Tuesday 21st February 2012 saw James Corden hosting the BRIT Awards, for the second time at The O2 Arena in London.
This post is part of a series about the history of the BRIT Awards. You can read about the 2011 ceremony here, and the 2013 ceremony here.
British Male Solo Artist
Presented by Plan B. Nominees:
- James Blake
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
- James Morrison
- Professor Green
- Ed Sheeran
Winner: Ed Sheeran
British Female Solo Artist
Presented by Kylie Minogue. Nominees:
- Adele
- Kate Bush
- Florence and the Machine
- Jessie J
- Laura Marling
Winner: Adele
British Breakthrough Act
Presented by Cesc Fàbregas and Nicole Scherzinger. Nominees:
- Anna Calvi
- Jessie J
- Emeli Sandé
- Ed Sheeran
- The Vaccines
Winner: Ed Sheeran
British Group
Presented by Jo Whiley and Huey Morgan. Nominees:
- Arctic Monkeys
- Chase & Status
- Coldplay
- Elbow
- Kasabian
Winner: Coldplay
British Single
Presented by Tinie Tempah. Nominees:
- Adele – Someone Like You
- Ed Sheeran – The A Team
- Example – Changed the Way You Kiss Me
- Jessie J feat. B.o.B – Price Tag
- JLS featuring Dev – She Makes Me Wanna
- Pixie Lott – All About Tonight
- Military Wives / Gareth Malone – Wherever You Are
- Olly Murs feat. Rizzle Kicks – Heart Skips a Beat
- One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
- The Wanted – Glad You Came
Winner: One Direction
MasterCard British Album of the Year
Presented by George Michael. Nominees:
- Adele – 21
- Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
- Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials
- PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
- Ed Sheeran – +
Winner: Adele. Famously she banged on for a bit too long without really saying anything and got cut off without warning.
International Male Solo Artist
Presented by Jessie J and Jack Whitehall. Nominees:
- Ryan Adams
- Aloe Blacc
- David Guetta
- Bon Iver
- Bruno Mars
Winner: Bruno Mars
International Female Solo Artist
Presented by Jenson Button. Nominees:
- Beyoncé
- Björk
- Feist
- Lady Gaga
- Rihanna
Winner: Rihanna
International Group
Presented by Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen. Nominees:
- Fleet Foxes
- Foo Fighters
- Jay Z and Kanye West
- Lady Antebellum
- Maroon 5
Winner: Foo Fighters
International Breakthrough Act
Presented by will.i.am and Rob Brydon. Nominees:
- Aloe Blacc
- Bon Iver
- Lana del Rey
- Foster The People
- Nicki Minaj
Winner: Lana del Rey
Critics’ Choice
Presented by James Corden and Jessie J. Nominees:
- Michael Kiwanuka
- Maverick Sabre
- Emeli Sandé
Maverick Sabre came in second place. Winner: Emeli Sandé
British Producer
Presented by Laura Marling. Nominees:
- Paul Epworth
- Flood
- Ethan Johns
Winner: Ethan Johns
Outstanding Contribution to Music
Presented by Ray Winstone.
Winner: Blur
You should be able to watch the entire show here.
Performances
- Coldplay – Charlie Brown
- Florence + The Machine – No Light, No Light
- Olly Murs / Rizzle Kicks – Heart Skips a Beat
- Ed Sheeran – Lego House
- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds / Chris Martin (from Coldplay) – AKA… What a Life!
- Adele – Rolling in the Deep
- Bruno Mars – Just the Way You Are
- Rihanna – We Found Love
- Blur – Girls & Boys / Song 2 / Parklife / Tender / This Is a Low
Further Reading / Viewing
- 2012 on brits.co.uk
- 2012 BRIT Awards on Wikipedia
- Official nominees playlist
- Official interviews from the red carpet
- Emeli Sandé performing at the nominations launch
- The Guardian’s listing of the nominees
- BBC report on winners and nominees
- The Daily Mail, getting upset about nothing in particular again