“I was so excited about the BRITs tonight,” Spice Girl Mel C told us at the Universal after party at 180 Studios on Saturday night. “Lots of women were being celebrated and it’s such a great time for British music,” she said before playing a DJ set.
One woman in particular comes to mind. A better name for the BRITs this year might have been the RAYEs after the star scooped a record-breaking six awards at the ceremony.
The new R&B Act category introduced this year was one of Raye’s six wins on the night. What did Mel C think of the new addition? “The more the better! There are so many genres of music. It can be really hard to be heard above the noise,” she told us.
Raye was once signed to Polydor, a record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. “We’re all really happy for her,” one employee told us at the after party.
We caught up with McFly bandmates Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher ordering margaritas at the bar. “We were last here in 2005 and we won a BRIT,” Jones said. “It’s nice to be back.”
A lot has changed in the industry since McFly’s last time at the BRITs. What was their advice for new bands trying to break through? “It’s more difficult than ever and there’s no way to do it. Don’t be scared to be different. Do it tastefully and create a fanbase,” Jones said.
“I’ve worked with people who have millions of streams but can’t sell out a show. If you create a fanbase, you’ll be here for a long time.” In the age of social media and self-promotion, musicians can end up spending more time creating content than writing music.
“Now, you’ve got to bring your social game. You gotta be [on] TikTok,” Jones said. “You can put too much pressure on that and then that gets in the way of what really matters.”
This year’s winner of the Rising Star award was girl band The Last Dinner Party, who came out to celebrate. “I don’t know much about their music but I love their outfits,” Ashley Roberts of Pussycat Dolls fame told us. “I’m going to get to know their music real soon. I’m always supportive of female groups.”
The dancefloor filled for hip-hop legend Eve’s performance and Mel C’s DJ set. Actors Billie Piper and Layton Williams bopped along to Spice Girls remixes with singer and BRIT nominee Jessie Ware and former member of The Saturdays, Frankie Bridge.
Singer Jess Glynne and footballer turned commentator Alex Scott arrived together all glammed up and got some snaps in the photobooth.
