ADELE AND ED SHEERAN WIN AT UK MUSIC’S BRIT AWARDS
Soulful songstress Adele capped a momentous year of Grammy Awards triumph and medical woes with a double win at the U.K.’s Brit music awards Tuesday, taking prizes for album of the year and best British female solo artist before making an obscene gesture after the show’s host cut her acceptance speech short.
Teen-friendly English troubadour Ed Sheeran won two trophies, including British male solo artist, at an energetic ceremony in London. It has been a dramatic year for down-to-earth north London diva Adele, who based her chart-topping songs of heartbreak on a rocky relationship.
Her sophomore album “21″ won six Grammys last week and has sold more than 6 million copies in the United States alone. But Adele also had to undergo vocal cord surgery in November to fix a potentially career-threatening throat condition.
“I feel like a drag queen next to you,” joked the winner, who wore a sleek black Burberry gown but towered over Minogue. She thanked her record company “for letting me be the kind of artist I want to be.”
The ceremony also included tributes to two departed divas, Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse. Tousle-haired singer-songwriter Sheeran won prizes for solo artist and British breakthrough act. The red-headed 21-year-old has been panned as bland by some critics, but has amassed legions of young fans through online releases and a relentless calendar of shows.
Sheeran thanked his manager for transforming a “spotty, chubby ginger teenager” into a Brit-winner. Long derided as dull, the Brits have become a lively celebration of U.K. music and style — and this year’s awards come with British music riding high around the world.
Coldplay won their fourth best British group trophy, while Foo Fighters were voted best international group. Bruno Mars took the prize for international male solo artist, and Rihanna won the international female prize for a second year.
The Barbadian singer, who has often been in the news for non-musical reasons since her then-boyfriend Chris Brown attacked her at a pre-Grammy Awards party in 2009, thanked her fans. “At times when I feel misunderstood, my fans always remind me that it’s OK to be myself,” she said.
Britpop icons Blur received a special prize for their contribution to music. The four original members — Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree — performed together for the first time since a series of concerts in 2009, offering versions of 1990s hits including “Girls & Boys” and “Parklife.”
For the full article: Mail Times
