From record breakers to revelry, the BRIT Awards 2024 were jam-packed with amazing acts, fabulous fashion and hosting high jinks
WORDS: EVE MACDONALD PHOTOS: GETTY, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK, PA
BEST OF BRITISH
The star-studded BRIT Awards – which, every year, delivers incredible performances that go down in history – was another unforgettable night of music, glamour and, of course, much-coveted gongs.
From barely-there dresses and black-tie moments to dramatic hair and make-up looks, the 44th BRIT Awards – often thought of as the UK’s answer to the Grammy Awards – was truly a night to remember.
A-listers came together at The O2 Arena in London to celebrate the best of British music and to introduce new, emerging talent. This was the second year that the event was hosted on a Saturday night – previously having typically taken place on a Tuesday – as 2023’s schedule shake-up was hailed as a great success.
The nominations were announced in January in Bring On The BRITs, which was live-streamed on the BRIT Awards’ official Instagram and Facebook accounts. Previously, there had been some tension surrounding how diverse the awards categories would be, following a row in 2023 when it emerged that all the nominees for Artist Of The Year were male, two years after the BRITs introduced genderless categories.
But on the night itself, it was the ladies who led the charge. Dua Lipa opened the show with her hit song Training Season, complete with aerial acrobatics, and the queen of pop, Kylie Minogue, closed it with a medley of her best-loved tunes and quick reveals of three different outfits. Artists such as Raye, Becky Hill with Chase & Status, and Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris also took to the stage to showcase their talents.
It was London-born singer-songwriter Raye who stole the show, though, as she made history by bagging the title of the most nominated artist in a single BRITs year. The 26-year-old soul singer received an incredible seven nominations – a first by any artist since the BRIT Awards began in 1977, and eclipsing the record to date of six nominations held by Gorillaz (2002), Craig David (2001) and Robbie Williams (1999). She ended up scooping six of the awards on the night.
Dua Lipa – who last performed at the ceremony in 2021 – also had a moment, as she won Best Pop Act, while SZA was awarded International Artist Of The Year, and indie rockers The Last Dinner Party received the highly anticipate
