Brit Awards show sparks more than 800 complaints after pop stars cause a stir
The award ceremony took place on Saturday at The O2 in London.
The Brit Awards ceremony sparked 825 complaints, with the majority relating to Sabrina Carpenter’s racy opening performance and five-time winner Charli XCX’s outfit, media watchdog Ofcom has said.
US pop star Carpenter caused a stir after she opened the award show at The O2 in London on Saturday evening with a rendition of her hit Espresso while wearing a red sparkly military-style blazer dress paired with stockings and suspenders.
The singer also paid homage to British culture by strutting down an aisle lit up with the Union flag as performers in military parade dress followed her.
Carpenter then transformed into a red sparkly bra and shorts set to perform her song Bed Chem on a large bed.
She was supported by a host of backing dancers who joined her in performing some raunchy moves during the pre-9pm watershed performance.
Carpenter received the global success award at the ceremony, and was also nominated in the international artist and international song of the year categories.
The big winner of the night, Charli XCX, also got hearts racing with her black see-through dress.
The singer addressed the concerns during her acceptance speech for artist of the year, saying: “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples. I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”
Charli XCX dominated at the award show, winning in five categories including the coveted album of the year for her culture-shaping record Brat.
The British star also won dance act; song of the year for her track Guess featuring US superstar Billie Eilish; and she was awarded the songwriter of the year trophy that was announced last week.
The 32-year-old has had an impressive 12 months which saw the infectious electronic-pop tracks on Brat soar up the charts and inspire a trend, with fans embracing the “brat summer” cultural movement which promoted self-love, positive body image and sultry style choices.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We are assessing the complaints against our rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”
