Mark Ronson wins BRITs Outstanding Contribution and pays emotional tribute to Amy Winehouse as goddaughter slams ceremony

mark ronson collected the BRIT Awards Outstanding Contribution to Music prize in Manchester and used his acceptance to pay an emotional tribute to the late Amy Winehouse. The speech and performances prompted praise for his career and criticism from Winehouse’s goddaughter over how the ceremony handled the tribute.

Mark Ronson accepts Outstanding Contribution to Music

Mark Ronson, 50, received the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the BRIT Awards and called it the most meaningful honour of his career. He accepted the gong from Skepta and said the recognition placed him in a lineage of artists he had long admired, describing the accolade as something that “means so much to me. ”

Amy Winehouse tribute included Back to Black, Valerie and archival clip

Ronson made Amy Winehouse a central part of his set, noting that this week marks 20 years since he first met her and recalling that they wrote Back to Black on the same day. He performed a rendition of Back to Black that included a clip of Winehouse speaking about him, and incorporated Valerie performed alongside The Dap-Kings. The sequence followed an onstage performance of Ooh Wee with Ghostface Killah and was followed by Uptown Funk and a surprise appearance by Dua Lipa to sing Dance The Night and the collaboration Electricity.

Dionne Bromfield criticises BRITs tribute and cites long-running industry obstacles

Dionne Bromfield, 30 and the goddaughter of Amy Winehouse, publicly criticised the BRIT Awards for what she described as an insulting handling of the tribute. Bromfield said she felt excluded from the moment and stated the issue was deeper than visibility: she wrote that since Winehouse’s death she had faced “years of specific people within the industry and surrounding it, making it incredibly difficult for me to move forward and progress in my career. ”

Bromfield said Winehouse had championed her musically in ways that did not always align with others around her, and that after Winehouse died opportunities for her were blocked and doors deliberately closed. She recalled first coming to public attention performing on Strictly Come Dancing with Winehouse on backing vocals, and called the exclusion from the BRITs tribute “an insult not just to me, but more importantly to Amy and her legacy. ”

Fans urged that Bromfield should have been included; she replied that it was not an oversight and added that she has not released music in a long time “and it hasn’t been for lack of trying, ” saying she would leave people to “go figure. ” Bromfield was 15 when Winehouse died in 2011; Winehouse was 27 and the cause of death was alcohol poisoning.

Ronson reflects on collaborators, roots and the platform Back to Black provided

In his remarks Ronson thanked collaborators including Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Dua Lipa, and said that the music he made with Winehouse provided the platform that enabled him to work with those artists. He stated that the music he made with Amy is “the reason any of them know who I am, ” and that he would treasure her voice, talent and their bond.

Ronson also spoke about his background, noting he was born in London and raised in New York and that his British roots run through his work. He praised UK artists for shaping his understanding of what music should do and credited crowds, festival audiences and record buyers for sustaining his career.