Harry Styles cleans up at Brit Awards with four prizes – and pays tribute to female stars as he wins best artist

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2 years ago

February 11, 2023

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Harry Styles has cleaned up at the Brit Awards, winning all four prizes he was nominated for – and paying tribute to female stars as he collected the trophy for best artist.

Styles is only the second-ever recipient of the award – merged from the best male and female act prizes in 2022 – and he was handed it this year amid controversy as no women were shortlisted.

Acknowledging this in his acceptance speech, the former One Direction star said he was “aware of his privilege”, and paid tribute to female stars including Charli XCX, Mabel, Rina Sawayama and Florence & The Machine, who were among those eligible for the gong.

He also thanked his mum “for signing me up for The X Factor without telling me, so I literally wouldn’t be here without you”, as well as his former bandmates Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik, “because I wouldn’t be here without you either”.

As well as best artist – beating Stormzy, George Ezra, Fred Again and Central Cee – Styles, 29, picked up the awards for best song for As It Was, best album for Harry’s House, and best pop/RnB act – which was voted for by the public.

Wet Leg were the other big winners at the ceremony, taking home the prizes for best new artist and group of the year. Before the ceremony, they joked about rivalry with Styles to Sky News – but are actually due to open for the star on his upcoming tour dates.

It was also a big night for Beyonce, who sent video messages to accept the prizes for best international artist and best international song, for Break My Soul.

“Thank you so much for this incredible recognition,” the star said in her first speech, before thanking her British fans and adding: “The renaissance begins!”

Some of the biggest names from the world of music attended the ceremony at London’s O2 Arena, which took place on a Saturday night for the first time.

Comedian Mo Gilligan hosted the show for the second year in a row, opening with a skit in which he arrived via a helicopter organised by Lizzo.

Styles gave the first performance of the night, while stars including Stormzy, Lizzo, Cat Burns, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Smith also performed.

In the other genre categories, all voted for by the public, rapper Aitch took home the award for best hip hop/grime/rap act, while Becky Hill won the dance prize for the second year in a row, and The 1975 were named best rock/alternative act.

Hill, whose vocals have featured on numerous top 10 dance-pop singles, was tearful as she told the Brits audience how she felt she was getting over her “imposter syndrome”.

The Brits 2023 turns into Harry’s House

Katie Spencer

Arts and entertainment correspondent

@SkyKatieSpencer

This was Harry’s house. More than a decade on from The X Factor and his rise to boyband fame, the 29-year-old solo artist is now at the top of his game.
With four trips up to the podium, he became a semi-permanent fixture on the Brits stage.

While this year’s all-male best artist shortlist caused controversy – from Styles, its winner, there was an acknowledgment of his “privilege” and the women noticeably absent from the shortlist.

While the weight of male artists nominated for Brits this year may have dominated the conversation ahead of the ceremony, Styles’ four wins are now the talking point – victory for an artist intent on blurring gender lines and rallying against toxic masculinity.

David Guetta, who closed the show with a medley featuring Hill and stars including Eurovision performer Sam Ryder, was named producer of the year, while girl band FLO were announced as the winners of the 2023 rising star award ahead of the ceremony.

But it was undeniably Styles’ night – and came after he won the award for best album at the Grammys in LA less than a week earlier.

The last time an act secured four Brits in one year was 2016, when Adele swept away the competition following the release of her album 25.

Entertainment

Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born

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1 day ago

April 5, 2025

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Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born

Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.

As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.

“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.

“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”

If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.

But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.

Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation. 

Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.

“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”

This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.

For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.

“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.

“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”

Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.

“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.

“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”

In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.

“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.

Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.

It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.

Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.

Entertainment

Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

Published

2 days ago

April 4, 2025

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Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.

The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.

The charges relate to four women.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.

Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.

He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.

The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.

The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.

He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.

“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”

Entertainment

Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to ‘dear friend’ Val Kilmer

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3 days ago

April 3, 2025

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to 'dear friend' Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.

Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.

Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.

His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”

The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.

Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.

He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.

Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.

He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.

In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.

The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.