Music
Bukayo Saka Was The BRITs' Purest Moment
Plus, eight other truly unforgettable moments from this year’s ceremony.
The crowd were back and as buzzing as ever for 2022’s BRIT Awards, and so were the stars. Hosted by Mo Gilligan who, yes, did inevitably slip up and swear as is customary at this point, the show included some of the biggest names in entertainment and sport. From Jodie Whittaker, to Vicky McClure, to Celeste, Olivia Rodrigo, and surprise appearances from Courtney Cox, Mo Farrah, Bukayo Saka, and Tom Daly who hilariously referred to Adele as “her royal highness”.
But as is the case with every BRIT Awards ceremony, there were some major moments that unfolded throughout the night. One of the first occurred during Anne-Marie’s performance where the singer had a major Madonna moment. But just as the Queen of Pop did in 2015, Anna-Marie carried on without a hitch and delivered one hell of a performance.
Family was also a major theme for this year’s ceremony. Gilligan’s aunt Patricia stole the show at the start, followed by Little Simz’s glorious mum who joined her daughter on stage to accept the award for Best New Artist. Not a dry eye in the house!
Amongst the big winners on the night were Adele (of course), Sam Fender, Wolf Alice, Billie Eilish, and Dave. With that said though, here are the other highlights moments from the BRIT Awards 2022 that you may have missed.
Little Simz owning the show
Without a doubt, the BRIT awards 2022 belonged to Little Simz (and her mum). The rapper and wordsmith delivered a standout performance on the night, enlisting the help of The Crown’s Emma Corrin for songs Introvert and Woman from the artist’s acclaimed album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Yet it was the North London rapper’s acceptance speech for Best New Artist that stole the show and hearts. As she praised her mum live on stage: “Look at what you’ve done mum. Look at what you’ve done.”
Becky Hill feeling “heart-warmed” by fans
To say Becky Hill was overjoyed with her fan-voted BRIT award win is probably an understatement. Taking home the gong for Best Dance Act, the Back & Forth singer thanked her fans and team during her speech, as well as professing her love for dance music as a “little drum and bass raver from twelve years old.”
Anne-Marie’s recovery
First things first: Anne-Marie is a pro.
Audiences at home and in the BRITs crowd collectively gasped when the singer tripped down the stairs during her live performance, yet, without missing a beat, Anne-Marie got back up as if nothing happened (even though it looked like it hurt). As Madonna could probably also attest in 2015, all the greats fall down on national television at some point. And Anne-Marie appears to be taking the blunder in her stride, tweeting hilariously: “Didn’t need my left ankle anyway.”
Olivia Rodrigo’s full circle moment
Just a year on from her “first performance ever” at last year’s BRITs ceremony, Olivia Rodrigo returned to the event to collect the award for International Song Of The Year for Good 4 You. The singer thanked the UK for all the love for the globally chart-topping song which, let’s be honest, is still stuck in my head.
Idris Elba being an absolute bae
Between turning up a “little late”, wearing sunglasses inside and Twitter noticing a wardrobe mishap in the trouser region, everything about Idris Elba’s appearance at the BRITs said I’m here for a good time, not a long time. And, to be honest, I was here for it. The actor off duty is quite hilarious, but he did manage to announce the winner of the Artist of the Year in fine form.
Adele. Just, Adele.
There was only one major question ahead of BRITs awards 2022: is Adele coming?
The Easy On Me star was the main event at the awards ceremony, performing a powerful rendition of I Drink Wine before collecting three of the major accolades on the night including Best Artist, Song Of The Year, and Album Of The Year for globally successful album 30. It seemed Adele’s wins were a surprise to nobody except Adele, who hilariously claimed on the night "I can't believe a piano ballad won up against that many bangers."
The singer didn’t just dazzle on stage either. Following her red carpet shoot, eagle-eyed fans spotted a massive rock on Adele’s finger, sparking engagement rumours in the process. “Did Adele just casually let the world know she’s engaged to Rich Paul by wearing this whopper teardrop diamond ring at the BRITs?" asked one Twitter user.
Bukayo Saka living his best life
Like proud aunts and uncles, everyone appeared to rejoice when 20-year-old Arsenal star Bukayo Saka joined Club legend Ian Wright on stage to present Dave with his BRIT award on the night. As blogger Danielle Peazer tweeted, “My dad’s a hardcore Spurs fan so I might get in trouble for this but I’m absolutely fangirling because I love Ian Wright and Bukayo Saka.” Same, girl. Same.
Aldi serving quality memes
Liam Gallagher’s performance of Everything’s Electric was almost as epic as Mo Gilligan’s impression of Liam Gallagher (complete with bucket hat). Yet it was the ex-Oasis frontman’s outfit that really inspired the best memes of the night. I think I’ll let Aldi’s tweet say it all...
Dave’s legendary performance
All the pyrotechnics were employed for Dave’s now-legendary closing performance of emotionally charged track In The Fire, as he shared the stage with UK artists Giggs, Fredo, Ghettz, Meeks, and a gospel choir. The two-time BRIT award winner, who took home the award for Best Hip Hop/Grime Act, played multiple instruments, including a fire-shooting electric guitar. As Bolu Babalola tweeted in response: “Dave the rockstar!” Agreed.
