|
 But the grand dame of pop music, Madonna, who performed at
the ceremony for the first time in two decades, almost stole the
show despite tripping off the stage in the middle of her new
single "Living for Love".
English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was the biggest winner of
the night, walking away with two of the four Brit Awards he was
nominated for.
He was named the best British solo artist and also took home the
coveted best album prize for his second studio album, "X".
The 24-year-old looked genuinely surprised as he mounted the
stage to collect the trophy, a pale pink statuette designed by
British artist Tracey Emin.
"I didn't expect it... It's been a very good year for British
music", he said.
Soul singer Sam Smith, who was nominated for five Brits and
competed with Sheeran for the best album, topped off his recent
four Grammy wins with a Global Success award and British
Breakthrough trophy.
The 22-year-old, who has spoken about his breakthrough album
being inspired by heartbreak, had a word of advice for James
Bay, winner of this year's Critics' Choice Award.
[to top of second column] |
"Just get dumped. Immediately," Smith quipped.
Other winners included Paloma Faith for British female artist and
rock duo Royal Blood, who defeated popular boy band One Direction to
be named the best British band.
Award for the best international female artist went to Taylor Swift,
who opened the show. The pop-heavy ceremony also saw performances
from Take That, Kanye West and George Ezra.
This year, the awards will be shown in over 100 territories across
the world in addition to the usual live broadcast on Britain's
commercial ITV network.
(This version of the story corrects Sam Smith's Grammy win total to
four, paragraph 7)
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
