Brit Awards 2024 - live: RAYE wins Album of the Year in triumphant night
Dua Lipa and Kylie Minogue were among the stars who performed at the star-studded ceremony
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RAYE was undoubtedly the star of this year’s Brit Awards, which were held on Saturday night (2 March) at the O2 Arena in London.
The British pop star, 26, received a record-breaking seven nominations in 2024 and had already been awarded the prize for Songwriter of the Year prior to the ceremony.
She triumphed in six of her seven nominated categories, taking home awards for Best R&B, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year.
RAYE’s success comes after the musician parted ways with her former label, Polydor, in 2021. She released her critically acclaimed debut My 21st Century Blues as an independent artist last year.
You can find a full list of winners, including Boygenius and Dua Lipa, here.
The ceremony, which was hosted by first-timers Maya Jama, Roman Kemp and Clara Amfo, featured live performances by RAYE, Dua Lipa, Tate McRae, Jungle and Kylie Minogue.
RAYE also has two songs up for Song of the Year: “Prada” with producer Cassö and hip hop collective D-Block Europe, and “Escapism” with rapper 070 Shake.
With seven nominations, she beat a record that was previously jointly held by Gorillaz, Craig David and Robbie Williams, who had each been nominated for six awards in a single year.
In a video message, RAYE alluded to the drama of the past few years as she thanked her fans for their support.
“This time a year ago, as far as the industry was concerned I was down and out,” she said, adding that it was “incredible” to be up for seven Brit Awards.
See the full list of Brit Award nominations 2024
Organisers said they would attempt to improve on last year’s ceremony, after both the Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year categories failed to include a single female artist
Flashback: Wet Leg win Best New Artist at Brit Awards 2023
Who’s performing and presenting at the Brit Awards this year?
The Brit Awards look set to follow the Grammys in acknowledging the achievements of female artists over the past 12 months.
The British music ceremony takes place this Saturday (2 March) at the O2 Arena in London, where stars including Dua Lipa, RAYE, Mahalia, Little Simz and Arlo Parks are all up for top awards.
Representation is significantly improved this year after controversy surrounding categories with all-male nominees last year. More than half of the Song of the Year and Artist of the Year nominees featured female artists, while four out of five nominees for Best New Artist were women.
As usual, the ceremony will also involve a number of live performances from many of the nominated artists. Here are the ones confirmed so far.
Who’s performing and presenting at the Brit Awards this year?
From Dua Lipa to RAYE, some of the biggest stars of the past 12 months will perform live at the O2 Arena on 2 March
The biggest moments from the 2023 Brit Awards
Women dominated UK pop charts in 2023 as festivals and awards shows plagued by diversity rows
A reminder of the music industry landscape going into 2024
Women dominated UK pop charts in 2023 as music industry plagued by diversity rows
Seven out of 10 of the biggest singles in 2023 were by women, data from the Official Singles Chart shows, as UK industry bodies come under pressure to acknowledge the talent and success of female artists
BRIT Awards 2018: Ed Sheeran wins Global Success Award award
Kylie Minogue is performing tonight!
Kylie Minogue has been announced as one of this year’s Brit performances and will also be presented with the Global Icon award, following the success of her summer hit, “Padam Padam”.
“I am beyond thrilled to be honoured with the Global Icon Award and to be joining a roll call of such incredible artists,” Minogue said in a statement.
“The UK has always been a home from home, so the Brits have a very special place in my heart.”
She added: “I have some amazing memories from the awards of the years and I can’t wait to be back on the Brits stage. See you at The O2!”
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Who’s presenting tonight?
This year’s awards show will be hosted by Love Island: All Stars presenter Maya Jama, and radio presenters Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp.
“The great thing about The Brits is that you never know what could happen, live TV is an opportunity for beautiful chaos!” Amfo said.
Clara Amfo presenting a Brit Award with pop star Niall Horan (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Kemp added: “When they told me, I cried. The Brits has always been on this pedestal for me, because in terms of excitement in the UK, there is nothing like it.”
“Everyone’s been coming up with ideas, jotting down what we want from it,” Jama said. “In my brain, I’m telling myself, “This will be something to show my grandkids, so don’t mess it up!”
The Brit Awards 2024 take place on Saturday 2 March and will be broadcast live on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player from 8.30pm.
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