Today In Rock: February 16th, 1993 – Nirvana Receives International Honor
On this day… Nirvana won the Best International Newcomer category at the 13th annual BRIT Awards in London.
Though the recognition was undoubtably appreciated, it appeared the BRIT Awards were a bit late to the party since Nirvana wasn’t exactly new… even in the U.K.
“Nevermind,” Nirvana’s breakthrough album, dropped in ’91 with the band launching a European tour later in the year.
In Europe the band found that the shows were dangerously oversold, television crews became a constant presence onstage, and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was almost omnipresent on radio and music television.
“Come As You Are” was released as the second single in March ’92, reached #9 on the U.K. Singles chart. Two more singles, “Lithium” and “In Bloom,” reached #11 and #28 on the U.K. survey.
Interestingly, while Nirvana won the Best International Newcomer category, they lost the Best International Group honor to R.E.M.
Subsequently, “Nevermind” went six times platinum in the U.K. on its way to selling over 30 million copies worldwide becoming one of the best-selling albums of all-time.
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