The Brit Awards 2017

Often referred to as the "British Grammys,” the Brit Awards certainly offers the same kind of excitement. The 37^th edition of the nation’s biggest music awards ceremony, held on 22 February at the The O2 in London, showcased the diversity of music the British are known for.

Emeli Sandé performing

The Winners
Unsurprisingly, legendary signer David Bowie, who died last January, won the night’s two biggest nods, British Male Solo Artist and Best British Album for “Blackstar.” The son of one of Britain's most significant and radical musicians collected the Best Album prize, saying, "He's always been there supporting people who think they're a little bit weird or a little bit strange.” One shock winner, however, was Rag N Bone Man, who took home the Best Breakthrough, beating Stormzy and Skepta. Soul performer Emeli Sandé made it to the top with the Best British Female Solo Artist, while winners in the international categories included Beyoncé, Drake and rap icons A Tribe Called Quest. And of course Adele, on a break from her world tour, wasn’t left out, accepting her Global Achievement prize via video. The 1975 won the British Group category, while ex “Take That” singer, Robbie Williams, was the third person to walk away with the British Icon statue.

Ed Sheeran and Stormzy performing

The Most Outstanding Performances
Little Mix, winners of Best British Single (“Shout Out To My Ex”) kicked off the event alongside their dancers who were decked out in silver. George Michael, another iconic star who died last year, was also honoured, with Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s touching performance of  “A Different Corner.”

Coldplay and The Chainsmokers performing

On the same note, Andrew Ridgeley, Pepsi and Shirlie, who were part of Wham!, said, "His beautiful voice will live on forever as a gift to us all," during their heart-warming speech. Although he didn’t win, Skepta wowed with his thrilling and powerful execution of “Shut Down.”

Another grime singer, Stormzy joined Ed Sheeran in an unlikely pairing to sing “Shape Of You.” They seemed to be the only ones who got the music execs excited.

Katy Perry also put on a spectacular show of her new single, “Chained To The Rhythm.” Two giant dancing skeleton mannequins, a reference to Donald Trump and Theresa May’s meeting, accompanied her. The political message was clear, but the audience seemed to react more to one of Perry’s dancers falling off stage. Other notable performances came from Sandé and American dancers The Chainsmokers, who introduced “Something Just Like This.” The new single features Coldplay and the band’s frontman Chris Martin thought it would be fun to throw himself into the crowd.

The Katy Perry performance

A Bold Red Carpet
Different looks, from ones that transported us back to the 80s to leopard prints and feather flares, meant there were hits as well as misses on the red carpet. Some of our favourite looks included one by Katy Perry, who wore a shimmering mini dress, pairing it off with a blazer.

Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall   of Little Mix on the red carpet

Rita Ora got the thumbs up too with her winning see-through number, while another victor in the style department, Ellie Goulding, opted for a rocker-style black gown with chain accents.

Then of course, there was Little Mix member Jade Thirlwall’s daring ensemble that was very hard to miss. Other bold looks included Charli XCX’s silky purple dress, Nicole Scherzinger’s crimped hair and thigh-high boots and Natalia Vodianova’s salmon-pink dress with a focus on the feather details.

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