Pop star Olivia Dean and singer-songwriter Sam Fender took home the 2026 BRIT Award for Song of the Year with their hit, ‘Rein Me In.’ Both Dean and Fender accepted the award at Saturday’s ceremony in Manchester. Dean said, in their joint speech, ‘I just want to say thank you to Sam, I think this is a beautiful song, it’s just been a pleasure to be a part of it.’ And Fender added, ‘I love this song, I wrote it about four years ago, and I loved it then, and Olivia made it her own, and I just want to say thank you to Olivia and her fans.’
The full video of their acceptance can be seen below.
‘Rein Me In’ was released on the deluxe edition of Fender’s album, ‘People Watching.’ Before Dean joined the remix, it was originally the eighth track on the album. The BRIT Award-winning remix debuted on 6 June during a show at London Stadium, with Dean brought on stage to perform. The song, featuring Dean, was then recorded in studio and released on 20 June, including a verse written by Dean. Fender said ‘If I collaborate with another artist on one of my songs, I prefer they write a new part and make it their own, rather than singing whatever I’ve already written.’ He added that ‘Olivia added a female perspective to ‘Rein Me In’, and I think it’s all the better for it. Sharing the stage with her over these last few stadium shows has been a joy.’ Dean added, ‘’Rein Me In’ is my favourite song on Sam’s album, so it was a pleasure to write a new verse from a female perspective. I’ve been a fan of Sam’s for a while now, so I’m so pleased we got to work together on this duet.’ Clash Magazine says the remixed ‘Rein Me in’ ‘takes on tender new tones’ as well as ‘bringing out different shades within Sam Fender’s voice.’
The song has spent a staggering 35 weeks on the Official Charts Top 40 before reaching Number 1. This breaks a record of 19 weeks previously held by Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud.’ Having been an occupant of the Top 40 since June 2025, it previously saw three separate peaks at number 5.
The win for ‘Rein Me In’ serves as a victory lap on a wildly successful year for both Fender and Dean, independently. In 2025 Fender won the Mercury Prize for ‘People Watching.’ The Mercury Prize judging panel said the album was recognized for ‘its cohesion, character and ambition’ and the album ‘will take pride of place in record collections for years to come.’
Also in 2025, Dean won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her tearful acceptance speech was a tribute to her family, saying, ‘I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,’ and ‘I am a product of bravery and those people deserve to be celebrated.’
The BRIT Awards official page calls ‘Rein Me In’ ‘one of the defining tracks of the past year.’
Other Song of the Year Nominees at the BRIT Awards include Ed Sheeran for ‘Azizam,’ Lola Young for ‘Messy,’ Lewis Capaldi for ‘Survive’ and more.
Fender also won Best Alternative/Rock Act on Saturday night. While Dean also took home the BRIT Awards for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (for ‘The Art of Loving’) and Best Pop Act. Her four wins makes her the night’s most awarded artist.
