Watch Lorde's powerfully understated tribute to David Bowie at the BRIT awards

Lorde performs at the 2016 BRIT Awards — (Image credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Properly paying tribute to the immeasurable, shape-shifting talent that is David Bowie during a national awards show is a tricky task. But New Zealand's most precocious pop star Lorde managed to pull it off at Wednesday's BRIT awards — without the pastiche or high-tech projections that distracted from Lady Gaga's chaotic tribute to the Starman at the Grammys.

The performance starts with a mercifully understated instrumental medley of Bowie's greatest hits, accompanied by a slideshow of his musical evolution. Lorde then takes the stage for a no-frills cover of "Life on Mars" that's full of feeling, with just a touch of otherworldly energy. Watch the tribute, which begins at the 9-minute mark in the video below. Samantha Rollins

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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.