Lorde was backed by Mike Garson on piano, Gail Anne Dorsey on bass and Gerry Leonard and Earl Slick on guitars - all of whom played with Bowie on his A Reality Tour in 2003 and 2004 - for her sombre cover which was preceded by a medley of Bowie's major hits, including Space Oddity, Rebel Rebel and Under Pressure.
The Kiwi singer's mother Sonja Yelich documented the lead up to her performance on Instagram with a series of posts - from the taxi to the stage.
Mrs Yelich said the tribute was "deeply moving" before thanking David Bowie "for the music".
Before the New Zealand songstress sang, Annie Lennox delivered a moving speech to the pop legend and Bowie's friend Gary Oldman accepted the BRITs Icon Award on his behalf, praising him for his "superhuman potential" and "remarkable music".
Lorde had been personally selected by Bowie's estate as she had been one his favourite new artists in the years leading up to his passing. The pair met when Lorde was just 16 at Bowie's request at a 2013 benefit honouring actress Tilda Swinton.
Lorde celebrated her performance by attending the Warner Music and Ciroc BRIT Awards Party held at Freemasons Hall in Covent Garden in the UK capital.
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She was snapped partying with musicians James Bay, Ellie Goulding and model Karlie Kloss.
Other stars in attendance included Mark Ronson, Charlie XCX, Jess Glynne, Jourdan Dunn and Simon Le Bon among others.
Famous guests partied in the DSquared2 VIP Room where Grandmaster Flash, Diplo and Seb Chew took to the decks for DJ sets and many sipped on Ciroc cocktails.
- Bang! Showbiz
