Lorde was widely praised for the David Bowie tribute she performed yesterday (Feb. 24) at the 2016 Brit Awards. You wouldn’t have known it, but she was actually quite jittery to cover “Life on Mars?” with Bowie’s backing band.
“I was so nervous in the wings,” Lorde admitted earlier today on Twitter. “Then I whispered to myself ‘just sing it to David,’ and nothing else mattered.”
This particular song called for Lorde to adapt her characteristically deep singing voice to Bowie’s higher register, so the nerves could have been due to more than just idol worship. Even outside her comfort zone, she delivered. Bowie praised Lorde’s music while he was alive (and he certainly didn’t praise everyone’s), so the 19-year old artist had a bona fide, real life connection to pull from.
Brit Awards 2016: See the Full List of Winners
Annie Lennox and Gary Oldman’s poignant introductions could have certainly helped, too.
Below, watch the entire tribute, followed by Lorde’s next-day reaction to her Bowie cover:
i was so nervous in the wings, and then i whispered to myself “just sing it to david”, and nothing else mattered
— Lorde (@lorde) February 25, 2016
?? IS THERE LIFE ON MARS? ?? pic.twitter.com/0uGC7fTvar
— Lorde (@lorde) February 25, 2016
also, performing with bowie’s brilliant touring band – including the inimitable @mikegarson who played DB’s keys since the 70s! – was unreal
— Lorde (@lorde) February 25, 2016