BBC Music Awards

The BBC Music Awards may not have such a long history as the Grammy or Brit Awards but they are presented by the world’s oldest national broadcasting organization. The awards have been presented annually since 2014 for achievements in pop music over the past twelve months.

The first BBC Music Awards ceremony was held on December 11, 2014 at Earl’s Court Exhibition Center in London (interestingly, two days after the ceremony the venue was permanently closed and then demolished). Due to the demolition of Earl’s Court Exhibition Center, the next year the BBC Music Awards moved to ExCeL London.

The inaugural BBS Music Awards was hosted by English television and radio presenters Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton. Well-known British and international artists who performed during the ceremony included Coldplay, Clean Bandit, George Ezra, Gregory Porter, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Calvin Harris, John Newman, Ellie Goulding, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Paloma Faith, Sigma, Take That, will.i.am, Cody Wise, Tom Jones, and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

The first winners were Ed Sheeran (British Artists of the Year) and Pharrell Williams (International Artists of the Year and Song of the Year for “Happy”). Besides, Catfish and the Bottlemen received a BBC Introducing Award. The event was broadcast live on BBC One, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. It was also streamed online on the BBC official website.

Although the BBC Music Awards are considered less prestigious than the BRIT Awards (the annual pop music awards presented by the British Phonographic Industry), they are certainly gaining momentum. Artists who’ve performed at the ceremony have included Hozier, Stereophonics, Little Mix, Rod Stewart, Craig David, John Legend, Emeli Sande, Robbie Williams, and others.