Girl got lots of energy to afford for winning

The pandemic isn’t over, but awards shows have entered post-COVID territory. Following last month’s Oscars, which gathered hundreds without masks in Los Angeles, the 2021 Brit Awards marked the return of big-time shows to the U.K. There was a packed, unmasked, distanced house of essential workers for the first event back at London’s O2 Arena, and it made for one of the most normal-looking awards shows we’ve seen since this whole mess started. Oh, and there were amazing performances, deserving awards wins, funny awards-show moments, and Coldplay.

Nature really is healing! Here are the highs, lows, and whoas of the 2021 Brits.Rina Sawayama criticized the show’s nominations process back in 2020, noting that as a non-British citizen, she wasn’t eligible for the Brits. Her outspokenness paid off months later, when the awards changed their eligibility rules — and on top of it all, she earned her first nomination, for the Rising Star Award. Sawayama didn’t take the moment for granted, showing up in a stunning purple dress, easily one of the night’s best outfits. She may not have won (and singer-songwriter Griff, who did, seemed no less deserving), but she did flick at a bigger win: an upcoming remix of Lady Gaga’s “Free Woman.” It’s only a matter of years before Rina contends for top honors.