At age just 19, Lorde wasn’t even alive for most of Bowie’s incredible career.
But when he died last month, the teenager penned one of the most moving tributes of all, describing on Facebook the moment she met him after a performance in America.
“The night I met him… I was not quite seventeen. I’ve never met a hero of mine and liked it. It just sucks, the pressure is too huge, you can’t enjoy it. David was different. I’ll never forget the caressing of our hands as we spoke, or the light in his eyes,” she said.
“I realised everything I’d ever done, or would do from then on, would be done like maybe he was watching. I realised I was proud of my spiky strangeness because he had been proud of his.”
Lorde surprised the crowd at the BRITs, taking to the stage for a surprise and emotional tribute to Bowie.
Yesterday, Lorde was given the chance – and the challenge – to pay tribute to her hero in a surprise performance in front of the cream of Britain’s music crop, with Bowie’s band as her backup.
With her distinctive husky voice, Lorde performed one of his greatest hits, Life on Mars – and nailed it.
Following the performance, industry insiders waited with bated breath to see how the toughest critic of all, David’s son Duncan Jones, would react.
After all, he was famously not impressed with Lady Gaga’s tribute to his father at the Grammy Awards.
But this time, Duncan approved.
Duncan gives Lorde the Tweet of approval.
“Finally found the links to tonight’s Brits. Just… Beautiful. Thank you,” he tweeted.
Pianist Mike Garson, who worked with David and was part of Lorde’s band for the performance, responded, “We worked 100 hours to get tonight right. And @Lorde was a dream to work with. We adored her respectfulness to your dad. “
To see Lorde’s spine-tingling tribute, watch the video player below.
