On February 28, we will witness a BRIT Awards like no other as the ceremony leaves London for the first time ever to take up its new home at Co-op Live in Manchester. There are superstars lined up to play. A week of city-wide activity. And surprises still in store. At the epicentre of it all is its chair, RCA co-president Stacey Tang. Here, one of the most respected executives in the British music industry tells Music Week about the reasons for the big changes and why the ceremony needs to keep evolving…
WORDS: GEORGE GARNER PHOTOS: ROSIE WOODS
Stacey Tang is probably the busiest person in the music industry right now. The weird thing is, you’d never know it from her demeanour. There are no shredded nerves on display as she ushers Music Week into her office in Sony’s London HQ, all smiles and laughs as – crystal aficionado that she is – she shows us an array of glistening geodes placed meticulously around the room. Add to this that she has a legitimate claim to having The Nicest Smelling Office In Music (a combination of sage and palo santo, we’re informed) and the picture soon emerges of someone entirely at peace in the moment.
“My stress levels? They’re okay!” she beams. “I’m a trained yoga teacher, so I spend a lot of time on the mat.” At one point Tang – who’s also a qualified sound healer, FYI – even suggests that Music Week tries “a gong bath”. And we might just take her advice, because she’s currently making a life of multi-tasking colossal responsibilities look like a breeze.
In her day job, alongside fellow co-president Glyn Aikins, she leads RCA – a label on a hot streak of late with Jade’s That’s Showbiz Baby! becoming the biggest-selling British debut album of 2025 upon its release, Sleep Token scoring a No.1 album on both sides of the Atlantic, and Myles Smith still riding high after securing the biggest-selling single of 2024 by a British artist, with Stargazing. The label is up for a host of Music Week Awards this year, including Record Company Of The Year, A&R, Music Consumer Innovation, PR Campaign and Promotions Campaign.
There are her other passions to tend to, of course, which include serving as a trustee of the Ed Sheeran Foundation, being a member of ESEA Music, sitting on the board of Sony Music’s Social Justice Fund, and acting in an advisory capacity at The Evamore Music Project (Cancer Awareness Trust). Oh, and back at home, she has her beloved bulldog Kevin – fondly known as Kev – to look after.
Yet none of this is the real agenda today because, as of October last year, Tang is serving as the chair of the BRITs for the first of a three-year cycle run by Sony Music UK. And it’s not just any BRITs, but rather what BPI CEO Jo Twist hails “a landmark” event as the ceremony makes a “historic move to Manchester and the Co-op Live Arena, the first BRIT Awards to be staged outside of London in its five-decade existence”. Moreover, Sony have doubled-down on The Big Move by signing up for a two-year stint in the Northern powerhouse. They’ve gone mad fer it.
“There’s vibes everywhere,” grins Tang. “I know from my own experience, having been there with acts early in their careers, that Manchester knows culture; it knows art. At the beginning, when we chose to move there, there was a lot of umm-ing and ahh-ing, but Manchester has received us so generously, so warmly. Andy Burnham [mayor of Greater Manchester], Bev Craig [leader of Manchester City Council] and the Council have all been super-helpful and the BPI has rallied everybody.”
“The reaction in Manchester has been amazing,” Jo Twist tells Music Week, citing everything from BRITs-branded trams to the BRITs billboards dotted all over the city right now. “Obviously, upping sticks to a wholly different city and new venue brings its logistical challenges, but it also means there are opportunities to do new and different things. It’s also important for The BRITs to be able to connect with the whole country, and being out of London will help with this.”
BPI chair YolanDa Brown, mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, co-host Charley Marlowe, co-president of RCA UK and chair of The 2026 BRIT Awards committee Stacey Tang, co-host Sarah Story, leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig and BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE. (Photo: John Marshall).
Twist is quick to praise Tang for her “ambitious vision, creative energy and highly collaborative style” that has already helped lasso a bill that includes a global live exclusive for Harry Styles, as well as performances from Olivia Dean, Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami/Huntr/X, Wolf Alice, Mark Ronson, Alex Warren, Rosalía and Sombr. It also boasts a celebrated shortlist of nominees at the vanguard of British music’s recent resurgence, not to mention the reinstated Critics’ Choice Award, which has already been awarded to Jacob Alon. In another twist, it will be the first BRITs ceremony to reach a global audience through a multi-platform live roll-out with ITV and YouTube.
In helping pull this all off as BRITs chair, Tang is now part of a small, elite fraternity of executives who’ve been tasked with running the biggest night in British music. “I was like, ‘Yay!’ then, ‘Oh… shit!’” she laughs as she recalls the moment that chairman and CEO of Sony Music UK and Ireland (not to mention previous BRITs chair himself) Jason Iley told her she’d be the next showrunner.
Fortunately, the appointment and what it would require didn’t come out of nowhere. Iley had been bracing an inner circle at Sony, including Tang, for a good while. Before Warner’s three-year tenure came to an end last year, he assembled a committee to feedback ideas of where to take the ceremony next before Tang eventually took the reins.
“Jason’s so well organised and so respectful of the BRITs and the job the BPI do,” Tang says. “He’s very clear about being supportive to me, but also being respectful of the fact that it’s the BRIT Committee that makes the decisions. I’m the chair, but it’s the Committee that votes – I don’t get a vote. But he will always say, ‘Well, it’s your show – how do you feel about that?’ We’re stewards of this for three years. It’s not ours. Everything needs to evolve. How does it become more exciting? How does it become a global proposition that global artists want to be involved in? And one that other industry execs respect? What we do this year and next year will evolve, because it’s meant to keep moving.”
While Iley’s forward-thinking had equipped Team Sony with a mindset ready to ring in big changes, Tang still had the small matter of her massive day job. Fortunately, she had support from her fellow co-president, Glyn Aikins.
“I have the most patient work partner in the world – he’s had my back during this,” she says of Aikins. “Glyn actually approached Matthew Williamson about the trophy design; that was all his idea. We’re a really good team and, like any other team, there’s sometimes when one somebody gives X amount and the other makes up 100 and that flits between the two.”
With fortuitous timing, Aikins – completely unaware of the compliments he’s receiving – walks past Tang’s office and is summoned inside to say hi. He receives Music Week’s compliment about his snazzy cardigan with a knowing smile.
“Thanks very much, I was famous at college for wearing them and always spilling hot chocolate on them,” the affable exec deadpans. He leaves, promising to update Tang on some “jokes” very soon.
From there, Tang is quick to reel off a large roll call of familiar names to Music Week readers who have been her support network as she made the leap to BRITs chair.
There’s the “indispensible” BRIT producer Sally Wood: “Speaking as someone who’s a doer, to then be partnered with somebody else like that means it ends up all, ‘Can-do-do!’”
The BPI’s Jo Twist, and artist and BPI chair YolanDa Brown: “Stalwarts with acute observations on everything.”
BPI/BRIT Awards legend and Women In Music Outstanding Contribution winner Maggie Crowe: “She’s like The Oracle in The Matrix – just go into Maggie’s kitchen!”
There’s also love for former Warner showrunner Damian Christian (“he’s such a big character; he’s larger than life and he’s been brilliant”), as well as Sony Music UK’s Daisy Greenhead and the DawBell team (“they’ve all helped me navigate everything”).
That Tang takes time to give so many people their flowers makes sense when you consider the sheer scale of the Sony-led BRITs this year. It’s not just a show, it’s a cultural takeover. As Twist points out, another key Sony innovation this year is the inaugural BRITs Fringe – a programme of events taking in everything from art trails and exhibitions to an educational Fringe Lab, all of which are designed to leave a lasting cultural imprint on the city and wider region. Tang also salutes Clare Sanders-Wright [head of live music at War Child] and Sam Potts [Co-MD AWAL] for working on the associated War Child gigs and the work of RCA’s Damaris Rex-Taylor [MD] and Simon Forbes [head of marketing] for doing a wonderful job in helping deliver the Manchester Experience.
“The move from London to Manchester for The BRITs was never about just lifting it into another space,” explains Damaris Rex-Taylor, describing how they delivered a curated art trail championing North-West artists, alongside a bespoke exhibition showcasing iconic music artwork. “Manchester is a leader in arts and culture, so we wanted to respect that by amplifying what has already been built – through music, art, legacy and people. The city has such an impressive breadth of creatives, and we’re leading on activations that celebrate artists such as Stanley Chow, as well as the wealth of talented artists on the art trail, alongside Brian Cannon and his Microdot archive. It’s a brilliant opportunity and a great example of displaying the plural nature of music.”
Simon Forbes says Sony presented five ideas built around “genuine collaboration with the city”, expecting to only be able to pull off one. They overdelivered big time.
“After months of planning, getting to walk around Manchester last week and see the exhibition and art trail in real life was really gratifying,” he beams. “We’ve spent so long looking at mood boards, maps and mock-ups that finally seeing people stop, take photos and talk about it is really rewarding. There’s a real energy in the city – that kind of buzz you can’t manufacture – and it makes the whole thing feel so much bigger than a single awards show. Manchester has taken it and made it its own. And then Oasis posting about it on Instagram… moments like that really do catapult the visibility of the whole project, not just locally but everywhere.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, Bev Craig, Jason Iley MBE, Jessica Koravos, Andy Burnham, Roel de Vries, YolanDa Brown OBE DL and Guy Dunstan
Elsewhere, YolanDa Brown will be at the heart of the Fringe Lab, for what she calls “a one-day creative music industry event and live showcase that will bring together emerging artists, music professionals and other creatives”.
The topic of music education – a prominent theme at the 2025 BRITs courtesy of impassioned speeches by Myles Smith and The Last Dinner Party – is baked into the event’s DNA this year, especially with a staggering 15 of this year’s nominees being former BRIT School students.
“Education is massively important to me,” says Brown. “It’s the starting point of so much that’s good. When you look at the remarkable feats of The BRIT School, most recently with Olivia Dean, Lola Young and Raye, and ELAM, through FLO and Sienna Spiro, it makes you realise just how much more talent there is to tap into around the country if only more young people are given that vital opportunity. That’s why we’re so excited about our work to deliver a new specialist creative college due to open in Bradford in 2028 in collaboration with the UK Government, inspired by the successful model of those schools.”
“The BRITs have grown to become so much more than just a show,” she adds. “I feel sure there will be lots to take away and be inspired by from all the talks, hands-on workshops and immersive masterclasses.”
With all of this and more going on, it’s hard not to marvel at how chilled Tang seems with less than two weeks to go.
“This isn’t the pace that you can run at forever, but it’s so exciting that you just stretch your capacity,” says Tang, before settling in for a one-on-one talk through a host of key BRITs topics. “It’s the hurdles that make you stronger, isn’t it? That might sound a bit ‘Instagram-post friendly,’ but it’s the truth.”
Your initial reaction to finding out you were BRITs chair was “Yay!” followed by “Oh shit!”. Can you shed more light on how you feel to be picked for the role?
“I’m honoured, grateful – all the LinkedIn terminology! [laughs] But seriously, I haven’t taken it lightly. With awards, I normally feel so uncomfortable, but with this I was like, ‘Jason, we’re gonna go big on this one, I’m gonna celebrate this!’ It’s such a huge thing working with all of these artists. A lot of the time, the trope is that [labels] are all in competition – and we are – but just because we’re in competition doesn’t mean we can’t work collaboratively. Everybody’s working collaboratively, from the city to the artists to the labels, and it’s been so fun. I read something this week that said, ‘The aim in life is to be so passionate about things that people don’t know if you’re a genius or absolutely bonkers’ and I’m here for that sentiment, totally. But I also know that I’m a good strategist. I know that I’m a good planner. I’m just really excited because I’ve watched the BRITs since I was young. I remember going to my first BRITs, which was with Estelle playing, and I felt so lucky to go. And I still feel really lucky to go.”
To make the big move to Manchester as part of a two-year contract shows real confidence in the decision. Presumably, any doubts you had were far outweighed by the clear pros?
“It was Jason’s decision to move to Manchester. There was a lot of discussion about it, and the council made a really, really, really good pitch and has opened up the city for us in terms of Jason’s vision for evolving the show and the awards, and making it feel exciting. And there’s no disrespect to The O2 or holding things in London, but when you’ve held a creative ceremony in the same space for a long time, it’s hard to utilise it differently. There are staging opportunities, and we can also have people from the local area enjoy the BRITs – not just through BRITs Fringe or the Manchester Welcomes experience, but literally in the show. Creativity doesn’t happen in just one postcode in the UK. You go to Manchester and see all the infrastructure, the things being built and what’s being invested in. That’s the kind of energy that you want to be around, isn’t it? If we want to find and nurture the next generation of artists and talent within the industry, it’s important to go and see those people. It gets said a lot at the Women In Music Awards: ‘You can’t be what you can’t see.’ So it’s like, ‘Let’s put people in front of you who book gigs, who book festivals, who work in music law – so you can ask questions instead of getting lost with AI or the internet.’”
Manchester aside, what else did you feel needed to change and why?
“The first thing to start with there is the Voting Academy, which is refreshed every year with help from the BPI. They offer people sessions on how to vote [while] being aware of their biases. We looked at the Voting Academy in terms of its make-up, making sure that everyone voting had, at some stage, been involved in creating campaigns or working with artists. We actually invited artists who were recipients of BRITs and those who were BRIT-nominated last year, as well as representation across DSPs, traditional media outlets, radio, print, online and podcasts. Then we looked at some of the award categories, and we’ve gone back to the title of Critics’ Choice.”
What was the thinking behind that?
“Critical acclaim is important. Everybody has their own critics that they go to, because at a time when everything’s available to everybody, how do you start with what to choose? You take a recommendation from your partner, colleagues, friends – or somebody you’ve got something in common with. Personally, I think a recommendation from a human is great.”
It seems an ideal solution in the age of AI and algorithms…
“It provokes passionate debate, where you’re like, ‘No mate, that’s shit!’ There are a lot of people in our industry who have sway and impact in terms of where and how acts progress, and that’s important. We also announced the three finalists for Critics’ Choice at the time that we usually do, but we didn’t announce the winner until mid-Jan. That provided opportunities for two or three months, rather than it being a news piece that afternoon and then nothing happening afterward. Everything that DawBell got for the artists, alongside their own teams, was phenomenal.”
The widespread industry reaction to the nominations seemed to be a case of ‘British music is doing much better than in recent years’. What was your reaction to the reaction to the shortlists?
“When the nominees came in, I just thought, ‘Great, that’s indicative of the year that the UK’s had.’ It’s also indicative of the broad range of voices on the Academy now, and everybody feeling energised about how important music is day to day. When the world is upside down – when we’re living in ‘the upside down’ – music is something we’re really proud of. The shortlists are really broad in terms of genres and age range, so it’s a really good year.”
Notably, 15 BRIT nominations have gone to former BRIT school students. How do you reflect on that particular stat?
“It’s incredible. Raye, Olivia Dean, Lola Young, Cat Burns and more coming from it is just wonderful. The BRIT School is invited every year, and it’s really important to call out the work that the BPI and the BRIT Trust does there, and the fact that it’s open to anybody. When you go and visit, you see the impact, and the real, tangible difference it makes in people’s lives.”
One thing that got some critics talking was Noel Gallagher being awarded Songwriter Of The Year when he didn’t actually release any new music. He’s already told the press, “If anybody’s got a problem with it, I’ll be on the red carpet,” so we know what he thinks, but what’s your take on it?
“Well, look, it’s a reflection of the year in music, not when something was written. The cultural impact that Oasis had last year is undeniable – it’s unprecedented – and that was with new and old fans, regardless of their age, all finding the music again. It’s all about the music. We have a group of experts in every field; everything gets debated and, quite rightly, I think, the feeling was that Noel had an amazing year as a songwriter last year. But debate is good.”
In 2023, there was a lot of controversy about the all-male line-up in the gender neutral Best Artist category and a lot of diving into the reasons behind that. On the flipside, this is actually the highest representation of women and non-binary artists yet – is that proof of concept that the changes were the right ones to make?
“It’s a phenomenal [showing]. I think the change was right. The Academy is broader and that’s a reflection of the art that they deem to be important. But it isn’t just a reflection upon me or on the Committee. It’s the work that every label, every manager, every live agent and every promoter has been doing to shine a light on brilliant talent.”
On the RCA front, you must be pleased with RCA’s showing this year in the nominations?
“Jade, Myles, Sasha Keable, Sleep Token and Blood Orange – there’s one in every category, that’s what makes me proud of our label. We’ve got so many things that are best in show.”
One criticism of the BRITs over the years is that harder rock and metal, in particular, haven’t always had the best representation despite acts from those worlds getting No.1 albums and selling out arenas and stadiums every year. You must be proud to have Sleep Token flying that flag so prominently this year…
“I mean with Even In Arcadia, it’s the biggest streaming metal album of all time [the 2025 record achieved the largest streaming week ever for a hard rock album in the US]. They’re phenomenal and worked so hard at creating a lore that their fans wholly bought into. I work with Bring Me the Horizon, too, who are not the same kind of band, obviously, but a rock band on the heavier side who have done exactly the same thing. And that’s not an overnight success – it’s 20 years. You cannot go to a show by Sleep Token, Bring Me The Horizon, or BabyMetal and not be impressed. You leave those bands feeling you witnessed something incredible. So now, bands in genres that maybe didn’t have as many traditional or bigger media outlets – because they were seen as ‘specialist’ – can speak directly to fans, and they are growing more and more powerful. It’s an amazing thing to behold. This music is here. It’s not new.”
Let’s get into some of the key performances – a global exclusive with Harry Styles is quite the coup…
“As a music fan, I’m absolutely agog at the artists that we’ve got playing this year. It is the best multi-bill line-up. Harry really wanted to do it when he was asked, and it was a conversation that happened quite quickly. But I just want to be clear – I don’t get to time when Harry’s single comes out [laughs].”
One of the other key performers is Olivia Dean, who’s returning to play the UK after her huge Grammys success…
“She’s had such a good year. Seeing her and Lola Young at the Grammys – who are both BRIT School alumni – was such a full-circle moment. Maggie [Crowe] is so proud, as you can imagine. But also for me, to see two women who are brilliant artists entirely owning their own space and who they are. It’s an embarrassment of riches this year.”
Do you still have any surprises up your sleeve? Your eyes seem to be widening as we ask that… is that a yes?
“Just put: ‘Stacey’s eyes bulged.’ [laughs] You don’t know everything yet.”
In the aftermath of the event, what will success look like to you?
“I don’t know. It takes a while for everything to land and for me to assimilate what happened. I’m sure there’ll be lots of feedback, and we’ll take that with open ears and see how we can funnel it into next year. I’m already really proud of the way that everybody has worked together. I’m so happy – not just as the chair, but as a music fan – with everybody who’s been booked. I’m beside myself, truly; I mean that with every cell of my being. If the legacy is, ‘They tried something different, that was an awesome show, and it was exciting,’ then that will be great. The point of the BRITs is to showcase British music globally, and also serve as a reminder of what an important territory this is for global artists. If [you work in music and] you’re jaded after watching what’s on the line-up this year, you’re in the wrong role.”
Finally, who would you personally give a BRIT Award to this year?
“A special mention should go to Mel Rudder [beloved radio plugger and Three Thirty Music founder, who passed away last year]. She campaigned for the R&B award at the BRITs alongside EJAG and I was on the committee and worked with her. What a brilliant human. She’d be having an absolute ball at this year’s ceremony, so a special mention to Mel.”