1999 Brit Awards

The 1999 Brit Awards were the 19th edition of the biggest annual pop music awards in the United Kingdom. They are run by the British Phonographic Industry and took place on 16 February 1999 at the London Arena in London.

Live performers

• B*Witched, Billie Piper, Cleopatra, Steps, Tina Cousins and Supatroopas – "Thank ABBA for the Music"
• Boyzone featuring Barry McGuigan, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn – "When the Going Gets Tough"
• The Corrs – "Runaway" and "Haste To The Wedding"
• David Bowie featuring Placebo – "20th Century Boy"
• Eurythmics featuring Stevie Wonder – "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
• Manic Street Preachers – "You Stole the Sun from My Heart"
• Robbie Williams – "Let Me Entertain You"
• Whitney Houston – "It's Not Right But It's Okay"

The awards

Outstanding Contribution to Music

• Eurythmics

Notable moments

Belle & Sebastian (1999)

In 1999, indie band Belle & Sebastian were nominated for Best British Newcomers, despite having released three albums before the 1999 Awards. The award was sponsored by Radio One and voted for online by their listeners. At the time, Steps were arguably Britain's biggest boy/girl pop band and were also nominated. Despite this, the award was won by Belle & Sebastian. On the Saturday after the awards, a story appeared in the press alleging that the group had rigged the vote in their favour, encouraging students from two universities to vote online. However, fans argued that the band had a predominantly large student following, that band member Isobel Campbell had attended one of the universities in question, and in particular, the award ought to be given on artistic merit as opposed to popularity or CD sales.