As I’m sure you’re well aware, tonight is the Brit Awards and they’re being shown live on TV. I don’t have a TV in my student room, which can be a burden when I want to keep up with American Idol, but right now I think it’s a blessing cos I can pretend that Corrine Bailey Rae has no nominations and instead, Margaret Berger is the star of the show. That’s right, it’s time for my now annual Dirrrty Pop Awards, acknowledging the acts who really deserve to be on that Earl’s Court stage.
The categories are mostly the same as the Brits but I have added a few more genre awards and got rid of any boundaries of nationality, because that is irrelevant these days when we can access the music industries of whichever country we choose. And unlike the Brits, I’m not even going to pretend to be democratic – all the awards are decided by me, based on the output of each artist over the year of 2006 and 2007 so far. Another convention I have discarded is that categories have to be a certain size – mine are as big as I want them to be. So, let’s begin!
Best female solo artist
1. Margaret Berger
2. Robyn
3. Linda Sundblad
4. September
5. Jamelia
6. Marit Bergman
Best male solo artist
1. Mika
2. Darin
3. Will Young
4. Patrick Wolf
5. Dima Bilan
6. Just Jack
Best new act
1. The Pipettes
2. Alphabeat
3. Linda Sundblad
4. Mika
5. The Feeling
6. West End Girls
7. WinterKids
Best group
1. BWO
2. The Pipettes
3. Delays
4. Scissor Sisters
5. Alphabeat
6. Melody Club
7. Girls Aloud
8. Pet Shop Boys
Best rock act
1. Delays
2. Melody Club
3. Veronicas
4. Fefe Dobson
5. The Ark
6. Lilyjets
7. Lillix
8. All American Rejects
Best urban act
1. Robyn
2. Jamelia
3. Darin
4. Just Jack
5. Lily Allen
6. Justin Timberlake
7. Nelly Furtado
Best pure pop act
1. BWO
2. The Pipettes
3. Margaret Berger
4. Linda Sundblad
5. Scissor Sisters
6. Girls Aloud
7. Mika
Best dance act
1. September
2. Infernal
3. Najoua Belyzel
4. Kate Ryan
5. CSS
6. Madonna
7. Da Buzz
Best single
1. BWO – Temple Of Love
2. BWO – Will My Arms Be Strong Enough
3. The Pipettes – Pull Shapes
4. Scissor Sisters – I Don’t Feel Like Dancing
5. September – Satellites
6. Rihanna – S.O.S (Rescue Me)
7. Kate Ryan – Je t’adore
8. Delays – Valentine
9. Will Young – Who Am I
10. Infernal – From Paris To Berlin
Best album
1. BWO – Halcyon Days
2. The Pipettes – We Are The Pipettes
3. Margaret Berger – Pretty Scary Silver Fairy
4. Delays – You See Colours
5. Linda Sundblad – Oh My God
6. Jamelia – Walk With Me
Outstanding Contribution to Music:
There is one very obvious choice for this award and that is one Mr Darren Hayes of Brisbane, Australia. He didn’t release anything in 2006 but it was a special year for him as he broke free of his rubbish major label contract in order to make music which he will release independently in the coming months of 2007, and he came out as gay, revealing that he had recently married his English boyfriend. It’s the end of one era and the beginning of another that promises to bring some fantastic new music from Darren, as he is finally free to do exactly what he wants without any record company interference. Darren’s contribution to music includes his work with Savage Garden and his two solo albums, which have shown him to be one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, and most importantly his songs mean so much to so many people. His work has had a big impact on my life and listening to each album, brings back memories of each time in my life, as I have been a Darren fan for many years now. Therefore there is no-one who deserves this award more than Darren Hayes.
And no award show would be complete without some performances to showcase the best music of the past year. While these were obviously not performed exclusively for us, I have chosen performances that you are less likely to have seen before. So, enjoy them and goodnight!