Adele wins on home soil
Two more trophies for soulful singer at Brit music awards
Just over a week after her spectacular Grammys sweep, Adele triumphs at the British Awards.
LONDON: Soulful songstress Adele capped a momentous year of Grammy Awards triumph and medical woes with a double win at the Brit music awards, taking prizes for album of the year and best British female solo artist before making an obscene gesture after the show’s host cut her acceptance speech short.
Teen-friendly English troubadour Ed Sheeran won two trophies, including British male solo artist, at an energetic ceremony in London.
It has been a dramatic year for down-to-earth north London diva Adele, who based her chart-topping songs of heartbreak on a rocky relationship.
Her sophomore album 21 won six Grammys last week and had sold more than six million copies in the United States alone. But Adele also had to undergo vocal cord surgery in November to fix a potentially career-threatening throat condition.
She delivered a powerhouse performance of her single Rolling in the Deep to thousands of fans and industry insiders at London’s O2 arena.
“It’s been an amazing year,” Adele said as she received the female artist statuette from petite pop star Kylie Minogue.
“I feel like a drag queen next to you,” joked the winner, who wore a sleek black Burberry gown but towered over Minogue.
She thanked her record company “for letting me be the kind of artist I want to be.”
The show’s host, actor James Corden, cut off Adele’s second acceptance speech, prompting the singer to make a rude middle-finger gesture in frustration.
She stressed afterward that it was aimed at industry leaders, not her fans.
“I’m sorry if I offended anyone but it was the suits that offended me,” Adele said.
“Thank you all very much and thanks to my fans. I don’t want them to think I was swearing at them.”
The show’s broadcaster, ITV, issued a statement apologising to Adele for cutting her off.
“We regret this happened and we send deepest apologies to Adele that her big moment was cut short tonight due to the live show overrunning,” ITV said.
The ceremony also included tributes to two departed divas, Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse. — AP