Brit Awards 2020: Boris Johnson branded 'racist' by Dave while Tyler, the Creator slams Theresa May over UK ban
There were a lot of interesting moments at this year's Brit Awards 2020, which were held on February 18 in London. The UK's premier music awards had already attracted a lot of controversy in the leadup to the ceremony due to the distinct lack of female nominees for the main award categories, namely Best Album, Best Song, Best Group and Best New Artist.
Only the young Mabel McVey, the daughter of alt-pop star Neneh Cherry, had managed to earn a nomination in those categories (she eventually won for Female Solo Artist). Other than Mabel, it was just Miley Cyrus and Normani who represented the women in the eight big awards that were handed out that night at the O2 Arena.
Billie Eilish, who performed a haunting version of her theme song for the upcoming James Bond movie, 'No Time To Die' at the awards show, was also nominated (and won) for International Female Solo Artist. "I've felt really hated recently," said Eilish, while accepting the prestigious award. "And when I was on stage, and I saw you guys all smiling at me... It genuinely made me want to cry. And I want to cry right now."
Another poignant moment at the Brit Awards was reserved for Caroline Flack, the popular young British TV presenter who tragically took her own life on February 15. The comedian Jack Whitehall, who served as the host for the awards ceremony, said she was "a kind and vibrant person with an infectious sense of fun."
He added, "She will be sorely missed. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say our thoughts are with her friends and family."
Whitehall also contributed a lot of humor to the evening, joking that his mother, actress Hilary Gish, had been unabashedly "throwing herself" at the celebrated rock icon Rod Stewart that night. Stewart added to the hilarity by dedicating a song to Jack's mom when he closed out the awards with a warmly-received reunion of the legendary rock band Faces, featuring appearances by former members Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones) and Kenney Jones (The Who).
The big winner of the night was breakout star Lewis Capaldi, who picked up awards for both Best New Artist and Song of the Year ('Someone You Loved'). While accepting his award for the latter, Capaldi clarified that the 'Someone You Loved' was not about his ex Paige Turley, who currently appears on the TV show 'Love Island'.
"Contrary to popular belief," the singer said, "A lot of people think this song is about my ex-girlfriend, who you can now see every night on 'Love Island'. It's actually about my grandmother, who sadly passed away a few years ago." So that's who he was referring to all this time!
Another big winner on the night, Dave, the soulful 21-year-old rapper from London, swooped up the prestigious Album of the Year award for his introspective album, 'Psychodrama'. While accepting the award, Dave offered a shoutout to all the other young people like him who were hungry for success.
“All my young kings and queens that are chasing their dreams, I’m no different from you,” he said. Dave also had a special mention for the UK politician Boris Johnson during his performance of 'Black' on the piano. It contained the startling new lyric, "The truth is our Prime Minister is a real racist."
The talented hip-hop star, Tyler, the Creator, who won International Male Solo Artist, also dished out some snarky words for another British politician. This time, the object of his ire was the former UK Prime Minister, Theresa May. She was the Home Secretary when the Home Office banned Tyler, the Creator from entering the UK in 2015, citing his violent and controversial lyrics as the reason behind the strange decision.
As the rapper finished his acceptance speech, he said: “Thank you Theresa May. I know she’s at home pissed off." The Grammy award-winning rapper also paid homage to the legendary UK music scene, saying: “Shoutout to all the British funk from the 80s that I try to copy.”
To see a recap of the highlights from this year's Brit Awards 2020, including all the big winners, click here!