Olivia Dean crowned new UK queen of pop as Brit Awards hit the north

Olivia Dean was crowned as the UK's new queen of pop, winning four awards as the Brits swapped London for Manchester for the first time in its nearly 50-year history.

Dean beat the likes of breakthrough act winner Lola Young, best rap act Dave and best rock act Sam Fender in the hotly-contested category for best British artist.

She also won best album for her transatlantic hit, The Art of Loving, as well as song of the year for her current number one collaboration with Fender, Rein Me In.

"This album is just about love and loving each other in a world that feels loveless," said the star holding back tears of joy.

"I don't know if I ever really thought I'd get [a Brit award], but I did!" she declared on an earlier visit to the winner's podium.

The 26-year-old Londoner, who also won best pop act, performed an elegant rendition of her song Man I Need during the event, which also saw performances from Harry Styles, best group winners Wolf Alice, pop star Raye and Alex Warren - who was joined on piano by a velveted James Blunt.

Robbie Williams closed the show with a full-throated tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, alongside some of the late star's former bandmates.

And genre-bending Catalan star Rosalia made history by becoming the first ever Brit winner to be recognised for music sung in a foreign language (the award is usually won by a US artist, in other words).

"Let's keep celebrating the otherness," she said during her acceptance speech. "Let's celebrate different cultures, different languages."

She was joined by Björk, for a showstopping performance of her recent single Berghain; which host Jack Whitehall noted started like the "Last Night of the Proms" and ended like an Ibiza club rave.

Elsewhere, Rosé also wrote herself into Brits history by becoming the first K-Pop act to win an award, international song of the year, for her duet with Bruno Mars, APT.

Dean's quadruple win re-affirms her position as Britain's biggest new star, following her success at the Grammys last month in Los Angeles, where she won best new artist.

Her pillowy, jazz-toned second album is brimming with memorable songs about the jeopardies and joys of falling in love - including Man I Need, Nice to Each Other and So Easy (To Fall in Love), all of which hit the top 10 last year.

Ahead of the ceremony, she warmed Manchester up with a radiant, candlelit charity gig at the city's Albert Hall venue on Thursday.

Manchester's Deansgate train station was even renamed Olivia Deansgate for the week in her honour.

Hopefully she will find the tram she needs to get home on Sunday.

If not, another Brit Award winner, PinkPantheress - who was named producer of the year ahead of the event - might be able to help her, after she temporarily became the official voice of the Manchester Metrolink.

"If you're heading to the show, make sure you hop off the tram at the Etihad campus," she was heard telling passengers travelling to awards.

"Keep it cute, keep it moving and I'll see you at the Brits."

Sadly, the star missed the show, posting on Instagram that she was "devastated I won't be able to make it". She recently flew back to the UK from a series of festival shows in Australia.

On the big night, Harry Styles, an investor in the Co-Op Arena, owned the auditorium with his opening performance of his hypnotically clubby new single Aperture, appearing like a cross between Talking Heads' David Byrne and a particularly dapper investment banker in his high waisted trousers.

He had previously engaged in the first of several cringeworthy pre-recorded sketches alongside his comedic stalker Jack Whitehall.

The returning comic, on hosting duties for the last time, also pointed to Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham at one point, joking that the Brits was the "only party he's allowed into these days" - a reference to PM Keir Starmer stopping him from standing as a Labour candidate in this week's Gorton and Denton by-election.

Kpop band Huntr/x - made up of singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami - then stormed an outdoor stage with their breakout hit Golden.

Raye, who scooped six awards last time she was at the Brits in 2024, performed a re-imagined version of her hit Where Is My Husband! - before diving into her new soul ballad, Nightingale Lane.

After winning their award for best group, Wolf Alice's singer Ellie Roswell spoke up for small independent artists and venues, noting that 30 pubs and clubs had closed in the last year.

"It shouldn't be a battle to survive as a band or any artist," she noted.

"We shouldn't be reliant on favours or winning one funding schemes in order to do things at a level we feel proud of".

Black Sabbath star Ozzy Osbourne was awarded a posthumous lifetime achievement award, seven months after his death at the age of 76.

Country star Dolly Parton gave an unexpected video tribute, saying the musician "knew how to get your attention with his love of theatrics [and] his musical gifts".

Osbourne's widow, Sharon, and daughter Kelly, then took to the stage to deliver an affectionate eulogy.

Osbourne was proud to be a "working class Brummy", said Sharon, "and he never let anyone forget it".

"He was the most humble egomaniac you could ever meet!"

Fans were then treated to a special arrangement of his 1991 song No More Tears performed by members of Black Sabbath and Metallica with Robbie Williams.

There were also tributes to Stone Roses bassist Mani, and soul singer Roberta Flack in a new In Memoriam segment.

And Mark Ronson, collecting the outstanding achievement prize, took time to remember the late Amy Winehouse, who he credited with kick-starting his career.

She later appeared on screen during a medley of Ronson's hits, including Valerie and Uptown Funk.

He was joined by Ghost Face Killah for Ooh Wee; and Dua Lipa, who strode down a runway while singing a joyous rendition of Electricity, before ending by draping herself across Ronson's piano and sipping a Martini.

Before the ceremony had even begun, several artists knew they'd already won early awards.

Jacob Alon received the rising star prize and hometown hero Noel Gallagher won songwriter of the year.

Presented with the award by Primal Scream's Bobbie Gillespie and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Gallagher senior thanked his fans as well as his bandmates including "my brother" Liam, for having brought "those songs to life".

"Without them, I'd just be a singer-songwriter. No one gives a [damn] about singer-songwriters," he joked.

Other Manchester music heroes in attendance on the night included Charlatans star Tim Burgess and dance-rock pioneers The Happy Mondays.

"It's great that we're here," declared frontman Shaun Ryder before presenting an award.

"Up the north!"

Additional reporting by Annabel Rackham and Mark Savage.