Experimenting in a fusion of eclectic genres over the short life-span of her career, Amy
Winehouse, an English singer and songwriter, was most notably known for her distinctive
and emotional voice. Although her life was tragically taken at only 27 years old, her
music and her presence left a lasting impression on her fans and fellow musicians all over
the world. Born in London, England, on September 14th,
1983, Amy Jade Winehouse’s spent much of her childhood surrounded by music. Growing
up, she disliked attending school, more interested in spending her time absorbed in music. Jazz
music primarily captivated her, likely to have been influenced by her uncles, who were
professional jazz musicians and her grandmother who was a singer. Her parents encouraged her
fascination with music and her grandmother was the one who proposed that she attend a
Theatre School, where at weekends she received vocal tuition alongside tap dancing lessons.
Winehouse then continued her education through several schools, including the renowned Sylvia
Young Theatre School, until she was accepted into BRIT School. Inspired by her brother’s
guitar, she invested in her own and began writing songs when she was 14 years old. In
2000, she became a featured female vocalist as part of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
It was a close friend, Tyler James, who created the most impact on her career after he passed
on a demo tape that Winehouse had recorded, to an A&R who were on the lookout for a jazz
vocalist. Shortly after this introduction she signed a record deal with Island/Universal.
*Even though she only created two albums in her career, she explored multiple genres,
giving her a distinctive sound that blended with her recognisable voice. She experimented
in jazz, R&B, pop, hip-hop and soul music, while her unique and expressive voice really
made her music stand out. She was a contralto vocalist with an impressive range that was
admired for its distinguishing technique and characteristic phrasing and expression.*
While ‘Frank’ was Winehouse’s debut album release in 2003, it was Back to Black
that was era- defining. Her music was contradicting, a wise and soulful sounding voice, while her
lyrics were open, controversial and liberating. Her storytelling was vivid and imaginative,
enabling listeners to depict the scene she displayed out before them as she sang. Produced
by Saalam Remi and co- written with Winehouse herself, the raw and shameless songwriting
of ‘Frank’ achieved tremendous success, reaching double platinum status. It was also
nominated for the Mercury Music Prize alongside BRIT award nominations for Best Female Solo
Artist and Best Urban Act. Notably Winehouse won the Ivor Novello Award for ‘Stronger
Than Me’ the first single release from ‘Frank’. It was unfortunately during this period of
her life that she was introduced to hard drugs and was often found physically fighting with
her then-boyfriend, Blake Fielder-Civil. Her unstable lifestyle was finally addressed by
her management in 2006, when they tried to admit her into rehab to overcome her problems
with alcohol abuse. Sadly, this had the opposite effect and Winehouse parted ways with her
management company and instead wrote about her experience, leading to the critically
acclaimed single ‘Rehab’, which went on to receive another Ivor Novello award, this
time for Best Contemporary Song. ‘Rehab’ was the first single from her
second album ‘Back To Black’ for which became her most well known and impactful era.
The album took a slightly different approach to her debut, and this time Mark Ronson joined
the production process alongside Saalam Remi. *The album provided a new sound, a refresh
of 60s soul music. Even Winehouse’s appearance had dramatically altered, taking inspiration
from 60s pop girl groups, who sported beehive hair dos. As always though, her voice remained
a constant, filled with emotion and remarkably expressive, which portrayed the themes of
the album perfectly. Often her lyrics were sharp-witted but also troubled. Her songwriting
covered many topics including heartbreak, infidelity and a painful romance that often
acknowledged alcohol and drugs.* Following up was the second single ‘You
Know I’m No Good’ which was nominated for another Ivor Novello Award for Best Song
Musically and Lyrically in 2008, which she ended up winning a later release for her single
‘Love Is a Losing Game’. The third single title track ‘Back to Black’ was released
in April 2007, and peaked at number 25 in the UK, although had more success across mainland
Europe. The album itself went straight to number 1 in the UK Album Chart. Critically
the album was exceptionally well-received as she won a BRIT award for Best Female Solo
Artist, alongside a nomination for Best British Album in 2007. A month later, the album made
its way overseas and debuted in the United States, where it reached number 7 on the Billboard
200. This in itself was a significant moment, as she peaked higher on her Billboard debut
than any other British Female recording artist in history. For the next several months, the
album would stay in the Top 10, where it sold one million copies, with ‘Rehab’ following
behind and was equally recognised as a Top 10 US hit.
*Despite her overwhelming success, her reputation took a hit as she continued taking drugs and
alcohol, causing dramatic scenes which caught the attention of the media. The on and off
troubled romance with soon to be husband, Blake Fielder-Civil was much of the inspiration
behind the ‘Back To Black’ album. Her erratic behaviour and unreliable attitude
made her performances a struggle in the later years of her life. *
Her tours and shows were often cancelled or postponed, usually in relation to drug abuse.
In 2007, she overdosed on multiple drugs and ended up in hospital. Putting it down to exhaustion,
she postponed her North American tour, while her Autumn tour of Europe would continue to
go ahead. Winehouse’s husband continued to have a negative influence, as he was arrested
a month later, and Winehouse appeared on stage at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena, supposedly
intoxicated. Many of the audience members left the show or booed her off the stage in
retaliation to her drunken performance. Following this, all her upcoming concerts and appearances
were cancelled. However, amongst the inconsistent touring, the album still sold, going platinum
nearly five times, this making it the best-selling album in the UK in 2007. The success did not
stop here, but went on to receive five Grammy Awards in 2008 for Record of the Year, Best
Pop Vocal Album, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for ‘Rehab’.
Earning a fifth Grammy for Best New Artist made history as the Most Grammy Awards won
by a British Female Act. Regardless of her unstable performances in
her later years, the early stages of her career were filled with captivating shows. During
the ‘Frank’ era, she was present and intentional with her performances, filled with her bewitching
spirit. Her deliveries were passionate and vibrant, much like the soulfulness of her
music. Tragically, she passed away from alcohol poisoning on the 23rd July 2011. Groundbreaking
in her musical style, outspoken and honest in her songwriting, her extraordinary music
continues to live on and has been influential to many important artists over the years.