Olivia Dean was the big winner at the BRIT Awards in its new home at Co-op Live in Manchester.
Following her Grammys win earlier in the month, the Capitol-signed UK star collected four BRITs – Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year for The Art Of Loving, Pop Act and Song Of The Year with Sam Fender for Rein Me In.
It is the third year in which women have dominated at the ceremony – Raye in 2024, Charli XCX in 2025 and now Olivia Dean in 2026.
It was notable that this year’s BRITs – overseen by Sony Music’s Stacey Tang (RCA co-president) as BRITs chair – felt like a showcase for revitalised UK music in terms of success for multiple artists at home and internationally.
There were performances from artists including Olivia Dean, Harry Styles, Raye, Wolf Alice, Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – the singing voices of Huntr/x, Alex Warren, Rosalía and Sombr, as well as surprise appearances from Dua Lipa and Ghostface Killah with Mark Ronson.
“It is a great time in British music and music in general,” said Lola Young as she collected her Breakthrough Artist award following the global impact of Messy. It was one of two awards for Island, along with Rising Star for Jacob Alon.
With two awards for Sam Fender, Polydor Label Group was involved with five awards on the night (with Fender and Dean sharing Song Of The Year).
Ben Mortimer, president, Polydor Label Group, said: "What a brilliant night in Manchester for Polydor Label Group, taking home more wins than any other label. Sam and Olivia are the most exciting artists in UK music at the moment and their success is a testament to our dedication to long-term artist development, and our commitment for finding and backing talent from across the country. As an ex-student of the University of Manchester I felt very proud to have been able to celebrate such a great night in this brilliant, vibrant city."
Jo Charrington, president, Capitol UK, added: “To see Olivia walk onto the BRIT Awards’ stage four separate times to collect those trophies was incredibly powerful. To take home not only Song of the Year alongside Sam Fender and Pop Artist Of The Year, but also the two landmark honours of the night - Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year for The Art Of Loving - was emotional and deeply deserved. The Art Of Loving has been such a defining, successful record, and this felt like the moment it was truly crowned. Winning four BRITs isn’t just a headline, it’s a reflection of the craft, vision and connection she’s been building alongside the incredible teamwork of everyone around her.”
Columbia represented acts who won three awards (Wolf Alice – Group Of The Year, Mark Ronson – Outstanding Contribution, Rosalía – International Artist), while Atlantic was behind two trophies – Fred Again.. for Dance Act (shared with Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax) and Apt by Rosé & Bruno Mars.
The other big story of the BRIT Awards 2026 was the move to Manchester for the 46th edition – the ceremony’s first time out of London.
Returning host Jack Whitehall welcomed viewers to “the home of Britpop, rave and Mick Hucknall”.
With organisers confirming the biggest ever BRITs audience at tonight’s show, Co-op Live already feels like its natural home. A return leg is confirmed for 2027.
“As a Waitrose man this is my first ever time in a Co-op,” quipped Whitehall.
With the ceremony taking place in an arena, Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell ensured no one forgot the closure of 30 grassroots venues last year.
“Thank you to those who continually fight to keep them open,” she said.
The move to Manchester undoubtedly injected some more energy into proceedings, while an eclectic set of winners made for a less predictable show. And there was the presence of Mancunians Shaun Ryder and Bez – although they were in surprisingly tame form.
Sombr continued performing during a brief stage invasion (later confirmed as staged as part of the act). The only potentially controversial speech was by Max Bassin of Geese (“free Palestine, f*** ICE, love Mani”) – although it was bleeped out by ITV anyway.
Organisers also borrowed a trick from other ceremonies by speeding up the broadcast with genre categories combined together in a quick catch-up section.
Read on for the key moments from this first ever BRITs outside the capital…
FIRST KISS
Dressed in shirt and tie, Harry Styles made his much-anticipated return at Co-op Live (a venue he invested in) with the first performance of his No.1 single Aperture at the BRIT Awards. A classic big opener with a throng of dancers in dark glasses, Styles made liberal use of the arena’s ego ramp and circular stage in the audience. It seems certain to push Aperture back into the upper reaches of the Top 10, as well as nicely setting up new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, out March 6.
OLIVIA FOREVER
Ten years ago, Olivia Dean attended the awards as a pupil of the BRIT School. This time she was the big winner with four awards, including the first of the night for Sam Fender collaboration Rein Me In. Dean won all the awards possible for her on the night – she was up against herself for Song Of The Year – and performed a captivating, no-frills rendition of Man I Need.
“Making this album has changed my life, I feel proud to have made it and to have worked with everyone I did on it,” she said when collecting the Album Of The Year trophy. “This album is just about loving and loving each other in a world that feels lovelessness right now.”
Dean’s second album, The Art Of Loving, can now expect a further chart boost. It has already spent seven weeks at No.1 and leads the way as the most consumed album of 2026. Since its release in September, it has amassed consumption of 434,089 units (Official Charts Company).
“It takes a lot of people to be a good artist,” she said when collecting the trophy for Artist Of The Year. “It’s not lost on me that I have good people around me.”
K-POP AT THE BRITS
K-pop had a big 2025 and that was reflected at the BRITs. Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – the singing voices of Huntr/x from K-Pop Demon Hunters – performed Golden from the animated film in a pre-recorded segment to fans outside the venue along with celebratory fireworks. As well as being the first K-pop performance at the BRITs, the ceremony also had the first K-pop winner with the victory in the publicly voted International Song Of The Year for Apt by Rosé & Bruno Mars.
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL STAR
The biggest band of 2025 were not actually eligible for the BRITs, where the categories only recognise new recordings. But with the ceremony moving to Manchester, it seemed inevitable that Oasis would be represented somehow.
The solution was a Songwriter Of The Year award for Noel Gallagher – ”your songwriter of the year, 1996” as Whitehall joked. The trophy was presented by Bobby Gillespie who summed up the reunion shows: “They were magnificent, it was like being at a Cup Final with everyone supporting the same team and everyone winning.”
Thanking the public who “kept the songs alive”, Noel Gallagher also made a point of acknowledging the role of his brother, Liam, and the band. “They brought those songs to life,” he said. “Without them I'd just be a singer-songwriter.. and no one gives a shit about singer-songwriters.”
ON THE MARK
Mark Ronson was a popular winner of the Outstanding Contribution – even more so when it turned out he’d persuaded Dua Lipa to make a surprise appearance for Dance The Night and Electricity. Ghostface Killah and The Dap-Kings also appeared for the medley including a tribute to Amy Winehouse.
During his acceptance speech, Ronson recalled his first meeting with Winehouse. He also thanked Sony Music’s Rob Stringer and Jason Iley who “let me keep making these records”.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
“This may be the most highbrow performance ITV has ever aired,” said Whitehall of the appearance by Rosalía. In fact, this year’s ceremony embraced leftfield and critically acclaimed artists with wins for Geese, Wolf Alice and Rosalía, whose orchestral rave performance of Berghain featured Björk and the Heritage Orchestra. She became the first person to win the BRIT Award for Best International Artist for an album predominantly sung in a language other than English. Meanwhile, Ellie Rowsell was held aloft by dancers as Wolf Alice showed their ability to step up to big awards shows.
RIP OZZY
Ozzy Osbourne was honoured with a BRITs Lifetime Achievement award, in recognition and celebration of his impact and influence on music worldwide. The award was introduced by country music icon and close friend Dolly Parton through a video message, and was accepted in person by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne.
“He was at the top of his game for 56 years,” said Sharon Osbourne. “He was totally unpredictable, a wild man, a true artist… He was the most humble egomaniac you could ever meet.”
An all-star rock tribute performance of No More Tears was fronted by Robbie Williams and featured musicians that played as part of Osbourne’s band over the years: Adam Wakeman, Robert Trujillo, Tommy Clufetos and Zakk Wylde.
PHOTO: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty
BRIT AWARDS WINNERS 2026
AWARD - SONG OF THE YEAR WITH MASTERCARD
Winner - Sam Fender (with Olivia Dean)
AWARD - HIP HOP/GRIME/RAP ACT
Winner: Dave
AWARD - GROUP OF THE YEAR
Winner - Wolf Alice
AWARD - DANCE ACT
Winner: Fred again../Skepta/PlaqueBoyMax
AWARD - BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Winner: Lola Young
AWARD - INTERNATIONAL SONG OF THE YEAR
Winner: ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
AWARD - ALTERNATIVE / ROCK ACT
Winner - Sam Fender
AWARD - INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Winner: Geese
AWARD - POP ACT
Winner: Olivia Dean
AWARD - R&B ACT
Winner: SAULT
AWARD - INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Winner - ROSALÍA
AWARD - ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Winner: Olivia Dean
AWARD - MASTERCARD ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Olivia Dean
AWARD - SONGWRITER
Winner: Noel Gallagher
AWARD - OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION
Winner: Mark Ronson
AWARD - LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Winner: Ozzy Osbourne
BRITS CRITICS' CHOICE
Winner: Jacob Alon
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Winner: PinkPantheress
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