eltonofficial performance was utterly incredible,” tweeted one viewer.

“This is the gayest thing I’ve ever seen,” posted comedian James Barr, before adding in another tweet: “Thoughts after the #itsasin gay rights extravaganza  ... elton and olly flirting was hot, we should all wear capes, when the beat dropped I was living, elton’s cuffs are cute. I kept thinking of all the young queer people watching at home that are finally seeing themselves.”

The cover is being released as a charity single in support of the Elton John Aids Foundation.

Jack Whitehall hosted the Brit ceremony, which featured performances by Coldplay and Dua Lipa.

The 2021 award ceremony marked the first live large-scale indoor event in London since March last year.

Big winners on the night include Dua Lipa, J Hus, Little Mix and Arlo Parks. See the full list here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in