Bruno Mars Paid Tribute to Amy Winehouse in 2011, and His Performance Still Thrills Us

Bruno Mars captivated us with his stellar tribute to Prince at the Grammys on Sunday, but it wasn't the first time he paid homage to an artist at a major awards show. Back in 2011, just one month after Amy Winehouse's death, Mars gave a truly incredible performance of her hit "Valerie" at the MTV VMAs. The song was originally sung by British rock band The Zutons and was given a new life when Mark Ronson enlisted Winehouse to cover the song for his Version album in 2007 (a slower-tempo rendition also appeared as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Winehouse's iconic Back to Black that same year).

The upbeat, high-energy performance that Mars gave was not only a standout of his, but also a perfect way to salute the late singer. For me personally, as a huge Amy Winehouse fan, this performance was the moment I became a Bruno Mars fan, too.