2006 BRIT Awards
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The 2006 BRIT Awards were the 26th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 15 February 2006 in Earl's Court, London.
[edit] Summary
2006's biggest winners were the Kaiser Chiefs, who came away with three awards. Coldplay and Green Day both came away with two awards, Coldplay collecting their sixth overall. Other winners included the Arctic Monkeys for their only nomination, and acts such as KT Tunstall and Kanye West. Arcade Fire were the most unsuccessful act, being nominated for three awards but winning none of them.
[edit] The ceremony
The ceremony was hosted by Chris Evans, who also hosted the 2005 BRIT Awards. It lasted about three hours, and the alcohol ban of the previous year had been relaxed. The biggest surprise performance was that from Prince, who reunited with Wendy and Lisa from The Revolution, together with Sheila E. for the peformance. Other performers included:
- Coldplay
- KT Tunstall
- Kaiser Chiefs
- James Blunt
- Kanye West
- Kelly Clarkson
- Gorillaz
- Jack Johnson
- Paul Weller
[edit] The awards
The nominations were announced on 10 January 2006. Winners are in bold.
[edit] Best British Male Solo Artist
This award was won by James Blunt, whose debut album topped the UK charts and who has enjoyed top 5 success on the American Billboard Hot 100. In 2005 he was the UK's biggest selling artist.
Other nominees included Mercury Music Prize 2005 winner Antony and the Johnsons and Robbie Williams, the most successful artist of all time at the BRITS. .
| Artist |
|---|
| Antony and the Johnsons |
| Ian Brown |
| James Blunt |
| Robbie Williams |
| Will Young |
[edit] Best British Female Solo Artist
KT Tunstall is another award winner who was unheard of a year before the ceremony. She beat surprise nominees Natasha Bedingfield, the recently-naturalizaed Katie Melua and Kate Bush, who was nominated after releasing her first album in twelve years.
| Artist |
|---|
| Charlotte Church |
| Kate Bush |
| Katie Melua |
| KT Tunstall |
| Natasha Bedingfield |
[edit] Best British Group
Newcomers Kaiser Chiefs picked up three awards on the night, of which this was one. Other nominees included the previous year's winners Franz Ferdinand and Grammy-award winners Gorillaz.
| Artist |
|---|
| Coldplay |
| Franz Ferdinand |
| Gorillaz |
| HARD-Fi |
| Kaiser Chiefs |
[edit] Best British Album
Coldplay's X & Y sold over 700,000 copies in its first week, and took this award. Of the other nominees, Gorillaz went home without any awards for a second time, whilst James Blunt and the Kaiser Chiefs were successful elsewhere. A surprise overlook for this award was the much critically acclaimed album Don't Believe The Truth by Oasis.
| Artist | Album |
|---|---|
| Coldplay | X & Y |
| Gorillaz | Demon Days |
| James Blunt | Back To Bedlam |
| Kaiser Chiefs | Employment |
| Kate Bush | Aerial |
[edit] Best British Single
This award was voted for by the public, and sponsored by British commercial radio. Coldplay were the winners here, despite their song Speed of Sound failing to reach number one (thanks to the Crazy Frog), an achievement attained by all the other nominees. Shayne Ward, winner of series two of the X Factor, had the third fastest selling single of all time in the UK with That's My Goal, whilst Tony Christie's reissue from 1971 - supported by comedian Peter Kay - was the best selling single of the year.
| Artist | Single |
|---|---|
| Coldplay | Speed of Sound |
| James Blunt | You're Beautiful |
| Shayne Ward | That's My Goal |
| Sugababes | Push The Button |
| Tony Christie ft. Peter Kay | (Is This The Way To) Amarillo |
[edit] Best British Breakthrough Act
Another award voted for by the public, with the help of sponsors BBC Radio 1. The Arctic Monkeys had the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK in the run up to the vote, with Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. This spurred them on to win ahead of The Magic Numbers, who also received their only nomination in this category and fellow award-winners James Blunt, The Kaiser Chiefs and KT Tunstall.
| Artist |
|---|
| Arctic Monkeys |
| James Blunt |
| Kaiser Chiefs |
| KT Tunstall |
| The Magic Numbers |
[edit] Best British Urban Act
None of those nominated in this award, voted for by the public and sponsored by music channel MTV Base, were nominated for any other awards. Lemar won the award for the second time, beating critic's favourites Dizzee Rascal and underground hope Kano.
| Artist |
|---|
| Craig David |
| Dizzee Rascal |
| Kano |
| Lemar |
| Ms Dynamite |
[edit] Best British Rock Act
The sponsors of this award, Kerrang! magazine, are known for their support of Nu-metal and goth music. With no such acts nominated, Kaiser Chiefs won, beating established acts such as Oasis and Franz Ferdinand.
| Artist |
|---|
| Franz Ferdinand |
| HARD-Fi |
| Kaiser Chiefs |
| Kasabian |
| Oasis |
[edit] Best British Live Act
Noel Gallagher of Oasis has previously criticised this award as "token" for "being able to play the guitar" [1]. The award went to the Kaiser Chiefs, who beat Franz Ferdinand in three different categories.
| Artist |
|---|
| Coldplay |
| Kaiser Chiefs |
| Franz Ferdinand |
| KT Tunstall |
| Oasis |
[edit] Best Pop Act
This is the only BRIT award open to British and foreign acts. It was again voted for by the public, and sponsored by The Sun newspaper, CD:UK and O2/Motorola. James Blunt picked up the award for the UK. This category was heavily criticised, mostly by the overlooked artists themselves, who felt the nominations didn't reflect "pop" music in this context. Sarah Harding from Girls Aloud questioned Melua's place in the genre, elsewhere criticising Clarkson's nomination - reasoning "She's not even British". This was unjustly aimed criticism at Clarkson, as the award is not for the 'Best British Pop Music' but the 'Best Pop Music in Britain', and thus as one of the most successful pop acts in Britain the previous year, her nomination was warranted no questioning.
| Artist | Nationality |
|---|---|
| James Blunt | British |
| Katie Melua | British/Georgian |
| Kelly Clarkson | American |
| Madonna | American |
| Westlife | Irish |
[edit] Best International Male Solo Artist
This included a wide range of nominees, from well established artists such as Beck and Bruce Springsteen, to newcomers like Jack Johnson and John Legend. It was rap star Kanye West, who performed with 50 gold-painted dancers at the ceremony, who went away successful.
| Artist | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Beck | American |
| Bruce Springsteen | American |
| Jack Johnson | American |
| John Legend | American |
| Kanye West | American |
[edit] Best International Female Solo Artist
In contrast to the 'Best International Male' award, all of the nomianted acts for this award are well established. Madonna collected only her second Brit in this category, having won this category in 2001. However many quesioned this decision, as Madonna only had one single within the eligibility period, whereas Carey and Clarkson had had multiple top-ten hits (Clarkson being the second best selling female the previous year behind Brit KT Tunstall), and albums of great critical acclaim.
| Artist | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Björk | Icelandic |
| Kelly Clarkson | American |
| Madonna | American |
| Mariah Carey | American |
| Missy Elliot | American |
[edit] Best International Group
Rock acts domianted this category, with only the Black Eyed Peas coming from another genre. Green Day won, capping off a successful comeback year and beating the Grammy award-dominating U2.
| Artist | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Arcade Fire | Canadian |
| Black Eyed Peas | American |
| Green Day | American |
| White Stripes | American |
| U2 | Irish |
[edit] Best International Album
Interestingly, the winning Green Day album was nominated despite being released in the UK in August 2004; it failed to receive a nomination in 2005. Fellow award winners Madonna and Kanye West missed out here.
| Artist | Nationality | Album |
|---|---|---|
| Arcade Fire | Canadian | Funeral |
| Green Day | American | American Idiot |
| Kanye West | American | Late Registration |
| Madonna | American | Confessions On A Dancefloor |
| U2 | Irish | How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb |
[edit] Best International Breakthrough Act
These are the only nominations for Daniel Powter and Pussycat Dolls, the latter enjoying two UK number one singles in 2005. It was Jack Johnson, however, who won the award. Perversely, he also won "Worst International Male Solo Artist" in the Naomi Awards recently.
| Artist | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Arcade Fire | Canadian |
| Daniel Powter | Canadian |
| Jack Johnson | American |
| John Legend | American |
| Pussycat Dolls | American |
[edit] Outstanding Contribution To Music
This was given to Paul Weller, former lead singer of The Jam and later of The Style Council. He was one of the leading figures in the new wave movement in the late 1970s, whilst The Style Council had a more eclectic sound, notably branching out into jazz music. Since the early 1990s, he has enjoyed chart success as a solo artist.
[edit] See also
[edit] Controversy
- Some of the more famous British pop acts failed to get a nomination. Bands like Girls Aloud and McFly both had top 10 hits in both the single and album charts but neither were nominated, and Oasis who were eligible, but were snubbed in the category of Best Album, only had 2 nominations.
