In 2004, KT Tunstall made her debut on Later…with Jools Holland. The story goes that Nas was scheduled to perform that night and ended up pulling out last minute. Badly needing a fill in, the show took a chance on KT. Because it was such short notice, KT was unable to pull her band together so she had to perform solo. The video above is what is now considered a legendary performance.

I recall hearing “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” on the radio, but never liked it so I didn’t become a fan of KT’s until I watched this particular video. I still don’t like this song much; I prefer some of her other tunes. However, this video is mesmerizing to watch because

1. It was her debut,
2. Proves her talent is genuine, and
3. To put it simply: This girl don’t need no backup band; she is her own band.

I admit, I’ve watched this thing some 20 some odd times and I still say “Wow!” every time. It’s also funny to watch because in the beginning, the audience claps out of politeness and at the end, they erupt in approval because they got blown away.