Harry Styles cleans up at Brit Awards with four prizes – and pays tribute to female stars as he wins best artist
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.
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Wet Leg picked up the awards for best group and best new act
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.
Stormzy and Lizzo (below) were among the night’s performers
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
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.
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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