Brit touch
A lot happened at this year’s Brit Awards. Perhaps even more than at this year’s Grammy Awards. But that is not for me to say — or is it? Either way, the 2026 Brits were something to experience. Even if only on Youtube and days later. So here we go:
Olivia Dean made a bit of history this past Saturday by nabbing a bunch of awards, cementing her new status as the reigning pop queen — or princess, on account of her still relatively young age (coming from a nearly 45-year old). Point is, after her first Grammy, after fighting it out with Bad Bunny on top of the charts, her home country is now celebrating her as it should, and it just feels right;
Mark Ronson got himself a nice little career medley, the kind that is usually reserved for the 50 years of Hip-Hop or a recently deceased legend. But, although Ronson is just one man — and very much alive, it actually seemed fitting: he stands as one of the most important producers of his generation, certainly one of the most distinctive, and Britpop for one owes him an enormous debt of gratitude. Think about Lily Allen’s seminal debut, the recent Dua Lipa Barbie tune — and, of course, the great Amy Winehouse in-between. “Valerie” alone is a tribute to this great combo: a mere cover that came to define an era…
Let us be honest: the moment we were not necessarily waiting for but did blow our minds was Rosalia superbly performing her landmark “Berghain”. I wrote on my personal blog about how important I felt her latest offering was to contemporary music: that live version only made it all the more evident. First of all, hearing her scintillating voice live came as a true breath of fresh air: such musicality, such technicality, such beauty all rolled into one… Immediately after that came the next show stopper: Bjork stepping in for her feature and performing in a way only she can. Although she was technically not always on pitch, the sheer intensity and unmistakable personality in her voice made it feel absolutely unique. Rosalia could have ended it there, as does the actual song. Instead, she chose to have a bit of an encore: an excerpt of the techno remix of her song made by a German DJ which had become viral to the point of being embrased by the singer herself. And here she was, on stage at the Brits, giving the DJ his flowers all the while celebrating the sheer culture Berghain is all about…
There were admittedly other things that happened that night: Harry Styles’ opening was nice; Raye sang beautifully; Sombr’s little stunt worked. But it is beyond doubt that Rosalia stole that show. And reiterated her status in contemporary music: that of a generational artist who creates music in a way no one else does — or can.