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The Independent UK

National

Roisin O'Connor

Brit awards - as it happened: Pink closes ceremony as The 1975 win Best Album award

The Brit Awards began with a mind-boggling performance from Hugh Jackman performing a song from The Greatest Showman and closed with two vibrant shows with The 1975 and Pink.

The 1975 picked up two of the biggest awards of the night, for Best British Group and Best Album, for their latest LP A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships.

Jorja Smith, George Ezra, The 1975, Little Mix and The Carters (Beyonce and Jay Z) all picked up awards, and the audience was been treated to some vibrant, superbly choreographed performances from Little Mix and Ms Banks, Dua Lipa with Calvin Harris, and a stripped-down, moving show from Jorja Smith.

The 1975 made a powerful speech as they accepted the award for Best British Group, quoting Guardian deputy music editor Laura Snapes who wrote in a recent article: "Male misogynist acts are examined for nuance and defended as traits of ‘difficult’ artists, [while] women and those who call them out are treated as hysterics who don’t understand art," in reference to the recent allegations about Ryan Adams.

This year’s set of nominations was largely female-led, with more women acts than men up for awards in the Best Single, Video, Breakthrough and Album categories.

There appeared to be more of an attempt to acknowledge genres other than rock and pop, reflected in nods for rapper Giggs, R&B singers Jorja Smith and Ella Mai, electronic artist Aphex Twin and jazz musician Kamasi Washington.

“I think the Brits are very aware that things needed to improve, and I’ve seen a purposeful change in who’s chucked into the ring [over the past few years],”Amfo told The Independent. “Across genres, across gender lines… clearly it’s a very female-led year, which I’m very happy about.

"Women have been making great music, we’ve been loud, and I’m glad that’s being acknowledged."

The liveblog has now closed

2019-02-20T13:18:01.390Z

Hello and welcome to The Independent's Brit Awards liveblog for 2019!

We'll be bringing you all the latest updates, comment, pictures and video from the big night, which is taking place at the O2 Arena in London. If you're watching from home, you can tune in on ITV from 8pm and also follow along on social media.

2019-02-20T13:20:22.313Z

First thing's first: Who are this year's nominees?

Take a look at the full list, here:

George Ezra, Anne-Marie, Jorja Smith and The 1975 lead Brit 2019 nominations – see the full list

The IndependentWinners will be announced in a ceremony at the O2 Arena on 20 February

2019-02-20T13:45:40.000Z

The Brits appear to be following the Grammys example when it comes to acknowledging a wider range of artists this year. In 2017 they attracted criticism for managing a diverse list of nominations... only to give all the awards to (mostly) white male musicians.

2018 was a massive improvement, both for the awards themselves and also the artists who performed on the night. Who can forget that incredible, hair-raising show from Stormzy where he called out Theresa May over Grenfell? It's going to be hard to top that this year.

This year's list of nominations are pretty female-led, with a majority held in some of the top categories including Best Album and Breakthrough Artist. We'll have to wait and see if they live up to the hype.

2019-02-20T14:05:40.000Z

When it comes to awards ceremonies, it's anybody's guess with who walks away with each prize. That said, the Brits tend to be a little bit more predictable than a show like the Grammys, so we've taken a stab at predicting who will win each award... and who should win.

Brit Awards predictions: Who will win, and who should win

The IndependentThe mood for the Brits in 2019 is one of hope, that they will continue to acknowledge just how diverse the UK music scene really is

2019-02-20T14:40:51.000Z

Here's an interesting argument from David Lister about why, as Pink is about to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award, the Brits should consider only giving the honour to British artists

Why the Brits should stick to honouring British artists

The IndependentExtending the Outstanding Contribution in Music award to overseas artists implies the best musical talent can only be found outside the UK. Are not Pink Floyd and Radiohead worthy recipients? David Lister argues

2019-02-20T15:00:51.000Z

While most of us can probably agree that the Brits are a far tamer affair compared to the days of water fights (John Prescott vs Chumbawamba), real fights (Ronnie Wood and Brandon Block) and challenges to a fight (Oasis, basically every year), there have still been plenty of jaw-dropping moments each year. Here's our pick of the top 10:

The 10 most shocking moments at the Brit Awards

The IndependentMany will claim that nothing quite compares to the days of on-stage brawls and water fights with politicians, but there have been plenty of memorable moments since

2019-02-20T15:20:51.000Z

Here's a handy guide to everything you might need to know about tonight, including how to watch, who's presenting, performing, and all of the nominees!

Everything you need to know about this year's Brit Awards

The IndependentJack Whitehall returning as host for ceremony at London's O2 Arena

2019-02-20T15:40:51.000Z

Our lifestyle team have done a great look at some of the most memorable outfits over the years. Pretty sure no one will ever out-do Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress though.

13 of the most memorable Brit Awards looks of all time

The IndependentWho can forget Geri Halliwell's historic Union Jack dress from 1997?

2019-02-20T16:00:51.000Z

Here's a refresher for who won the Brits Critics' Choice this year: Sam Fender

Fender performs energetic guitar-based tracks that lead on his soulful vocals. His lyrics tend to focus on social and political issues such as masculinity, depression, and the lack of opportunities for UK youth.

He released nine singles over 2017 and 2018, and performed a string of live shows

Sam Fender wins Brits Critics' Choice Award 2019

The IndependentSinger-songwriter says he was 'humbled' to receive the award

2019-02-20T16:20:51.000Z

Here's a look back at that incredible Stormzy performance where he called out Theresa May. That night, the grime star also took home two of the top awards, for Best British Male, and Album of the Year

Stormzy uses Brit Awards to call out Theresa May over Grenfell

The IndependentGrime star reigned supreme at this year's music event

2019-02-20T16:40:51.000Z

That performance by Stormzy prompted our features writer Alexandra Pollard to write a piece about how, in 2018, the music industry stood up to injustice

From Stormzy to Janelle Monae – this was the year that the music industry stood up to injustice

The IndependentPop stars are no longer reluctant to speak out about politics, writes Alexandra Pollard

2019-02-20T17:00:05.000Z

Here's another look at our predictions for who is most likely to win at tonight's ceremony... and who should win

Brit Awards predictions: Who will win, and who should win

The IndependentThe mood for the Brits in 2019 is one of hope, that they will continue to acknowledge just how diverse the UK music scene really is

2019-02-20T17:20:05.000Z

Last year's awards show was a drastic improvement on 2017, which many considered to be a whitewash, after early pledges from organisers to do better. Stormzy triumphed with wins for British Male Solo Artist and also the most prestigious award of the night, for British Album of the Year. Kendrick Lamar, who actually graced the stage at the O2 (a rarity considering so few international nominees actually turn up at the Brits), won for International Male Solo Artist; Lorde received the international female prize, and Jorja Smith won the coveted Critics’ Choice award.

A year on from that night and just a few weeks after the Grammys finally acknowledged the achievements of so many undervalued female artists (including Kacey Musgraves, Cardi B and Dua Lipa), the mood for the Brits in 2019 is one of hope that they will continue to acknowledge just how diverse the UK music scene really is. The nominations are certainly female-led in some of the biggest categories, including Best British Single, Breakthrough Artist and Album of the Year. There also appears to be an attempt to recognise genres outside of pop and mainstream rock, with nods to rapper Giggs, jazz musician Kamasi Washington, and electronic artist Aphex Twin.

2019-02-20T17:40:05.000Z

The Breakthrough Award is chosen by BBC Radio 1 listeners, who have to pick between Tom Walker, Ella Mai, Jorja Smith, Idles and Mabel. Walker had huge success with his song “Leave the Light On” but hasn’t really established an engaged fanbase yet. Smith, Mabel and Ella Mai all have an equal shot, but Mai and Smith are the most likely to achieve success over in the US. A real upset would be if the punk rock band Idles win, simply because the Brits are so far from their own scene (they called the nod “f***ing stunning” and said they were being recognised “in a vapid chamber”).

Will win: Jorja Smith

Should win: Jorja Smith or Ella Mai

2019-02-20T17:55:25.100Z

Dua Lipa has taken to the red carpet at the Brit awards 2019 wearing a fuchsia-coloured dress.

The singer posed for photos at The O2 in the ensemble which consisted of a black embellished lace bodysuit that descended into a pink balloon ankle-length skirt.

2019-02-20T18:00:05.000Z

We're getting closer and closer to the ceremony, so here's another look at the nominations in full

George Ezra, Anne-Marie, Jorja Smith and The 1975 lead Brit 2019 nominations – see the full list

The IndependentWinners will be announced in a ceremony at the O2 Arena on 20 February

2019-02-20T18:43:26.166Z

Little Mix have arrived at the Brit awards 2019. The foursome are sporting an electric range of looks for their red carpet moment with the focus clearly on Hollywood-inspired 1950s glamour.

Jesy Nelson (from left) is wearing a sheer black floor-length halterneck dress while Perry Edwards has opted for a strapless corset-structured midnight blue dress with a thigh-high split. Jade Thirlwall wears a high-neck white embellished sleeved dress with a similar thigh-high split which perfectly complements Leigh-Anne Pinnock's emerald-green halterneck dress that shows off her midriff.

The British pop group are scheduled to perform alongside rapper Ms Banks at tonight's ceremony, where they are also nominated for British Video of the Year for their pop-reggae track "Woman Like Me".

2019-02-20T19:09:38.116Z

Apparently Dua Lipa is really keen to meet her idol Pink tonight. Pretty sure she'll get her chance!

2019-02-20T19:13:52.703Z

Reminiscing over Liam Gallagher's swagger at the Brits which simply cannot be beaten

2019-02-20T19:39:24.350Z

Everyone's sitting down for dinner in the arena right now, the awards will begin in about 20 minutes!

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See all of our Brits 2019 coverage here.

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