Brit Awards

Brit Awards

The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the <a href="/en/British_Phonographic_Industry" title="British Phonographic Industry" class="wl">British Phonographic Industry</a>'s annual <a href="/en/Popular_music" title="Popular music" class="wl">popular music</a> awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored by <a href="/en/Britannia_Music_Club" title="Britannia Music Club" class="wl">Britannia Music Club</a>), but subsequently became a <a href="/en/Backronym" title="Backronym" class="wl">backronym</a> for British Record Industry Trusts Show.<a href="#cite_note-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> In addition, an equivalent awards ceremony for classical music, called the <a href="/en/Classic_Brit_Awards" title="Classic Brit Awards" class="wl">Classic BRIT Awards</a>, is held in May. The awards were first held in 1977 and originated as an annual event in 1982 under the auspices of the British record industry's trade association, the <a href="/en/British_Phonographic_Industry" title="British Phonographic Industry" class="wl">BPI</a>. In 1989, they were renamed The BRIT Awards.<a href="#cite_note-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;">[3]</a> <a href="/en/Mastercard" title="Mastercard" class="wl">Mastercard</a> has been the long-term sponsor of the event.<a href="#cite_note-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;">[4]</a>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">British popular music awards</div>


<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn">Quick facts: The BRIT Awards, Awarded for, Country, Presen... ▼</header> <table class="infobox vevent mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above summary">The BRIT Awards</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader">Current: <a href="/en/Brit_Awards_2023" title="Brit Awards 2023" class="wl">Brit Awards 2023</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><a href="/en/File:2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg/220px-2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="768" data-file-height="1024" data-file-type="bitmap" height="293" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg/330px-2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg/440px-2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg 2x" alt="2008_Brit_Awards_Earls_Court_Centre.jpg"></a><div class="infobox-caption">The entrance to <a href="/en/Earls_Court_Exhibition_Centre" title="Earls Court Exhibition Centre" class="wl">Earls Court</a> in London on the evening of <a href="/en/Brit_Awards_2008" title="Brit Awards 2008" class="wl">Brit Awards 2008</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="width: 33%;">Awarded for</th><td class="infobox-data">Excellence in music</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="width: 33%;">Country</th><td class="infobox-data location">United Kingdom</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="width: 33%;">Presented by</th><td class="infobox-data attendee"><a href="/en/British_Phonographic_Industry" title="British Phonographic Industry" class="wl">British Phonographic Industry</a> (BPI)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="width: 33%;">First awarded</th><td class="infobox-data">18&nbsp;October 1977; 45 years ago&nbsp;(1977-10-18) (as The British Record Industry Britannia Awards)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="width: 33%;">Website</th><td class="infobox-data"><a rel="mw:ExtLink nofollow" href="https://www.brits.co.uk/" class="external text" target="_blank">www.brits.co.uk</a> <a href="/en/Q223313#P856" title="Edit this at Wikidata" class="image wl"><img loading="lazy"alt="Edit this at Wikidata" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="20" data-file-height="20" data-file-type="drawing" height="10" width="10" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x"></a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Television/radio coverage</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="width: 33%;">Network</th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><a href="/en/Thames_Television" title="Thames Television" class="wl">Thames Television</a> (1977)<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a></li><li><a href="/en/BBC_One" title="BBC One" class="wl">BBC One</a> (1985–1992)</li><li><a href="/en/ITV_(TV_network)" title="ITV (TV network)" class="wl">ITV</a> (1993–present)</li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'>Close ▲</footer></div>
<figure class="mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg/250px-BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="4032" data-file-height="3024" data-file-type="bitmap" height="188" width="250" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg/375px-BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg/500px-BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg 2x" alt="BRIT_Awards_2020_Red_Carpet.jpg"></a><figcaption>Exterior of <a href="/en/The_O2_Arena" title="The O2 Arena" class="wl">the O2 Arena</a> in London (host venue since 2011) for the 2020 Brit Awards</figcaption></figure>

The highest profile music awards ceremony in the UK, the BRIT Awards have featured some of the most notable events in British popular culture, such as the final public appearance of <a href="/en/Freddie_Mercury" title="Freddie Mercury" class="wl">Freddie Mercury</a>, the <a href="/en/Jarvis_Cocker" title="Jarvis Cocker" class="wl">Jarvis Cocker</a> protest against <a href="/en/Michael_Jackson" title="Michael Jackson" class="wl">Michael Jackson</a>, the height of a <a href="/en/Britpop#&quot;The_Battle_of_Britpop&quot;" title="Britpop" class="wl">high-profile feud</a> between <a href="/en/Oasis_(band)" title="Oasis (band)" class="wl">Oasis</a> and fellow <a href="/en/Britpop" title="Britpop" class="wl">Britpop</a> band <a href="/en/Blur_(band)" title="Blur (band)" class="wl">Blur</a>, the <a href="/en/Union_Jack_dress" title="Union Jack dress" class="wl">Union Jack dress</a> worn by <a href="/en/Geri_Halliwell" title="Geri Halliwell" class="wl">Geri Halliwell</a> of the <a href="/en/Spice_Girls" title="Spice Girls" class="wl">Spice Girls</a>, and a <a href="/en/Chumbawamba" title="Chumbawamba" class="wl">Chumbawamba</a> member throwing a bucket of iced water over then-Deputy Prime Minister <a href="/en/John_Prescott" title="John Prescott" class="wl">John Prescott</a>.<a href="#cite_note-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;">[5]</a><a href="#cite_note-6" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 6;">[6]</a><a href="#cite_note-Harpers-7" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 7;">[7]</a><a href="#cite_note-8" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 8;">[8]</a> These moments took place in the 1990s when the ceremony had a reputation for being “a little shambolic, unpredictable and, at times, anarchic” with a criticism it has lost its edge since then and “evolved into a more polished, sanitised affair.”<a href="#cite_note-edge-9" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 9;">[9]</a>

The BRIT Awards were broadcast live until 1989, when <a href="/en/Samantha_Fox" title="Samantha Fox" class="wl">Samantha Fox</a> and <a href="/en/Mick_Fleetwood" title="Mick Fleetwood" class="wl">Mick Fleetwood</a> hosted a widely criticised show in which little went as rehearsed.<a href="#cite_note-Brits_Live-10" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 10;">[10]</a> From 1990 to 2006, the event was recorded and broadcast the following night. From 2007, The BRIT Awards reverted to a live broadcast on British television, on 14 February on <a href="/en/ITV_(TV_network)" title="ITV (TV network)" class="wl">ITV</a>.<a href="#cite_note-Brits_Live-10" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 10;">[10]</a> That year, comedian <a href="/en/Russell_Brand" title="Russell Brand" class="wl">Russell Brand</a> was the host and three awards were dropped from the ceremony: <a href="/en/Brit_Award_for_British_Rock_Act" title="Brit Award for British Rock Act" class="mw-redirect wl">British Rock Act</a>, <a href="/en/Brit_Award_for_British_Urban_Act" title="Brit Award for British Urban Act" class="mw-redirect wl">British Urban Act</a> and <a href="/en/Brit_Award_for_British_Pop_Act" title="Brit Award for British Pop Act" class="mw-redirect wl">British Pop Act</a>.<a href="#cite_note-Brits_Live-10" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 10;">[10]</a> For the last time, on 16 February 2010, <a href="/en/Earls_Court_Exhibition_Centre" title="Earls Court Exhibition Centre" class="wl">Earls Court</a> in London was the venue for The BRITs. The BRIT Awards were held at <a href="/en/The_O2_Arena" title="The O2 Arena" class="wl">the O2 Arena</a> in London for the first time in 2011.<a href="#cite_note-11" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 11;">[11]</a>

The BRIT Award statuette given to the winners features <a href="/en/Britannia" title="Britannia" class="wl">Britannia</a>, the female personification of Britain. Since 2011, the statuette has been regularly redesigned by well known British artists, architects, and designers including <a href="/en/Vivienne_Westwood" title="Vivienne Westwood" class="wl">Vivienne Westwood</a>,<a href="#cite_note-12" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 12;">[12]</a> <a href="/en/Damien_Hirst" title="Damien Hirst" class="wl">Damien Hirst</a>,<a href="#cite_note-13" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 13;">[13]</a> <a href="/en/Tracey_Emin" title="Tracey Emin" class="wl">Tracey Emin</a>,<a href="#cite_note-14" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 14;">[14]</a> <a href="/en/Peter_Blake_(artist)" title="Peter Blake (artist)" class="wl">Peter Blake</a>,<a href="#cite_note-15" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 15;">[15]</a> <a href="/en/Zaha_Hadid" title="Zaha Hadid" class="wl">Zaha Hadid</a>,<a href="#cite_note-16" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 16;">[16]</a> <a href="/en/Anish_Kapoor" title="Anish Kapoor" class="wl">Anish Kapoor</a>,<a href="#cite_note-17" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 17;">[17]</a> <a href="/en/David_Adjaye" title="David Adjaye" class="wl">David Adjaye</a>,<a href="#cite_note-18" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 18;">[18]</a> <a href="/en/Yinka_Ilori" title="Yinka Ilori" class="wl">Yinka Ilori</a> and <a href="/en/Es_Devlin" title="Es Devlin" class="wl">Es Devlin</a>,<a href="#cite_note-19" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 19;">[19]</a> <a href="/en/Pam_Hogg" title="Pam Hogg" class="wl">Pam Hogg</a>,<a href="#cite_note-20" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 20;">[20]</a> and <a href="/en/Oluola_Slawn" title="Oluola Slawn" class="wl">Oluola Slawn</a>.<a href="#cite_note-21" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 21;">[21]</a> In 1992, <a href="/en/The_KLF" title="The KLF" class="wl">KLF</a> opened the show and invited extreme metal band <a href="/en/Extreme_Noise_Terror" title="Extreme Noise Terror" class="wl">Extreme Noise Terror</a> on stage, complete with flame-throwers, and fired machine gun blanks over the crowd. The group sent a dead sheep to the aftershow party, and later buried their BRIT Award statuette at <a href="/en/Stonehenge" title="Stonehenge" class="wl">Stonehenge</a> signifying their abhorrence of the music industry.<a href="#cite_note-edge-9" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 9;">[9]</a> <a href="/en/Robbie_Williams" title="Robbie Williams" class="wl">Robbie Williams</a> holds the record for the most BRIT Awards, 13 as a solo artist and another five as part of <a href="/en/Take_That" title="Take That" class="wl">Take That</a>.<a href="#cite_note-22" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 22;">[22]</a> Girl group <a href="/en/Little_Mix" title="Little Mix" class="wl">Little Mix</a> made history at the <a href="/en/Brit_Awards_2021" title="Brit Awards 2021" class="wl">Brit Awards 2021</a>, when they became the first female group to receive the award for Best Group at the ceremony after 43 years since it was first introduced.<a href="#cite_note-23" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 23;">[23]</a>

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The BRIT Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" , but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trusts Show. The highest profile music awards ceremony in the UK, the BRIT Awards have featured some of the most notable events in British popular culture, such as the final public appearance of Freddie Mercury, the Jarvis Cocker protest against Michael Jackson, the height of a high-profile feud between Oasis and fellow Britpop band Blur, the Union Jack dress worn by Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls, and a Chumbawamba member throwing a bucket of iced water over then-Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. 