BRIT Awards 2015: The full list of winners and nominees

Look back at the key moments from 2015's biggest night for UK music.
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2015 saw a big change for the BRIT Awards – after four consecutive years as host, James Corden stepped aside and handed the presenting baton to Ant & Dec, the first time the duo had fronted the show since 2001.

Winner of the previous year's Critics' Choice Award, Sam Smith had the biggest clutch of nominations, with five nods, for British Album with debut In the Lonely Hour, Video and Single for Stay With Me, British Male, and British Breakthrough. Close behind were Ed Sheeran, George Ezra and Royal Blood with four nominations apiece. But who would take home the Tracey Emin-designed statuette? Let's see!

Taylor Swift was having a huge year thanks to the release of 1989 in 2014 (stay with us) and she opened the show with a stylish rendition of its biggest hit Blank Space, before the first award of the night went to Ed Sheeran for British Male, presented to him by Rita Ora and Orlando Bloom.


Lots of dancers taking up Taylor's blank space. Image: Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock

2015 was Sam Smith's year as he took home two awards, one for British Breakthrough Act and another for BRITs Global Success. Sam also performed his single Lay Me Down and his album In The Lonely Hour returned to Number 1 as a result. Nice one!

Royal Blood won British Group after a successful breakthrough year, and then it was Sam Smith's turn to kick off his big night with a heartfelt performance of Lay Me Down – a month later he would take a new version of this song to Number 1, with John Legend lending a hand, and his voice.

Taylor Swift took International Female, thanking British pubs and tea in her speech, before winners Royal Blood performed a rousing version of Figure It Out. Paloma Faith gets emotional after Mark Ronson presents her with the award for British Female – her first win after three nominations.


First win for a pleased Paloma. Image: Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock

Next up, Ed Sheeran performs a Rudimental redo of Bloodstream, which helps the song peak at Number 2 a few weeks later. After a quick selfie with Ant & Dec, Kim Kardashian handed Sam Smith the Global Success Award then introduced her husband Kanye West, who gave an electrifying performance of new single All Day, which suffered many a bleep on the live telecast.

Pharrell won International Male and thanked everyone via a video message for the success of million-selling, record-breaking single Happy, before Take That took to the BRITs state as a trio for the first time, to perform Let in the Sun.

Lionel Richie teamed up with Lisa Snowdon to present Mark Ronson with the British Single award for Uptown Funk, and comedian John Bishop was on hand to announce Foo Fighters as winner of International Group – sadly it was another video message. 

George Ezra did his breakthrough hit Budapest, and Sam Smith took home his second award of the night, the British Breakthrough – presented by Charli XCX and Fearne Cotton – and Paloma Faith gave one of the most impressive performances of the night as she sang Only Love Can Hurt Like This on a rainy stage.

One Direction won the public vote for British Video, for You and I, but Simon Cowell had to accept the award as the fab five (as they were then) were on tour – Zayn would quit the band just a month later.


Ed Sheeran "multiplies" his BRITs collection. (Sorry.) Image: Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock

The big award of the night was presented by Russell Crowe to… Ed Sheeran, who equalled Sam Smith's BRITs haul of a pair of statuettes, for second album x (pronounced "multiply", if you remember).

Rounding off the show was a performance by Madonna, which would have been memorable on its own, but acquired instant access to the BRITs Hall of Fame when a wardrobe malfunction sent the Queen of Pop tumbling from quite a high platform as she started to sing Living for Love. The star's cape was tied round her neck, and set to be yanked away by backing dancers at the right moment – however the cape was tied too tight and Madonna couldn't loosen it in time and the mighty pull took her with it, ensuring worldwide headlines the next day. Needless to say, she recovered in seconds and finished the song.


The calm before the fall… Image: Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock

Look back at BRIT Awards winners from years gone by: 2017201620142013201220112010200920082007.

The full list of winners and nominees for the 2015 BRIT Awards:

CATEGORY ARTIST SONG/ALBUM
British Artist Video Of The Year Calvin Harris Summer
British Artist Video Of The Year Charli XCX Boom Clap
British Artist Video Of The Year Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones I Got U
British Artist Video Of The Year Ed Sheeran Thinking Out Loud
British Artist Video Of The Year Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars Uptown Funk
British Artist Video Of The Year One Direction (WINNER) You and I
British Artist Video Of The Year Rita Ora I Will Never Let You Down
British Artist Video Of The Year Route 94 ft. Jess Glynne My Love
British Artist Video Of The Year Sam Smith Stay With Me
British Artist Video Of The Year Sigma Nobody To Love
British Breakthrough Act Chvrches  
British Breakthrough Act FKA Twigs  
British Breakthrough Act George Ezra  
British Breakthrough Act Royal Blood  
British Breakthrough Act Sam Smith (WINNER)  
British Female Solo Artist Ella Henderson  
British Female Solo Artist FKA Twigs  
British Female Solo Artist Jessie Ware  
British Female Solo Artist Lily Allen  
British Female Solo Artist Paloma Faith (WINNER)  
BRITs Global Success Sam Smith (WINNER)  
British Group Alt-J  
British Group Clean Bandit  
British Group Coldplay  
British Group One Direction  
British Group Royal Blood (WINNER)  
British Male Solo Artist Damon Albarn  
British Male Solo Artist Ed Sheeran (WINNER)  
British Male Solo Artist George Ezra  
British Male Solo Artist Paolo Nutini  
British Male Solo Artist Sam Smith  
British Producer of the Year Alison Goldfrapp & Will Godfrey  
British Producer of the Year Flood  
British Producer of the Year Jake Gosling  
British Producer of the Year Paul Epworth (WINNER)  
British Single Calvin Harris Summer
British Single Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne Rather Be
British Single Duke Dumont ft. Jax Jones I Got U
British Single Ed Sheeran Thinking Out Loud
British Single Ella Henderson Ghost
British Single George Ezra Budapest
British Single Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (WINNER) Uptown Funk
British Single Route 94 ft. Jess Glynne My Love
British Single Sam Smith Stay With Me
British Single Sigma Nobody To Love
Critics' Choice George The Poet  
Critics' Choice James Bay (WINNER)  
Critics' Choice Years & Years  
International Female Solo Artist Beyonce  
International Female Solo Artist Lana Del Rey  
International Female Solo Artist Sia  
International Female Solo Artist St Vincent  
International Female Solo Artist Taylor Swift (WINNER)  
International Group 5 Seconds Of Summer  
International Group First Aid Kit  
International Group Foo Fighters (WINNER)  
International Group The Black Keys  
International Group The War On Drugs  
International Male Solo Artist Beck  
International Male Solo Artist Hozier  
International Male Solo Artist Jack White  
International Male Solo Artist John Legend  
International Male Solo Artist Pharrell Williams (WINNER)  
MasterCard British Album of the Year Alt-J This Is All Yours
MasterCard British Album of the Year Ed Sheeran (WINNER) X
MasterCard British Album of the Year George Ezra Wanted On Voyage
MasterCard British Album of the Year Royal Blood Royal Blood
MasterCard British Album of the Year Sam Smith In The Lonely Hour

Article image: Rex/Shutterstock

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Peter Criddle

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Didn't Elvis and Frank Sinatra hold down the number 1 and 2 positions at one time or another?

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julesin09

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Don’t know about Elvis but Frank Sinatra didn’t even come close to doing that.