Emeli Sande is queen of the Brit Awards as singer scoops two gongs (GALLERY and VIDEO)

Feb 21 2013 By Cheryl Mullin

EMELI Sande is the queen of last night's Brit Awards after collecting two of the biggest prizes as she declared: “This is a dream.”

The 25-year-old singer was named best British female and carried off the key prize of the night when her debut release Our Version Of Events was named best album.

The ceremony at London’s O2 Arena also saw another double winner with singer-songwriter Ben Howard named best British male and best breakthrough artist.

Gobsmacked Howard, also 25, said: “This is bizarre, isn’t it? I didn’t really expect it. I’m quite stoked to even come to the awards, so to come away with two of these is amazing.”

World-conquering Adele added to her tally of Brits with the best single prize for her James Bond theme, Skyfall.

And she joked about being allowed to finish her speech after being cut off when show bosses ran out of time last year and host James Corden interrupted her.

In a video acceptance from Los Angeles, where she is rehearsing for this weekend’s Oscars ceremony, she said: “I won’t keep you too long because I don’t want to interrupt the best album speech at the end of the night.”

But the night belonged to Sande – who called herself “a very unlikely pop star” – with her double triumph. Just last year she had picked up the Critics’ Choice prize as one of the year’s top hopefuls.

Since then she has had the biggest-selling album of the year, got married and appeared at both the opening and closing ceremony of the Olympics.

Collecting her best album award – beating Plan B, Mumford & Sons, Paloma Faith and Alt-J – she said: “Wow, I think I’m a very unlikely pop star. You know this is an album I wrote because I didn’t have the confidence to say these things in person.

“For me, so many people have connected with this album and found strength with these words, it makes me feel incredible and it doesn’t make me feel as lonely.

“So thank you everybody who bought this record. You make me feel as though I’m part of something much bigger. This is a dream really.”