Charli xcx’s dominance, Ezra Collective’s revolution and JADE’s quintessence: here’s six key take-aways from 2025’s BRIT Awards.
The smell of spring was in the air as March began with one of UK music’s most momentous nights. The best and biggest in British and global music made their way out to Greenwich to the O2 Arena, to drink free bubbly and (pretend to) be happy for their contemporaries.
It was a night for the books no doubt—the dominance of Charli xcx and her BRAT opus materialised into a clean sweep of the big three—song, album and artist of the year, whilst elsewhere Wonderland cover alumni’s JADE and Raye took home major prizes in the genre categories. Fontaines D.C. shouted out Amyl and The Sniffers as they secured Best International Group, Chappell Road got her flowers, Sam Fender and The Last Dinner Party flew guitar music’s flag, and Stormzy highlighted a clear rap-tinged blind spot. Below, we round up six key talking points from the 2025 BRIT Awards.
Charli xcx shows there’s substance beyond her style
As everyone who breathes knows, the summer of 2024 belonged to Charli xcx. On Saturday, the icon’s dominance was fully cemented with a totemic five wins, including the top prize for Album for BRAT, Song for her Billie Eilish featuring re-adaption of “Guess”, and for the esteemed British Artist of the Year. Any doubt of her reputation of critical sweetheart and public favourite alike has now evaporated, and the 32-year-old is now undoubtedly one of the jewels of British music.
Ezra Collective are reshaping modern jazz
Jazz has historically never been a BRIT Award favourite, but Ezra Collective are rewriting the rules. With their stunning ’24 album Dance, No One’s Watching cementing their generational vision after ’22’s Mercury Prize winner Where I’m Meant To Be, they arrived at the ceremony with peerless momentum, and had it count. Beating the likes of Coldplay and The Cure to Best British Group, the win was the latest indication that jazz is very much part of the mainstream’s conversation—and Ezra are leading the charge. They’re closing of the show with Jorja Smith was a glorious climatic celebration.
Sabrina has us like putty in the palm of her hand
Sabrina Carpenter opened the show with a mash-up of her mouth-wateringly successful single “Espresso” and “Rule Britannia” accompanied by an army of The King’s Guard and atop of Union Jack flooring—talk about blending in. Bagging the Global Success Award, her performance and appearance at the BRITs felt like a victory lap of her huge breakout 2024, with Carpenter recognising the love she has received from across the Atlantic. “In a very primarily tea-drinking country you guys streamed the shit out of “Espresso”,” she giggled, in the latest crowning confirmation of her nearing peerless pop prowess.
JADE is pop’s quintessence
Wonderland Spring 2025 cover star JADE winning Best Pop Act felt right. Calculated, cohesive and ever-colourful, her launch as a solo artist following years of prosperity in Little Mix was perhaps the most potent of 2024. On Saturday she showed her star power—both in her dazzling performance and in her triumph in one of the most competitive categories. With her debut album still yet to come, expect for JADE’s name to become a regular occurrence at future BRIT ceremonies.
Stormzy is still UK rap’s biggest name
It felt like Stormzy was almost embarrassed to accept the award for Best Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act, one of five awards voted for by the public. It’s understandable, given he hasn’t released solo music in 18 months and was surely only really nominated due to his chart favourite Chase & Status collaboration “BACKBONE”. After what felt like a step forward last year when underground legend CASISDEAD triumphed, this feel like two steps back, with a surface level nomination list, and Ghetts and Central Cee both delivering career best projects and still being overlooked. As UK rap continues to find new protagonists, hopefully the BRITs and British public will delve deeper than its household name next year.
The Last Dinner Party are indie’s new saviour
Theatrical, maximalist and carefully curated, The Last Dinner Party’s debut album Prelude to Ecstasy was one of the strongest debuts of 2024. Flying the indie band flag—and re-invigorating its archetypes in the process—the five-piece have shaken off industry plant critiques to develop into a fiercely creative force, taking home Best New Artist, following in their fellow frontrunners Wet Leg’s footsteps two years ago.
