Amy Winehouse’s goddaughter Dionne Bromfield has criticised the BRITs for “insulting her legacy” in the tribute to the late music icon.
The 2026 awards ceremony was held at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday (February 28), and saw Grammy-winning producer and DJ Mark Ronson honoured with the Outstanding Contribution Award.
It was given to him as, over the course of two decades, he has produced various multi-platinum tracks, including Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’ and ‘Valerie’, Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’, Dua Lipa’s ‘Electricity’, and Miley Cyrus’ ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’.
During his acceptance speech, Ronson reflected on meeting Winehouse, and said that writing ‘Back To Black’ was a day that “changed my life forever.”
“I know the music I made with Amy is the reason that any of them know who I am anyway. That’s why I always treasure her voice, her talent and our bond, all of it,” he continued, before later paying tribute to the late singer by breaking out a rendition of ‘Back To Black’, before inviting the Dap-Kings – her live band – on stage to perform ‘Valerie’.
While the performance was warmly received by many, some viewers took to social media to share that they thought Winehouse’s goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield – also a singer – should have been involved in the tribute.
“I feel like the #BRITs have missed an opportunity to have Dionne Bromfield pay tribute to her godmother, and sing the lead on the Amy Winehouse tribute part of Mark Ronson’s set,” one person wrote on X/Twitter – to which Bromfield replied with the shrugging emoji.
She later went on to clarify her stance, alleging that her not being invited to take part in the tribute was one of many instances she has seen of “doors [being] deliberately closed” to her following Winehouse’s passing.
“I want to be clear, this was never about me being on a stage for the sake of being seen or ‘the look’. This is much deeper than that,” she began. “Since Amy’s passing, I’ve 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.”
She added: “Amy championed me musically in ways that didn’t always align with others around her, and after she passed, that was made clear, opportunities for me were blocked and doors were deliberately closed.”
My thoughts regarding #TheBrits /Amy and my previous tweets x pic.twitter.com/Rg5ro82a9n
— Dionne Bromfield (@DionneOfficial) March 1, 2026
Bromfield also added that the night felt like “another reminder of what I’ve been dealing with for many years”.
“To see so many of the people she loved musically included, while I wasn’t felt like an insult not just to me, but more importantly to Amy and her legacy,” she wrote. “I’m not one to air my dirty laundry, but there’s only so much someone can take and sometimes things need to be called out.”
She then went on to respond to a few people who replied to her, adding that she felt like the lack of an invitation was “definitely was NOT an oversight”, and sharing that she “hasn’t released music in a long time, and it hasn’t been for lack of trying”.
Bromfield performed with Winehouse on an episode of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2009, and paid tribute to her godmother during her set at V Festival after Amy’s death in 2011.
Her debut album, ‘Introducing Dionne Bromfield’ came out in 2009, and was followed by 2011’s ‘Good For The Soul’. In 2021 she dropped the single ‘Silly Love’, and last month released a new song called ‘Green Light’.
I hear that, but this time I don’t blame the press. For years, certain people behind the scenes have made it incredibly difficult for me to move forward in my career. I haven’t released music in a long time, and it hasn’t been for lack of trying. I’ll let you go figure….
— Dionne Bromfield (@DionneOfficial) March 1, 2026
An artist who did join Ronson in his performance at the BRITs was Dua Lipa, who made a surprise appearance to perform ‘Dance The Night’ – their collaboration from the Barbie soundtrack – as well as their single ‘Electricity’.
With his win for Outstanding Contribution, Ronson joins an impressive list of past-winners, including David Bowie, Oasis, Sir Paul McCartney, Spice Girls, Elton John, Queen, U2, Robbie Williams, P!NK and Blur.
Other artists who took home prestigious awards on the night include Noel Gallagher (awarded the Songwriter Of The Year award), PinkPantheress (Producer Of The Year), and Ozzy Osbourne (BRITs Lifetime Achievement Award). The latter came following his passing in July, and included a tribute performance from Robbie Williams alongside members of Ozzy’s band over the years.
Olivia Dean dominated the night, taking home four awards, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. Find a full list of winners here.
Leave a comment