This year's BRIT Awards not only honored the stars, but it also focused on the storm that might blow them all away. What was generally just a glittering pageant of major label gloss and industry self-congratulation became something much more significant: a crucible of protest, heartbreak, and hope for the future of British music.
The night kicked off with just the sparkly sort of spunk you'd anticipate Sabrina Carpenter dripping with chaotic pop allure. At the same time, Charli XCX wrapped up her BRAT victory lap, and Jade paved the way for her solo era with unimpeachable grace. Ezra Collective's ebullient parting performance, with Jorja Smith, took the roof off. But beneath the glitz and the glamour, something more profound was at work.
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Myles Smith, the newly minted Rising Star, wasted no time in his moment of glory. "Why are we treating British music like an afterthought?" he asked with controlled fire, not only calling out politicians but the industry that was giving him the award. His words were clear amid the noise, raw and contemplative, as the work always needed to be done.
His threefold question to the government, to major venues, and the industry's decision-makers wasn't just gallant, it was blisteringly truthful. Do we build careers or exploit a viral moment? It was a gauntlet that hung in the air long after the applause.
The Last Dinner Party, who made it back as the Best New Artist winner, came next. The George Tavern, where they got their start." The struggling small venues, like the George Tavern, where they got their start, are being crushed by a lack of attention. "They are the lifeblood of the music industry," she said, "and they are dying." It was half love letter, half warning shot.
And then Ezra Collective, whose Group of the Year prize came with an impassioned disquisition by the drummer Femi Koleoso that was impossible to ignore: If you want to fix what's broken, begin by making sure kids get a trumpet. The crowd was not cheering; they were listening. Listened.
The red-carpet stretch was festooned with protest banners that featured warnings about AI dangers and ecological collapse, as well as slogans like "No Music On A Dead Planet," whose camera flashes were just as fierce as the ones trained on the designer gowns the guests wore.
The statistics behind the speeches are stark: 16% of grassroots venues will be lost by 2024, 40% are running at a loss, and youth clubs are closing at a rapid rate. It's a cultural boom, and one that platinum records do little to obscure. And unless the government acts now, we stand to lose the very heart of British music.
And in an unexpected turn, it wasn't a pop star but the actor Danny Dyer who drove the point home on live television by calling Keir Starmer a "slag" for not doing more.
At the BRITs 2025, It Was the message that was louder than the Music: We can't Just Honour Our Artists When They've made it; we've to preserve where they came from, or soon, there won't be anything left to celebrate.
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