Harry Styles said he was “aware of his privilege” when he was named Artist of the Year at the BRIT Awards and thanked his former One Direction bandmates.
The 27-year-old singer appeared to be referring to the online criticism he received after the Grammy Awards when he said “People Like Me” won’t win as he accepted the Album of the Year award.
Taking to the stage at London’s 02 Arena, he said: “I want to thank my family for being the most supportive and understanding family I could ever wish for.
“I want to thank my mum for singing on ‘X Factor’. I wouldn’t be here without you. I want to thank Niall [Horan]Ludwig [Tomlinson]liam [Payne] and Zain [Malik] for I would not be here with you either.’
Harry dedicated his award to several female artists after the BRITs faced criticism for their all-male Artist of the Year nominees after making the award gender neutral.
Speech: Harry Styles said he recognized his privilege when he was named Artist of the Year at the BRIT Awards and thanked his former One Direction bandmates
He said: “I am aware of my privilege here tonight, so this award is for Reyna, Florence [Welch]Mabel and Becky [Hill].’
Harry started the 2023 BRIT Awards with a bang when he opened the show with a performance of his song As It Was.
The star, who took home four awards at this year’s awards show, took the stage in a glittering red jacket and black trousers.
Host Mo Gilligan then took to the stage and greeted those attending the show, saying: “For the first time ever we’re taking place on a Saturday night. The tables are back in full swing.”
Aitch took home the first prize of the night, winning the Hip-Hop/Grime Act Gong.
The rapper cursed within seconds of taking the stage, saying, “I’m blowing my head because I thought I’d have a few more drinks before I got here, but of course I’m not!
He added: “I want to give my fans a big thumbs up for voting, thank you very much. It’s possible wherever you are.”
Beyonce took home the International Artist of the Year award, beating out Kendrik Lamar, Lizzo and Taylor Swift.
Opener: Harry Styles opened the 2023 BRIT Awards with a bang as he opened the show with a performance of his song As It Was
Winner: Aitch swore live as he took home the night’s first prize, winning the Hip-Hop/Grime Act Gong
The star was not present at the ceremony but recorded an acceptance speech in which he said: “Thank you for this incredible recognition.
“I would like to thank all my fans in the UK for this award. The renaissance begins, see you on tour!’
Becky Hill won the Dance Act Award for the second time and in her speech paid tribute to some of her fellow artists.
She said: “I would like to thank the UK committee for shortlisting me for another year.
“It is a great honor to be nominated alongside Eliza Rose and Raye who are an inspiration to women and people of color in such an underrepresented scene.
Performance: The 29-year-old singer brought the crowd to their knees at London’s 02 Arena on Saturday when he delivered an incredible performance of his number one hit.
Look: The star, who took home four awards at this year’s awards show, graced the stage in a glittering red jacket and black trousers
Excited: Becky Hill won the Dance Act Award for the second time and paid tribute to some of her fellow performers in her speech
“Beyonce said it best in her Grammy speech: we all have the best genre on the planet, thanks to the queer community.”
Harry took home the Best Pop/R&B award presented to him by actress Salma Hayek.
The former ‘One Direcion’ star said: ‘I know it was a fan award so thank you to all my fans who voted. I have so many great memories of the BRITS so thanks for another one. It’s so nice to be home.”
Host Mo Gilligan then appeared to ruin his introduction to a Lewis Capaldi performance by calling him Sam Capaldi, but he later apologized and joked it was proof of how strong the drinks are at the BRITs.
The next award, Best New Act, was won by Wet Leg, with singer Rhian Teasdale admitting her nervousness as she took to the stage.
She said:Thank you very much. It’s very cool to do it on an indie label, call Domino. It’s so scary, being on TV can feel like a boys club, but I want to thank all the women who worked on the production. I’m so nervous, so I’m stopping now.”
Harry, Wet Leg and Sam Smith lead this year’s nominations as the stars compete for prestigious awards.
‘It’s good to be home’: Harry took home the award for Best Pop/R&B presented by actress Salma Hayek
All three perform tonight, with Lizzo, Becky Hill, Cat Burns and Stormzy also taking the stage.
However, music bosses came under fire when the shortlist was announced last month.
In a surprise rejection, female artists were excluded from Female Artist of the Year, which introduced a gender-neutral overhaul last year by dropping the male and female categories.
The first gender-neutral award was given to Adele last year, but in her acceptance speech she emphatically told the audience: “Love being a woman”.
Nominees for Artist of the Year are Central Cee, Fred Again, George Ezra, Harry Styles and Stormzy.
Harry, Stormzy and Fred Again – real name Fred Gibson – are also nominated for Album of the Year, along with The 1975 and indie duo Wet Leg, the only female act in that category.
Notably absent were Charli XCX, whose fifth studio album Crash topped the charts, and Florence and the Machine, whose album Dance Fever gave the singer her fourth UK number one.
Now BRIT Awards bosses are in talks to reintroduce separate categories for best male and female artist next year after no woman was shortlisted for the new gender-neutral award.
Aitch with Baby Ft Ashanti, Cat Burns with Go, Dave with Starlight, and Ed Sheeran and Elton John with their festive hit Merry Christmas, competing in the coveted Song of the Year with Mastercard category.
Also nominated are Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal with Baddest Of Them All, George Ezra with Green Green Grass and Harry Styles with As It Was.
Rounding out the Song of the Year nominations are Lewis Capaldi with Forget Me, Lf System with Afraid To Feel and Sam Smith and Kim Petras with Unholy.
Group of the Year included The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Nova Twins and Wet Leg, while International Group of the Year nominees included Black Pink, Drake And 21 Savage, First Aid Kit, Fontaines Dc and Gabriels.
Wet Leg said after nodding four times: “Someone is holding our horses while we come to grips with this wild news, it’s too hard to understand, being nominated for a BRIT award, we never expected that our group would not be able to do it.’
Nominated for Alt Rock are The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Nova Twins, Tom Grennan and Wet Leg.
Stormzy won another award in the Hip Hop/Grime/Rap category and is up against Aitch, Central Cee, Dave and Loyle Carner.
Becky Hill has been nominated again in the Dance Act category after winning the award last year.
She is nominated against Bonobo, Calvin Harris, Eliza Rose and Fred Again.
Elsewhere, in the international categories, Beyoncé reigns again with two nods alongside Taylor Swift and Lizzo.
Beyonce, Burna Boy, Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo and Taylor Swift were honored as International Artist of the Year.
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Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
