Overview
- At Manchester’s Co‑op Live on Thursday, Olivia Dean won best female act, album of the year for The Art of Loving, and song of the year for Man I Need.
- Other key winners included Jim Legxacy for best male act, Raye for video of the year, DC3 for best newcomer and best gospel act, and Central Cee for best hip‑hop act.
- The ceremony streamed live on Amazon Music UK’s Twitch channel, with a BBC One Access All Areas highlights show scheduled for Friday at 11:25pm.
- Special honours went to Pharrell Williams with the Global Songwriter Award and Slick Rick with the Lifetime Achievement award, alongside a Grime 25 medley curated by DJ Target.
- Hosting its 30th anniversary in Manchester for the first time, MOBO paired the main show with a week of local Fringe events and even a VIP train, which organizers said was meant to boost the city’s creative scene and mirror a broader shift of major UK awards beyond London.