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Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was born in Enfield, England, on September 14, 1983. Gifted with a passion for music from an early age, she already formed an amateur rap group at the age of ten. Not inclined to follow rules, she encountered various problems during her school years. However, her rebellious nature aligned well with her musical talent, which was further enhanced by learning to play the guitar at the age of thirteen.
Amy grew up in the Southgate neighborhood, attending Aschmole School. At the age of ten, she founded the amateur rap group Sweet 'n' Sour. Her parents divorced in 1993 when Amy was ten years old and her brother Alex was fourteen. At twelve years old, she attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, a strict institution with equally rigid rules that Amy struggled to adhere to. When a teacher informed her parents of her impending expulsion, they decided to change her school. Amy then enrolled at the BRIT School in Selhurst, Croydon.
During that time, she pierced her own nose and got some tattoos. She grew up listening to various music genres, from Salt-n-Pepa to Sarah Vaughan, and received her first guitar at the age of thirteen. In 1999, she joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, where she performed for the first time as a professional. In 2002, after her friend and soul singer Tyler James sent her demo to a talent scout, Amy signed a contract with the Island/Universal record label.
Her debut album, "Frank," was released on October 20, 2003, primarily produced by Salaam Remi.
The album is characterized by many subtle jazz influences, and except for two covers, each song is written (although not entirely) by the artist herself.
The album receives multiple positive reviews, and her voice is compared to that of Sarah Vaughan and Macy Gray.
Cover album - Frank
In 2003, the singer made her TV debut on the show "Later... with Jools Holland," performing "Stronger Than Me" and "Take the Box." The album achieved high chart positions in the UK. It receives two platinum certifications and sells a total of one and a half million copies. In 2004, she wins the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song with her first single, "Stronger Than Me."
After the release of her second album, she states, "I can't even listen to it anymore, Frank. In fact, I've never been able to listen to it. I enjoy performing it live, but listening to it is a different story."
On October 27, 2006, the album "Back to Black" is released worldwide, reaching the top of the Official Album Chart in the UK in just a few weeks.
In the USA, the album reaches the seventh position, which is a very high debut for a record by a British singer on the Billboard 200.
The lead single that anticipates the album release is "Rehab," released on October 23, 2006, which becomes a global hit. This song talks about the refusal to go to rehab for alcohol addiction. The second single to be released from the album is "You Know I'm No Good," released on January 8, 2007, which doesn't reach the top position on the charts but receives favorable reviews from critics.
Cover album - Black to Black
You Know I'm No Good - Official Video
Her third single is the title track of the album, "Back to Black," which was released on April 30, 2007, following the success of "Rehab." It was such a hit that it led Amy Winehouse to win the Artist Choice category at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards, held in Munich on November 1, 2007.
The fourth single, "Tears Dry on Their Own," was presented on August 13, 2007. Although it received regular radio airplay, it didn't achieve the same popularity as "Rehab" and "Back to Black."
The fifth single, released on December 10, 2007, is "Love Is a Losing Game." Considered one of her best songs, it won the Ivor Novello Award in 2008 in the category of Best Song. It was even used as a text for examination at Cambridge, compared to poems by Sir Walter Raleigh.
Love is a Losing Game - Acoustic Version
On February 10, 2008, she won five Grammy Awards: three for the song "Rehab" in the categories of "Record of the Year," "Song of the Year," and "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance," one in the category of "Best New Artist," and one for the album "Back to Black" in the category of "Best Pop Vocal Album." The singer thus secured three out of the four most important awards and joined the ranks of four other female artists who have achieved such a high number of accolades in a single year: Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, and Beyoncé.
The singer's death occurred before the release of her third album, which was posthumously released on December 5, 2011, by Universal.
The album includes not only unreleased tracks but also old demos that had never been released before.
The productions are again handled by Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson, as previously mentioned.
Amy Winehouse during a live performance
Before the album's release on December 5, 2011, a video titled "Amy Winehouse - Hidden Treasures Story" was published on the singer's YouTube channel, in which the producers describe the album.
The production of the album is the result of collaboration between Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson, with the consent of the Winehouse family. The two worked together to listen again to thousands of hours of Amy Winehouse's voice. Salaam Remi, commenting on the project, said:
"When I listened to the recording tapes again, I heard some conversations with Amy in between. It was very emotional. It was tough, but it was also an incredible thing. Amy was a talented girl. I believe she left something that goes beyond her years. She put together a body of work that can inspire a generation not yet born."
Preceded by the single "Our Day Will Come," the album achieved great sales success, reaching the top of various charts such as Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the album ranked highly in the year-end charts of Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
Article Source:
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Winehouse
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