BRITs 2025: Charli XCX makes it a Brat BRITs, winning five awards including album of the year
Charli XCX has continued her Brat domination at the BRITs, winning five awards, including album of the year.
This year’s most nominated artist, she took the first prize of the night, best song, telling the crowd: “I’m really happy that a song about underwear now has a Brit award, very important stuff and I’m sure that that proves something about songwriting but I’m not quite sure what.”
The 32-year-old, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison, went on to win best dance act and artist of the year, joking that there had been complaints about her sheer top, and adding “free the nipple”.
Taking the top prize of the night, best album, she said: “I used to tell myself awards weren’t important, and that was easy to do as until last year I wasn’t nominated for anything.
“I always felt like an outsider, particularly in the British music industry, it feels really nice to get recognition for this album. I’ve not changed anything… I guess culture caught up with us and wanted to be on this journey.”
She’d already picked up BRIT songwriter of the year award earlier this week.
Her success follows a Brat Summer, which saw her sixth album – featuring “slime green” artwork – go viral, influencing the US presidential campaign of Kamala Harris and making it into the Collins Dictionary as word of the year.
Charli won three Grammys for the album earlier this month.
The biggest night in British music, the ceremony at London’s O2 arena was hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall, who was back for the fifth time.
There were live performances by artists including Sabrina Carpenter, who opened proceedings, Myles Smith and Sam Fender.
Former Little Mix star JADE took her first solo award for best pop act, presented by girl band Sugababes.
She thanked her fans for their support, her parents for “for making me feel like it was a realistic goal to be a pop star ever since I was a little girl,” and her former bandmates who she said changed her life.
British singer-songwriter Myles Smith – whose single Stargazing became one of the UK’s biggest hits of 2024 – had previously been named as this year’s rising star.
His award was presented to him on the night by last year’s winners The Last Dinner Party.
The singer-songwriter – who said he was from what has been called “the worst town in Luton,” raised by a single mother – asked the government why they treated the British music industry “as an afterthought”.
He also asked big music venues what they were doing to help keep grassroots venues alive, as well as highlighting the importance of music managers supporting stars beyond their first hit.
British jazz quintet Ezra Collective took group of the year, paying tribute to the “great youth clubs, great schools, and great teachers” inspiring young people to take up music.
Alaos announced ahead of the ceremony, Sabrina Carpenter became the first international artist to receive the global success award after breaking records in the UK charts.
She held the top spot on the Official UK Charts for a combined 21 weeks in 2024, the first artist to do so in 71 years.
Her mega-hits Taste, Please Please Please and Espresso also held the top three spots simultaneously, making her the first female artist to do so.
A pre-recorded video by music legend Diana Ross led into her award, which was given to her by her close friend, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown.
Accepting her prize, Carpenter spoke about coming to the UK with her mother previously when no one knew who she was, and now coming back and “getting to headline the O2”.
She also spoke about her appreciation of British humour, saying “your humour is so, so dry,” and her admiration for the British love of caffeine, mainly via a nice cup of tea.
Chappell Roan took song of the year for Good Luck, Babe! as well as international artist of the year.
Stormzy thanked Jesus for his win in the hip-hop, grime, rap act category, saying he thought fellow nominee, Central Cee, was rap artist of the year.
Apologising for wearing his sunglasses on stage, which he said was because he’d “mashed up his eye playing padel” (a sporting mash-up of tennis, squash, and badminton), he read a short Biblical quote as he accepted his prize.
Raye took British R&B act. Last year she made BRITs history when she secured six awards, the most by an artist in a single year.
Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC took international group of the year for the second time.
British indie rock act The Last Dinner Party took best new artist after winning the BAFTA rising star award last year.
They called small independent venues the “lifeblood of the music industry”, adding, “we wouldn’t be here without them”.
At the end of the night there was a special tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died in October following a fall from a hotel balcony at the age of 31.
Full list of BRIT winners:
Song of the year
Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish – Guess featuring billie Eilish
Artemas – I Like The Way You Kiss Me
The Beatles – Now And Then
BL3SS x Camrin Watsin featuring bbyclose – Kisses
Central Cee featuring Lil Baby – BAND4BAND
Chase & Status / Stormzy – Backbone
Coldplay – feelslikeimfallinginlove
Dua Lipa – Training Season
Ella Henderson (feat Rudimental) – Alibi
JADE – Angel Of My Dreams
Jordan Adetunji – KEHLANI
KSI featuring Trippie Redd – Thick Of It
Myles Smith – Stargazing
Sam Ryder – You’re Christmas To Me
Sonny Fodera / Jazzy / DOD – Somedays
Alternative rock act
Sam Fender
Beabadoobee
The Cure
Ezra Collective
The Last Dinner Party
Pop act
JADE
Charli XCX
Dua Lipa
Lola Young
Myles Smith
Dance act
Charli XCX
Becky Hill
Chase & Status
Fred again..
Nia Archives
Group of the year
Ezra Collective
Bring Me The Horizon
Coldplay
The Cure
The Last Dinner Party
International song of the year
Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
Benson Boone – Beautiful Things
Beyoncé – TEXAS HOLD ‘EM
Billie Eilish – BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Djo – End Of Beginning
Eminem – Houdini
Hozier – Too Sweet
Jack Harlow – Lovin On Me
Noah Kahan – Stick Season
Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen – I Had Some Help
Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
Shaboozey – A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone – Fortnight
Teddy Swims – Lose Control
Tommy Richman – MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Hip-hop/ grime/ rap act
Stormzy
Central Cee
Dave
Ghetts
Little Simz
R&B act
Raye
Cleo Sol
FLO
Jorja Smith
Michael Kiwanuka
International group of the year
Fontaines DC
Amyl And The Sniffers
Confidence Man
Future & Metro Boomin
Linkin Park
Best new artist
The Last Dinner Party
English Teacher
Ezra Collective
Myles Smith
Rachel Chinouriri
International artist of the year
Chappell Roan
Adrianne Lenker
Asake
Benson Boone
Beyoncé
Billie Eilish
Kendrick Lamar
Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor Swift
Tyler, The Creator
Artist of the year
Charli XCX
Beabadoobee
Central Cee
Dua Lipa
Fred again..
Jamie xx
Michael Kiwanuka
Nia Archives
Rachel Chinouriri
Sam Fender
Album of the year
Charli XCX – BRAT
The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World
Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
Ezra Collective – Dance, No One’s Watching
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy