Amy Winehouse. Adele. One stage. The 2008 BRIT Awards were absolutely cooking! Producer Mark Ronson teamed up with his star collaborators for an absolutely sizzling showcase that year. Adele at just 19 years old mesmerised with her enigmatic vocals on none other than a cover of Coldplay’s “God Put a Smile upon Your Face”, while Ronson shredded on an double neck Gibson SG, channeling some Jimmy Page. And just check out the energy in the room when Winehouse walks out later in the medley for an effortlessly smouldering cut of “Valerie”!
This has to be the greatest five minutes of music ever captured at the BRITs. To have the two titans of British soul music perform one one stage is nothing short of historic. With teenage Adele still developing her style as performer at this point, we have to say that the 24-year-old Winehouse absolutely stole the show here. The electrifying energy in the room when she walks out and how she commanded the entire room without seemingly even trying – what a powerhouse. You could see even an industry heavyweight like Ronson absolutely lit up when she hit the stage.
We sure had it good back in 2008. Adele had just released her debut album 19, which had already debuted at number one on the UK charts. She also collected the ceremony’s inaugural Critics’ Choice award that night. Her appearance was no accident, either, as Ronson had recently produced her single “Cold Shoulder,” creating an early working bond.
If Adele represented the future of British soul, Amy Winehouse arrived as its reigning queen. Fresh from winning five Grammy Awards ten days earlier following the success of Back to Black, an album Ronson co-produced, her appearance carried huge anticipation. Winehouse didn’t disappoint, as she delivered her lines with a freewheeling energy and absolutely magnetic presence. Another great performance of the hit came when she sang “Valerie” at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in 2007.
With over 27 million views clocked online, the BRITs performance continues to draw listeners discovering the footage years later. Some viewers marvelled at the realization that both legendary London voices crossed paths on the same bill. As one viewer noted, “my brain can’t process the fact that Adele and Amy Winehouse were making music at the same time.” Another fan commented “The only performance I’ve seen where someone was better than Adele.”
While fans still dream of what might have been if the two stars collaborated more fully, the artistic connection between them ran deep. Adele later credited Winehouse’s debut album Frank with inspiring her to pick up a guitar and write songs. Looking back it at now, the medley almost seems like a passing of the torch from one giant of British soul music to another.