|
 Nicknamed "Queen of the BRITs"
by host Mo Gilligan, the London-born
singer-songwriter picked up the first award of
the night - song of the year - for her
chart-topping single "Easy on Me".
The track was the first to be released from her
comeback album "30", a record Adele has said she
made to explain her divorce to her young son. It
won album of the year.
"I'd like to dedicate this award to my son, and
to Simon, to his dad. This album was all of our
journey, not just mine," a tearful Adele said,
referring to her ex-husband Simon Konecki.
"I'm very proud of myself for sticking to my
guns and putting out an album that was about
something that was so personal to me (because)
not many people would do stuff like that any
more."
The 33-year-old also won artist of the year, a
now genderless category in which rappers Little
Simz and Dave, as well as singers Ed Sheeran and
Sam Fender, were also nominated.
"I understand why the name of this award has
changed but I really love being a woman, being a
female artist," Adele said.
"I'm really proud of us."
Following in the footsteps of other awards shows
or events that have removed gender
classifications, organisers for the BRITs said
in November there were getting rid of female and
male categories from 2022.
Returning to her hometown, Adele, who lives in
Los Angeles, also performed at the ceremony.
[to top of second column]
|
 Despite only being released in
November, "30", Adele's fourth studio album, was
Britain's biggest selling album in 2021,
shifting more than 600,000 copies in just six
weeks.
The singer thanked Inflo, named producer of the
year, for helping her with the record.
Other winners included rock band Wolf Alice, who
took best group, while rapper Little Simz was
named best new artist.
Sheeran was named songwriter of the year.
U.S. singers Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo
respectively won best international artist and
international song for "good 4 u".
International group of the year went to American
R&B duo Silk Sonic, made up of singer Bruno Mars
and rapper and singer Anderson .Paak.
Showcasing a range of music styles, four new
genre awards were also introduced this year, the
42nd edition of the awards, with Sam Fender
winning best alternative/rock act and Dave named
best hip-hop/grime/rap act. The best Pop/R'n'B
act award went to singer Dua Lipa, while Becky
Hill scooped best dance act.
All four were voted for by the public.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by
Leslie Adler and Rosalba O'Brien)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
