For the first time, the BRIT Awards took place at The O2 Arena on 15th February 2011, now, according to the official website, with more live music than ever before. James Corden was the host, and the award was designed by Vivienne Westwood.
This post is part of a series about the history of the BRIT Awards. You can read about the 2010 ceremony here, and the 2012 ceremony next time.
MasterCard British Album of the Year
Presented by Roger Daltrey from The Who. Nominees:
- Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
- Plan B – The Defamation of Strickland Banks
- Take That – Progress
- Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy
- The xx – xx
Winner: Mumford & Sons
British Single
Voted for by listeners of Capital Radio and users of iTunes, and presented by Alan Carr. Nominees:
- Alexandra Burke feat. Pitbull – All Night Long
- Matt Cardle – When We Collide
- Cheryl Cole – Parachute
- Taio Cruz – Dynamite
- Florence + The Machine – You Got the Love
- Olly Murs – Please Don’t Let Me Go
- Plan B – She Said
- Scouting for Girls – This Ain’t a Love Song
- Tinie Tempah – Pass Out
- The Wanted – All Time Low
Winner: Tinie Tempah
British Male Solo Artist
Presented by Dizzee Rascal. Nominees:
- Plan B
- Robert Plant
- Mark Ronson
- Tinie Tempah
- Paul Weller
Winner: Plan B
British Female Solo Artist
Presented by Boy George. Nominees:
- Cheryl Cole
- Paloma Faith
- Ellie Goulding
- Laura Marling
- Rumer
Winner: Laura Marling
British Group
Voted for by listeners of BBC Radio 2, and presented by Dermot O’Leary. Nominees:
- Biffy Clyro
- Gorillaz
- Mumford & Sons
- Take That
- The xx
Winner: Take That
British Breakthrough Act
Voted for by listeners of BBC Radio 1, and presented by Fearne Cotton. Nominees:
- Ellie Goulding
- Mumford & Sons
- Rumer
- Tinie Tempah
- The xx
Winner: Tinie Tempah
British Producer
Awarded alongside a couple of other producer awards at the Music Producers Guild Awards the week before the main ceremony. Nominees:
- Markus Dravs
- Ethan Johns
- John Leckie
- Mike Pela
- Stuart Price
Winner: Markus Dravs
International Album
Presented by Boris Becker. Nominees:
- Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
- Eminem – Recovery
- Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer
- Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
- Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
Winner: Arcade Fire
International Male Solo Artist
Presented by Lewis Hamilton. Nominees:
- Eminem
- Cee Lo Green
- David Guetta
- Bruce Springsteen
- Kanye West
Winner: Cee Lo Green
International Female Solo Artist
Presented by Cheryl Cole. Nominees:
- Alicia Keys
- Kylie Minogue
- Katy Perry
- Rihanna
- Robyn
Winner: Rihanna
International Group
Presented by Simon Le Bon and John Taylor from Duran Duran. Nominees:
- Arcade Fire
- The Black Eyed Peas
- Kings of Leon
- The Script
- Vampire Weekend
Winner: Arcade Fire
International Breakthrough Act
Voted for by viewers of MTV, and presented by Avril Lavigne and Will Young. Nominees:
- Justin Bieber
- Glee Cast
- Bruno Mars
- The National
- The Temper Trap
Winner: Justin Bieber
Critics’ Choice
In association with War Child, and presented by Mark Ronson and Ellie Goulding. Nominees:
- James Blake
- Jessie J
- The Vaccines
Winner: Jessie J
Outstanding Contribution
The BBC’s coverage (linked below) of the previous week’s Music Producers Guild Awards is a little confusing, as the entire event must have been. Was the Outstanding Contribution award part of the BRITs or of the Music Producers Guild event? Wikipedia thinks it was part of the BRITs…
My own interpretation of the situation is that there was no outstanding contribution award at the BRITs this year, but either way, the entirely justified winner was the founder of Mute Records, Daniel Miller, presented by Alison Goldfrapp, while Tony Visconti won the Innovation in Production award.
Performances
- Take That – Kidz
- Adele – Someone Like You
- Rihanna – Only Girl (In the World) / S&M / What’s My Name
- Mumford & Sons – Timshel
- Plan B – She Said / Prayin’
- Arcade Fire – Ready to Start
- Tinie Tempah / Eric Turner / Labrinth – Written in the Stars / Miami 2 Ibiza / Pass Out
- Cee Lo Green / Paloma Faith – Forget You
Further Reading / Viewing
- 2011 on brits.co.uk
- 2011 BRIT Awards on Wikipedia
- BBC coverage of the Music Producers Guild Awards
- Official backstage footage
- James Cordon talks to Justin Bieber
- Highlights from the nominations launch
- The Guardian pre-event report on the changes in the ceremony
- BBC report on the winners and nominees
- The Telegraph report on the event
Music for stowaways 