Astronaut Tim Peake presented Adele with a Brit Award from space on Wednesday, as the singer swept the board at the annual British music awards rendered sober this year by the death of David Bowie.
Astronaut Tim Peake presented Adele with a Brit Award from space on Wednesday, as the singer swept the board at the annual British music awards rendered sober this year by the death of David Bowie. Adele won four prizes, including best British female solo artist and best album. The singer also took home best British single and Global Success award at the ceremony, which is the British equivalent of the Grammys.
Her four-award haul is the most wins for any individual act since 1995, when Blur took home four Brit Awards, reported BBC. A slew of big names took the stage for live performances during the ceremony, held at London’s O2 Arena. “We’re all huge fans up here,” Peake said in a recorded message from the International Space Station, adding that the superstar singer had “taken the world by storm”.
He presented Adele with a global success award for her record-breaking latest album 25. Adele took to the stage in tears, saying: “My kid is going to think I’m so cool.” She added: “Not bad for a girl from Tottenham that don’t like flying, getting global success. And Tim Peake, I love you, I hope you’re okay and not too hungry. Bye.”
In another emotional moment, Gary Oldman and Annie Lennox paid heartfelt tribute to Bowie, the British rock legend who died unexpectedly from cancer in January. “David, you were mortal but your potential was superhuman and your remarkable music is living on. We love you and we thank you,” Oldman said. Rumours of an all-star tribute act proved wide of the mark, with Bowie’s old band instead taking to the stage to perform Life on Mars with Lorde, an artist he had championed.
Coldplay opened the night and took home their fourth Brit award for best group for their seventh and possibly last LP, A Head Full of Dreams. Meanwhile Justin Bieber, who performed with best British solo artist James Bay, was named best international solo artist. Lead singer Chris Martin dedicated the award to “all the young men and women musicians in refugee camps around the world. They could be us and we could be them, so we send them our love”. Rihanna shook up London’s 02 Arena with a rendition of her new song Work with a special appearance by Drake.
