By SEAN O'GRADY, SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER and MOLLY CLAYTON, INFLUENCER EDITOR and CODIE BULLEN, SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER
Olivia Dean won the first award of the night at the BRIT Awards on Saturday when she took home the gong for Song Of The Year for Rein Me In with Sam Fender.
The singer, 26, whose song Man I Need was also nominated in the same category, was given the award by Robbie Williams.
Taking to the stage, Sam said: 'I love this song, I wrote it about four years ago, just wa to say thank you to Olivia and the fans.'
Olivia added: 'I just want to say thank you to Sam, it's a beautiful song and it was a pleasure to be a a part of it.'
Olivia and Lola Young led the nominations at this year's ceremony with five each, closely followed by comeback queen Lily Allen, who has been recognised in three categories for her critically acclaimed fifth album, West End Girl.
Since removing gendered categories, such as Best Male and Best Female, the ceremony has faced backlash for the low number of female artists nominated, particularly in 2023 when the Artist Of The Year shortlist was entirely male.
But 2026 rings in the changes, with 70 percent of this year's nominations being female or non-binary.
Elsewhere, British rapper Dave has been recognised in three categories: Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act.
The 27-year-old released his third studio album, The Boy Who Played The Harp, in 2025 and has since become the first British rap artist to debut three albums at number one in the UK's official chart.
Raye has been recognised in just one category this year, after scooping a record-breaking six awards last year.
This year's BRIT Awards was held in Manchester for the first time since the ceremony began in 1977.
Past venues include Earl's Court, the London Arena, Alexandra Palace, Hammersmith Apollo, the Dominion Theatre, the Royal Albert Hall, the Grosvenor Hotel and its original location, Wembley Conference Centre.
But the move away from the capital signals another new era in the ceremony's history, arguably the most seismic.
A source told the Daily Mail: 'It's officially the end of an era. The BRIT Awards has been hosted in London since the ceremony first took place in 1977 and now for the first time ever, it will be held outside of the capital.
'Obviously, it's going to come as sad news to artists and talent who are London-based but there's a feeling within the music industry that these shows don't always need to be held at the same venues, year after year.
'The BRITs is the biggest night in the British music calendar and now it will be shared with a new audience, as fans from Manchester and the surrounding areas are more likely to attend.
'In recent years, there has been a general appetite for the ceremony to move, as with the The Mercury Prize and The MOBO Awards and now for the first time the music scene won't be as London-centric, both for the nominees and fans.'
Jason Iley MBE, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music UK & Ireland said: 'This is a very exciting time for The BRIT Awards. Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music.
'Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards. I can't wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the-art Co-op Live venue.'
BRIT AWARDS 2026: THE NOMINATIONS IN FULL
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Dave
- Fred Again...
- JADE
- Lily Allen
- Little Simz
- Lola Young
- Olivia Dean
- PinkPantheress
- Sam Fender
- Self Esteem
GROUP OF THE YEAR
- The Last Dinner Party
- Pulp
- Sleep Token
- Wet Leg
- Wolf Alice
SONG OF THE YEAR (VOTED FOR BY THE PUBLIC)
- Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas - Blessings
- Chrystal and Notion - The Days (Notion remix)
- Cynthia Erivo ft Ariana Grande - Defying Gravity
- Ed Sheeran - Azizam
- Fred Again, Skepta and PlaqueBoyMax - Victory Lap
- Lewis Capaldi - Survive
- Lola Young - Messy
- Myles Smith - Nice to Meet You
- Olivia Dean - Man I Need
- Raye - Where Is My Husband!
- Sam Fender with Olivia Dean - Rein Me In
- Skye Newman - Family Matters
INTERNATIONAL SONG OF THE YEAR (VOTED FOR BY THE PUBLIC)
- Alex Warren - Ordinary
- Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club
- Disco Lines and Tinashe - No Broke Boys
- Gigi Perez - Sailor Song
- Gracie Abrams - That's So True
- Huntr/x - Golden
- Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars - Die With a Smile
- Rayvn Lenae - Love Me Not
- Rosé and Bruno Mars - APT.
- Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild
- sombr - Undressed
- Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia
INTERNATIONAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Bad Bunny
- Chappell Roan
- CMAT
- Doechii
- Lady Gaga
- ROSALIA
- Sabrina Carpenter
- sombre
- Taylor Swift
- Tyler, The Creator
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
- Barry Can't Swim
- EsDeeKid
- Jim Legxacy
- Lola Young
- Skye Newman
INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Geese
- HAIM
- HUNTR/X-EJAE/AUDREY NUNA/REI AMI
ALTERNATIVE ROCK ACT
- Blood Orange
- Lola Young
- Sam Fender
- Wet Leg
- Wolf Alice
HIP HOP/GRIME/RAP ACT
- Cental Cee
- Dave
- Jim Legxacy
- Little Simz
- Loyle Carner
R&B ACT
- Jim Legxacy
- Kwn
- Mabel
- Sasha Keable
- Sault
DANCE ACT
- Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas
- FKA twigs
- Fred Again, Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax
- PinkPantheress
- Sammy Virji
MASTERCARD ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- Dave - The Boy Who Played The Harp
- Lily Allen - West End Girl
- Olivia Dean - The Art Of Loving
- Sam Fender - People Watching
- wolf alice - The Clearing