The home stretch before the first BRIT Awards ceremony to take place in Manchester is upon us, and announcements are sill coming in thick and fast. Today, the BRITs have announced that one of music’s most talked‑about new artists, SOMBR, will perform at this year’s show, joining an incredible line‑up of recently announced artists including Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice, Alex Warren, Mark Ronson and ROSALÍA.
SOMBR (aka Shane Boose) has been called Gen Z’s rockstar heir apparent, and his debut BRIT nominations — for International Artist of the Year and International Song of the Year for his hit single Undressed — come hot on the heels of a massive 2025 for the New York City musician.
In 2025, his smash single back to friends hit #1 on Spotify’s Global and US charts, cracked the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 (#7) and was the #1 Pop song in America. His rapid rise led to sell‑out headline tours in the US, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, with surprise guest appearances from Sam Smith and Laufey.
SOMBR entered 2026 with a Best New Artist Grammy nod following his Best Alternative win at the MTV VMAs, where he also performed. His Gold‑certified debut album, ‘I Barely Know Her’, received rave reviews, with three singles charting simultaneously on the Official UK Album Chart and Billboard Hot 100.
SOMBR said: “I’m so honoured to be performing at the iconic BRIT Awards. I am so thankful to everyone who has supported me this past year. I love the UK and all the British people, it’s my second home!”
BRITs YouTube channel live broadcast debut
This year, in another first spearheaded by Sony Music on behalf of the UK music industry, The BRIT Awards will reach a global audience through an innovative multi‑platform rollout with ITV and YouTube, as they join for a global partnership. For the first time ever, UK viewers can watch the show on ITV’s YouTube channel, as well as on ITV1 and ITVX – for the 13th year running, international viewers can tune in via The BRITs’ YouTube channel.
On the night, fans can choose their front‑row seat to all the action from the UK’s biggest night in music, whether they want the prestige of the live linear premiere or the digital energy of a global simulcast. From 8.15pm on Saturday 28th February, viewers can tune in live via ITV1 and ITVX; or from 8.45pm as the global digital simulcast begins on ITV’s YouTube channel (for UK viewers) and The BRITs’ YouTube channel (for international viewers).