The 17-year-old New Zealand singer-songwriter, who shot to fame with the release of her worldwide hit ‘Royals’, beat Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, P!nk and Janelle Monae for the award, which was delivered to her at London’s 02 Arena.
It’s not the first time that the songstress has usurped some industry megastars; earlier this year, Lorde, known to her ma and pa as Ella Yelich O’Connor, won song of the year and best pop performance at the Grammy Awards in a category that included Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, P!nk and Bruno Mars.
On her debut record, Pure Heroine, the precocious Devonport teenager parodies, wealth and materialism. She refers to her BRIT Award win as a “priceless surprise” before acknowledging the other “strong, talented and inspiring women in this category, because it’s amazing to have competition that healthy.”
The night’s other big winner was British rock band Arctic Monkeys, who also became the first band to win best British group and best British album three times with their fifth longplayer, AM.
Congratulations, Lorde!