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Brit Award for Song of the Year

British music award category created 1977 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brit Award for Song of the Year
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The Brit Award for Song of the Year is an award given by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), an organisation which represents record companies and artists in the United Kingdom.[1] The accolade is presented at the Brit Awards, an annual celebration of British and international music.[2] The winners and nominees are determined by the Brit Awards voting academy with over one-thousand members, which comprise record labels, publishers, managers, agents, media, and previous winners and nominees.[3] The award was first known as Brit Award for British Single, from the inaugural 1977 Brit Awards[4] through to the 2019 Brit Awards,[5] was first renamed as Song of the Year in 2020,[6] returned to the name British Single in 2021,[7] then returned to Song of the Year in 2022.[8]

Quick Facts Awarded for, Country ...

In 1984 and 1991, the category was non-competitive, with the award given directly to the highest-selling single of the year.

The inaugural recipients in this category were Queen and Procol Harum, who both won in 1977. The current holder of the award is Charli XCX, who won in 2025 for "Guess" featuring Billie Eilish.

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Achievements

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Robbie Williams is the biggest winner in this category with six, including three as a member of Take That, who have five wins, the most of any group. They are followed by three-time winner Adele, and Harry Styles, who won twice as a solo artist and once as a member of One Direction. Queen are the only other act to win more than once, with two. Williams leads all performers with twelve nominations, followed by Calvin Harris, who has nine. Take That has the most nominations as a group, with seven. Dua Lipa has the most nominations among female artists, with seven. Ed Sheeran holds the record for most nominations without a win, with eight.

Take That were the first act to win British Single in two consecutive years: in 1993 ("Could It Be Magic") and 1994 ("Pray"), and they repeated this feat, winning in 2007 with "Patience" and 2008 with "Shine". That record was overtaken by Robbie Williams, a former member of the band, when he had three wins in a row with "Angels" (1999), "She's the One" (2000), and "Rock DJ" (2001).

The first female act to win the award was Spice Girls in 1997, for "Wannabe". Dido became the first female solo performer to win in 2004, for "White Flag". Adele is the first female artist to win the award twice, winning for "Skyfall" in 2013 and "Hello" in 2016 and then became the first woman to win three times with 2022's "Easy on Me".

The first and only tie in this category in Brits history happened at the inaugural ceremony in 1977, when both "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen and "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum won the award.

Unlike other categories, international artists are eligible for British Single/Song of the Year if the primary artist is British. The first foreign artist to win this award was Bruno Mars in 2015 as a featured artist on Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk"; since then, two more foreign artists won the award: 070 Shake (as the featured artist in "Escapism" by Raye) in 2024 and Billie Eilish (as the featured artist in "Guess" by Charli XCX) in 2025.

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Recipients

1970s

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Joint-inaugural winners Procol Harum
More information Year, Single ...

1980s

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1984 winners Culture Club received the award for their iconic single "Karma Chameleon"
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1987 recipients Pet Shop Boys
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Rick Astley won in 1988 for "Never Gonna Give You Up"

1990s

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Phil Collins won the award in 1990
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1991 recipients Depeche Mode
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Two-time winners Queen
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Five-time winners Take That
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Spice Girls won for their worldwide smash "Wannabe"
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Robbie Williams holds the record for most wins in this category, with six. Williams won three of his awards as a member of Take That, and three as a solo artist.
More information Year, Single ...

2000s

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2002 winners S Club 7
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Dido became the first solo female winner in 2004 for "White Flag"
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Will Young received the award in 2005
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2006 winners Coldplay
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Girls Aloud won for their comeback single "The Promise"
More information Year, Single ...

2010s

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2011 winner Tinie Tempah
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One Direction won for their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful"
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Three-time recipient Adele
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Bruno Mars is the first non-British recipient of the award, winning as a featured artist on Ronson's "Uptown Funk"
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Little Mix won the award in 2017
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2018 winner Rag'n'Bone Man
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2019 winner and nine-time nominee Calvin Harris
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Dua Lipa won the award for featuring on Harris' "One Kiss", and is the most-nominated woman in the category
More information Year, Single ...

2020s

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2020 award recipient Lewis Capaldi
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Three-time winner Harry Styles received the award in 2012 as a member of One Direction, and 2021 and 2023 as a solo artist
More information Year, Single ...
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Artists with multiple wins

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  1. Including his three wins as a member of Take That.
  2. Including his 2012 win as a member of One Direction.

Artists with multiple nominations

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12 nominations
9 nominations
8 nominations
7 nominations
5 nominations
4 nominations
3 nominations
2 nominations

Notes

  1. Including five as a member of Take That.
  2. Including one as a member of Wham!.
  3. Including three as a member of Little Mix.
  4. Including two as a member of One Direction.
  5. Including one as a member of Girls Aloud.
  6. Including one as a member of Mis-Teeq.
  7. Including one as a member of the Spice Girls.
  8. Including one as a member of The Beatles.
  9. Including one as a member of S Club 7.
  10. Including one as a member of Bananarama and one as a member of Shakespears Sister.
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Notes

References

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