The singer looked genuinely surprised as he climbed on the stage to pick up the trophy, a pale pink statuette designed by British artist Tracey Emin.
"I didn't expect it... It's been a very good year for British music", he said.
Other winners of the night included Paloma Faith for British female artist and Royal Blood, who defeated popular boy band One Direction to be named the best British band.
Award for the best international female artist went to Taylor Swift, who opened the show. The pop-heavy ceremony also saw performances from Take That, Sam Smith and Madonna.
This year, the awards will be shown in over 100 territories across the world in addition to the usual live broadcast on Britain's commercial ITV network. — Reuters
