Inside the 2025 Brit Awards: Sabrina Carpenter Shocks, Millie Bobby Brown Gushes, Tender Liam Payne Tribute Leaves Arena Still
On a chilly east London evening at the 2025 Brit Awards, U.S. native Sabrina Carpenter opened the night flanked by the King’s Guard.
As always, the “Short n’ Sweet” star dazzled with a sparkling corset bodysuit, impeccable vocals and salacious dance moves (so salacious, in fact, that viewers threatened to complain to the country’s communications regular, Ofcom). Renditions of Espresso and Bed Chem were aptly anglicized by giant union jacks cascading either side of the O2 Arena stage.
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The Hollywood Reporter was seated at the U.K.’s biggest music awards show. Later on in the night, Carpenter received the Brits’ first-ever global success award. “In a very primarily tea-drinking country you guys streamed the shit out of Espresso,” she laughed. “And you’ve really understood my dry sense of humor because your sense of humor is so dry. So, I love y’all more than you even understand.”
Carpenter picked up the award from none other than Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown, who seemingly took a break from The Electric State press and made a surprise appearance in a chainmail dress on the Brits carpet. After handing over the honor to her “close friend,” the cameras cut, and Brown and Carpenter walked hand-in-hand off the stage, hugging as they departed for separate tables.
British comedian Jack Whitehall was emcee-ing for the evening and not pulling any punches. With insults flung at Teddy Swims (“the voice of an angel and the face of a school desk”) and YouTuber KSI (“He’s a Britain’s Got Talent judge now as well… That’s like Stephen Hawking judging Strictly Come Dancing“), Whitehall swiftly set the tone for the evening. He was even caught telling a group of celebrities — among them, Brit nominee Djo a.k.a actor Joe Keery — to sit down. But Whitehall kept things courteous behind the scenes: he continuously thanked his victims for being good sports with a hug during the breaks.
Chappell Roan, absent from the ceremony in person but present in video message form, picked up best international song for Good Luck, Babe!, but once the temperature had cooled post-Carpenter performance, the evening was a Charli XCX sweep. The “brat” singer took home best British album, best British artist, best dance act and song of the year for Guess feat. Billie Eilish. “Thank you, Billie,” the 365 singer said during her acceptance speech for SOTY. “I asked if she wanted to be on this song three days before shooting the video. Not all artists are [as] spontaneous.”
The top talent were mingling among the tables placed at the center of the 20,000-capacity arena (praying Whitehall wasn’t behind them). McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones were sat together, and Rivals star Danny Dyer was entirely overlooked for his neighbor, who — yes — had come dressed as a horse. It wasn’t quite the Brits of the past with names such as Harry Styles, Adele or Ed Sheeran missing from the guest list, but fans made do with Little Mix alum Jade Thirlwall (who promised the pop group “absolutely” will return), Lenny Kravitz and Jared Leto.
The politics was kept to a minimum, though Paloma Faith couldn’t help but take a swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump before she presented the award for best dance act. In the aftermath of Trump’s painstaking public row with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Faith discussed how the world has “gone bad” and is filled with “uncertainty”. She added: “Some people are getting it wrong, thanks to the voters of America.”
The audience swooned while Newcastle-born Sam Fender thanked fans for his best alternative/rock act award, his humble demeanor solidifying his reputation as a down-to-earth artist, but the most emotional portion of the evening took hold when Whitehall introduced a tribute to Liam Payne. The One Direction star died aged 31 last year after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“Last October, we woke to the devastating news that Liam Payne had tragically passed away,” the host began. “He achieved so much in the short time that he was on this earth and was not only a supremely gifted musician but an incredibly kind soul… We have so many amazing memories of Liam here at the Brits, so tonight we celebrate his legacy.” Despite fervid rumors, fellow bandmates Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson did not reunite on stage. A montage of Payne laughing, singing and crafting music played while 1D song Little Things rang throughout the venue. Tomlinson later wrote on X: “Thank you @BRITs. Beautiful tribute. Miss you always brother.”
The operation was an enormous one, with a red carpet so chaotic in its set-up that even the biggest musicians were relying on their reps to be guided to the right place. Sweet moments included a nervous newcomer in Lola Young, whose single Messy has skyrocketed her to stardom on TikTok, and the magnetic energy of Swims, whose cape of stuffed animals turned a fair few heads.
Ultimately, Charli XCX owned the night with five wins at the 2025 Brit Awards. Other prizes for Raye, Carpenter, Thirlwall and Roan made it an evening to remember for the girlies. See THR‘s full list of Brit Awards 2025 winners here.
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