BBC Music Awards
Review by: David Butcher
BBC One Thur 11th Dec 8pm - 10pmHow do you round up a year in music with three awards? That’s the challenge the BBC has set itself tonight in an event that perhaps started life on the back of an envelope as ‘Those guys next door have got Sports Personality of the Year – what have we got?’
We’re promised a sort of mash-up of year-end party, concert (One Direction, Coldplay, Paloma Faith and Ed Sheeran perform), prize-giving and three-way simulcast (Radios 1 and 2 join in). Fearne Cotton and Chris Evans are on stage to jolly things along as hosts.
They and the other BBC presenters and producers have already decided who will win two of the three categories, British Artist of the Year and International [ie to all intents and purposes, American] Artist of the Year.
But we have our part to play, too. Evans and Nick Grimshaw will today announce a shortlist of ten songs on their respective Radio 2 and Radio 1 breakfast shows from which we can vote for our favourite as Song of the Year. After an eclectic 12 months, can anything beat the spring-heeled uplift of Happy?
Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton host the inaugural BBC Music Awards, broadcast live from London's Earls Court. An array of British and international singers and bands come together to celebrate the past year in music, and there could be a few surprising collaborations. Performers confirmed so far include Ed Sheeran, Paloma Faith, Take That, Coldplay, George Ezra, Labrinth, Ella Henderson, Calvin Harris and pop-classical fusion quartet Clean Bandit - and not forgetting a certain boy band going by the name of One Direction. During the evening, three awards will be presented - British Artist of the Year, International Artist of the Year and Song of the Year - and while the first two are chosen by a panel of music journalists, the last one is voted for by members of the public. Also being broadcast on Radio 1 and Radio 2.
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