Some viewers were left scratching their heads after Sombr‘s performance at the 2026 BRIT Awards.
The ceremony, held Sunday (Feb. 28) at Manchester’s Co-op Live, saw the 20-year-old singer-songwriter take the stage to perform his hit song “Undressed,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart in September 2025.
Midway through the performance, a man suddenly rushed the stage and pushed Sombr off the platform. Security quickly apprehended the supposed intruder and escorted him away, while Sombr — clad in a shimmery purple ensemble — returned to the mic and carried on with the show.
Amid the chaos, the glittering backdrop fell away to reveal a full band as Sombr smoothly transitioned into his next number, the chart-topping “Back to Friends,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart earlier this year.
“Why do people push Artists like wtf Poor Sombr,” one person wrote in a comments section of a video posted on X. Another added, “Security was a little late on that one…”
“Was it planned,” someone else asked. One viewer wrote, “The way he managed to carry on shows that he’s a true professional. I’d have run!!”
Adding to the confusion, the man who pushed Sombr was wearing a black T-shirt that read, “Sombr Is A Homewrecker,” leaving some to speculate whether it was a publicity stunt to promote the artist’s new single, “Homewrecker.”
“His new song his called homewrecker. very staged. clever way to get headlines tho,” a person observed in the comments. Another commended Sombr for clever marketing. “I actually love when artists come up with clever ways to keep promoting themselves and their music, like this video proves his point, everyone is watching this now and he’s getting coverage. Even with his tik tok accounts. It’s what works in this day and time with social media,” they wrote. Another added, “looks like a part of performance to me.”
After his BRITs performance, Sombr’s representatives confirmed to Variety that the incident was indeed staged and part of the show. Billboard has reached out to his reps for further comment.
BRIT Awards host Jack Whitehall also chimed in on the incident following the performance. “Such a shame we didn’t have the security ready,” the comedian and actor said.
Sombr, a New York City native, was nominated at this year’s BRIT Awards for international artist of the year. He was also nominated for international song of the year for “Undressed.” He lost in both categories to Rosalía, and Rosé and Bruno Mars for “APT.,” respectively.
Check out Sombr’s 2026 BRIT Awards performance below on YouTube.
