The second BBC Music Awards is over, and the winners announced. Boasting a small but significant array of awards, the still developing awards ceremony was filled with huge names, big performances, and some very happy winners.
It was British artist Adele’s night with success in the categories of Best British Artist and the inaugural BBC Live Performance of the Year award. The incredible songstress face stiff competition in both categories, beating out internationally renowned artists Ed Sheeran, Jamie XX, Florence + The Machine, Foals and Years & Years for the prize.
Hozier performed his hit song Take Me to Church, which then won him the award for Song of the Year. Despite his debut EP featuring the song being released in 2013, it took until 2015 for the song to really take off. In this year it had one of the most heavily played songs across BBC’s music radio networks and BBC Music Television alone, rendering it worthy of the prestigious award.
American sweetheart Taylor Swift won the award for International Artist of the Year. Like Adele, Swift faced tough competition, including Foo Fighters, Hozier, Major Lazer, Prince and The Weeknd, but after such a huge year for Swift the win was not unexpected.
In the BBC’s Introducing Artist of the Year award, Jack Garratt’s hard work and emergence as a major British artist was recognised and celebrated. Garratt’s genre of alternative, ethereal music contrasted with last years winners, rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen, showcasing the diversity of British talent.
Interspersed among the awards were performances by 2010 winner of BBC Sound, Ellie Goulding, Dance Music group Faithless, 2015 Introducing Artist of the Year Jack Garratt, BRITs Critics Choice winner James Bay, leading UK girl group Little Mix, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Living Legend, Rod Stewart, and many others.
With such a star-studded lineup in only its second year, the only question is how the BBC Music Awards will be able to improve in 2016.
