There were more than a few sweaty palms in the room when Lorde took the stage to perform her David Bowie tribute at the Brit Awards last month. Her performance of “Life on Mars” turned out to be so understatedly magical it even earned the New Zealand singer praise from Bowie’s discerning son Duncan Jones, who had earlier tweeted a dig at Lady Gaga’s Grammy homage. One person who wouldn’t have any doubts about Lorde being up to the task, however, was Bowie himself. Turns out he was almost as a big a fan of the New Zealand 19-year-old as she was of his, according to Bowie’s longtime pianist Mike Garson.
“David really liked Lorde, and he felt like she was the future of music, and they had a few wonderful moments together,” Garson explained during a recent Periscope Q&A with his fans. “She was the perfect choice. Some of David’s family members and David’s management had some suggestions she’d be the right one. They wanted to bring the next generation in.”
Garson rehearsed the song with Lorde in the weeks leading up to the Brit performance, and seems to share the general opinion that she absolutely killed it. “It was an amazing, momentous experience, and she really did justice to him,” he said, adding that she was probably more nervous than anyone. “She actually said if she didn’t sing the song to David, she couldn’t have gotten through it.”
Watch Lorde’s beautiful tribute at 10:45 below.
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Text Hannah Ongley
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