Culture

Biggest, queerest and campest moments from the BRIT Awards 2022: Little Simz, Emma Corrin and Adele

Adele accepting the Artist of the Year award at The BRIT Awards 2022.

Adele accepting the Artist of the Year award at The BRIT Awards 2022. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

The BRIT Awards have come and gone for another year, and Adele now has even more trophies to put on her mantelpiece.

The awards ceremony celebrates the biggest and the best in British and international music – and it also provides some much-needed entertainment for those watching at home. Whether it’s a performance that drills into your soul or just someone falling over, the BRITs is the gift that just keeps on giving.

Unsurprisingly, Adele was the big winner at the BRIT Awards 2022 – she took home Song of the Year for “Easy on Me” and also beat out stiff competition to take home the award for Artist of the Year. She also claimed Album of the Year for her fourth studio album 30.

Other big winners on the night included Ed Sheeran, who took home the gong for Songwriter of the Year, and Dua Lipa, who won Best Pop/RnB Act. Meanwhile, Little Simz was named Best New Artist.

Adele performing "I Drink Wine" at the BRIT Awards.

Adele performing “I Drink Wine” at the BRIT Awards. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

But let’s be honest – most people don’t watch the BRIT Awards to find out who won. Yes, most of us are there for the dramatics, the iconic moments, and the laughs.

Let’s take a look at five of the best moments from the BRIT Awards 2022.

1. Little Simz proved that she’s a superstar in the making

Little Simz’s performance was one of the highlights of the night – the Best New Artist winner had her mainstream breakthrough with her 2021 effort Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, and we’re so glad she did.

The rapper performed her songs “Introvert” and “Woman”, and she exuded confidence with every second she was on stage. The whole thing was made even better by a surprise appearance from The Crown‘s Emma Corrin and a spellbinding performance from her enormous group of backing dancers.

It was only right that Little Simz took home the prize for Best New Artist – her BRIT Awards performance proved that she has a long career ahead of her.

2. Becky Hill’s emotional speech was hilarious and touching

Becky Hill seemed genuinely shocked when she won the award for Best Dance Act – the queer singer gave a touching speech where she paid tribute to her fans and her manager, but she also touched on the struggles she’s faced in getting to where she is.

“I just want to say this was fan voted for and in the two weeks that people could vote, I have never been so heart warmed – I don’t even know if that’s a word – but so touched by all of my fans who just wanted to see me do well and support me, thank you so much for making this a possibility for me,” an emotional Becky Hill said.

“I need to thank my manager Alex… who funded me when I was 18 just off The Voice, I had no money, who saw me through getting dropped from my record deal, started my own record deal, and signed again to the amazing Polydor. I want to say amazing to you guys because you’ve been amazing.”

Social media was quick to get behind the singer, with fans heaping praise on her for her heartfelt speech.

3. Adele being Adele is always a joy

Adele provided the internet with some of the most meme-able moments of the night – and for that, we’re eternally grateful.

The singer delivered a rousing rendition of her endlessly relatable 30 track “I Drink Wine”. She opted for simple and stripped back, singing the entire song from her perch on a grand piano.

Social media immediately fell in love with her performance – but it was perhaps her reactions to winning some of the big awards of the night that fans found most entertaining.

4. Anne-Marie fell down the stairs and proved she’s a total professional

Can you imagine falling down the stairs while singing a song in front of millions of people, and you actually manage to keep going through the song? Well, Anne-Marie managed it.

The singer took a tumble down a flight of stairs while singing “Kiss My (Uh Oh)”, and she hardly even missed a note.

Twitter immediately reacted with memes and jokes about the incident, and Anne-Marie took them all in her stride. She tweeted shortly afterwards: “Didn’t need my left ankle anyway.” When the official Specsavers account replied saying her next eye test would be free of charge, Anne-Marie replied: “I’ll be in touch.”

The Twitter reactions to the incident were truly hilarious – and many drew parallels between Anne-Marie’s slip and the time Madonna fell down a flight of stairs at the BRITs. Maybe they should stop using stairs in performances?

5. Self Esteem didn’t take home an award, but she won our hearts on the red carpet

Rebecca Lucy Taylor, better known as Self Esteem, lost out in the Best New Artist category to Little Simz, but she still brought her A-game on the red carpet.

The singer quipped that she was “ready for a drink” on the red carpet – and she also made us all feel painfully seen when she was asked why her album Prioritise Pleasure had resonated with so many people.

“I’m not sure really. I think maybe the pandemic made everybody as depressed as I am at all times so that was cool,” she said.

The singer also joked that Britney Spears is “very welcome” to slide into her DMs – again, we can relate.

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