— Additional reporting by Ashleigh Gray, Luke Morton, and Samantha Viner
The Brits are back, and the live music awards ceremony’s 30th anniversary was certainly a big one. With comedian Peter Kay hosting, highlights included Robbie’s special singles mix, Dizzee Rascal and Florence Welch’s duet, Lady Gaga’s acoustic performance and a few surprise winners. Lady Gaga was the clear winner of the night, winning all three categories she was nominated for, with JLS close behind with two wins. The Linc’s Culture writers predicted the winners of each category last week, but how many did we get? Find out below.
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British Male Solo Artist
There’s a nice variety for this category. Although Paolo Nutini has made some great material, it’s unlikely that he’ll win. The same goes for Mika. Dizze Rascal is also nominated. His 2009 album “Tongue N’ Cheek” was a huge success, with “Bonkers” and “Holiday” becoming student anthems for many. Scottish electropop king Calvin Harris is also in with a chance after number one single “I’m Not Alone”. Don’t forget though, the two did collaborate on the number one hit “Dance Wiv Me”.
Predicted winner: Calvin Harris
Winner: Dizzee Rascal -
British Breakthrough Act
Florence & the Machine have celebrated a fantastic year. After slowly creeping into the music scene, Florence Welch is now an icon of the alternate indie scene. JLS are also nominated for this category. Their album has gone triple platinum since it’s release in November. Although La Roux have had a great year, this category is dominated by Florence Welch and JLS.
Predicted winner: JLS
Winner: JLS -
British Group
JLS have another nomination this time for British Group, though they’ll have to beat Devon rockers Muse. Their latest album, “The Resistance”, received many positive reviews from critics and fans alike, and their eccentricity and energy sets them apart from the other nominations. Kasabian are also in with a chance for this award, as well as Doves whose album “Kingdom of Rust” was released in April.
Predicted winner: Muse
Winner: Kasabian -
MasterCard British Album
All five nominations for this category are very strong, although three albums stand out. Florence & the Machine with “Lungs”, Kasabian with “West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum”, and Dizzee Rascal with “Tongue n’Cheek”. It’s a fight between indie rock and grime.
Predicted winner: Florence & the Machine – “Lungs”
Winner: Florence & the Machine – “Lungs” -
Brits Album 30 Years
Brit awards’ favourite Coldplay and their album “A Rush of Blood to the Head” is likely to be a favourite for this, as it was a huge commercial success and gained Chris Martin universal fame. However, as one of Britain’s most successful albums that still sells today, Oasis’s “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” is probably the one to beat. Also, with Oasis splitting last year — the end of an era for thousands of fans – them winning would make for an interesting acceptance speech (provided at least one Gallagher turns up).
Predicted winner: Oasis – “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”
Winner: Oasis – “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” -
The Brits Hit 30 years — Best Performance
A tough category here, considering it’s for best performance and not song, which leaves it wide open. Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” could potentially be the viewers’ favourite, thanks to Jarvis Cocker’s controversial interruption, or perhaps the Spice Girls’ “Who Do You Think You Are” routine with Geri’s infamous Union Jack dress. However, it is very likely that Britain’s favourite legend, Sir Paul McCartney will walk away with the gong for his “Live & Let Die” performance.
Predicted winner: Sir Paul McCartney – “Live & Let Die”
Winner: The Spice Girls – “Who Do You Think You Are” -
British Female Act
After a phenomenal 2009, Pixie Lott is surely the front runner for this award. Her debut single, “Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)”, went straight to number one in the UK chart and even got her name known in the US — a fantastic start to her career. She won two awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards last year and her second single “Boys and Girls” is being constantly played in UK clubs everywhere right now.
Predicted winner: Pixie Lott
Winner: Lily Allen -
International Male Solo Artist
There are a lot of big names in this category and none come much bigger than one of the biggest selling artists of all time, Bruce Springsteen. Having rocked Glastonbury festival last year, there has been a new love for The Boss amongst the British people. He certainly comes in the top two for this award, sharing it with Jay-Z. His latest album, “Blueprint III”, dominated the latter part of 2009 with hits such as “Empire State Of Mind” and the number one single “Run This Town”. Other nominees Eminem, Michael Buble, and Seasick Steve could all potentially win, as they’ve all had moderately-successful releases recently. However, Springsteen and Jay-Z are in a league of their own.
Predicted winner: Jay-Z
Winner: Jay-Z -
International Album
This one could go any way as all these albums have been huge this year. Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion” has very much been at the forefront of the “cutting-edge” new music media. Depending on the average age of the people voting for this award, Animal Collective could cause an upset. However, there are some big names to contend with. Jay-Z’s “Blueprint III” has been a big album this year, but Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” and Black Eyed Peas’ “The End” have had some big singles. “The Fame” has brought us the incredibly popular “Poker Face”, as well as three other number ones. Similarly, “The End” has spawned the massive singles “Boom Boom Pow”, “Meet Me Halfway”, and the insanely popular party anthem “I Gotta Feeling”. This award could go any way.
Predicted winner: Lady Gaga – “The Fame” / Black Eyed Peas – “The End”
Winner: Lady Gaga – “The Fame” -
International Breakthrough Act
2009 saw a lot of new acts become seemingly popular overnight, and this category brings us five of the biggest. Animal Collective are again very much the niche band here, but unless the voters are avid NME readers it doesn’t look likely they’ll win. The competition is primarily between Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. Both have sold many singles and albums in the UK over the past year, and are still rising in popularity. If the Grammys are anything to go by, Taylor Swift could have the upper hand after she claimed four awards. However, Lady Gaga has had more of a grasp of the UK charts in the past 12 months than Taylor Swift.
Predicted winner: Lady Gaga
Winner: Lady Gaga -
Critics’ Choice
This year’s Critics’ Choice will be a hard one, as there are some strong contenders here. Marina and the Diamonds have recently exploded onto the scene, and with Marina’s quirky voice and clever lyrics most people can relate to, she could easily be the winner. Then there is Ellie Goulding, who has been a bit of a slower burner than Marina, but has a great voice and collection of songs a lot of indie fans would be into. Delphic are reminiscent of bands such as the Klaxons, though that may not go down well with voters. Marina has definitely got the edge on this one.
Predicted winner: Marina and the Diamonds
Winner: Ellie Goulding -
British Single
There are a wide range of artists in here for everyone’s tastes. Alesha Dixon’s single “Breathe Slow” is definitely the worst of her solo work, and although Pixie Lott’s “Mama Do” has an extremely catchy chorus it’s doubtful it will be quite enough to top some of the other contenders’ singles. The same applies to the likes of Taio Cruz with “Break Your Heart”, Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz with “Number One”, Lily Allen’s “The Fear”, and Cheryl Cole’s “Fight For This Love”. This leaves the category with La Roux’s “In For The Kill” and a number of X-Factor finalists: JLS, Joe McElderry, and Alexandra Burke. These artist combined have a multitude of catchy songs or big personalities. It would be great for La Roux to win, but last year’s X Factor winner Alexandra Burke may take this with “Bad Boys”.
Predicted winner: Alexandra Burke – “Bad Boys”
Winner: JLS – Beat Again -
International Female Artist
This category has some very deserving artists this year. Both Rhianna and Shakira have provided excellent music over the year and throughly deserve to be nominated, but there is only one winner here. Love or hate her, Lady Gaga has certainly had people talking, whether it’s her daring outfits and hairstyles, or crazy music videos and surprising performances. Her electronic pop music on its own deserves recognition – her record breaking album “The Fame” was top of the chart for a number of weeks, as well as all of her singles heading to number one. The clear winner of this category is Lady Gaga.
Predicted winner: Lady Gaga
Winner: Lady Gaga