Young and impressive
Beautiful! That was exactly our expression when we chanced upon an image of Amy Winehouse as a little girl. A picture of innocence, Amy Jade Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of Enfield, London on September 14, 1983. Amy started off by singing Frank Sinatra songs she heard her father Mitch singing around the house. As she grew older her singing got so uncontrollable that even in school her teachers found it difficult to keep her quiet. Well, upon the suggestion of her grandmother Cynthia, she got a chance to go to The Susi Earnshaw Theatre School. At the age of ten, Amy created a rap band called Sweet ‘n' Sour with a friend and four years later, she was pursuing training at Sylvia Young Theatre School. "She was always very self-willed. Not badly behaved but… different," her father said about her once. She got thrown out of school later for not being able to "apply herself".
On the path to success
The prodigy was now evolving into a singer with distinctive range. Just as she turned 16, Amy Winehouse landed a deal with Simon Fuller's management company. When Amy got expelled from Sylvia Young Theatre School pop singer and her close friend Tyler James had sent her demo tape to his A&R (artists and repertoire). They were looking out for a jazz vocalist. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for young Amy as that got her a recording contract with Island Records. Towards the end of 2003 when Amy turned 20, she released her debut album, Frank with Island Records, of course!
She developed her own sound that fuses jazz, pop, soul and hip-hop. The album was a big hit with critics and fans alike. Frank also won a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize in 2004 as well as two Brit awards. The lead single, Stronger Than Me, bagged the Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song.
Achieving stardom
The year 2006 was a golden one for Amy. It was the year Back to Black came with a smashing hit Rehab which led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins. Amy equalled records for the most wins by a female artist in a single night. It also made her the first British singer to win five Grammys, including the prestigious Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year titles.
She also got a lot of media attention for reasons other than her singing. Her distinctive rather unusual style (most notably the beehive hairstyle) became a big rage among fans.
Rollercoaster relationships
Of all of Amy's relationships the one with Blake Fielder-Civil got a lot of attention. Blake, who worked part-time on music video sets, met Amy at a local bar. It was love at first sight. The couple married in May 2007, but things fell apart after Blake was arrested in June 2008 for assaulting a bar owner. Rumours of Blake's infidelity also sent Amy into depression. Blake later confessed it was he who introduced Amy to substance abuse. In November 2008, Amy filed for divorce and found solace in the arms of Josh Bowman. In December 2009, however, Blake and Amy were engaged again. They announced plans to start a family only to call it all off in May 2010, with Blake accusing Amy of cheating on him. Around this same time Amy was seen with 33-year-old movie director Reg Travis. The short affair ended in August 2010.
Sliding into disaster
Amy's wild reputation was perfect grist for the tabloids' mill. They lapped it all up - missed concerts, shaky performances, weight loss and destructive behaviour.
They splashed gory images of her covered in blood after an argument with Blake.
Then there was the video of her smoking a banned substance. In June 2008 it was discovered that Amy had early signs of emphysema (a lung condition). The year saw Amy in and out of various hospitals for a variety of ailments.
Now Amy claims she has been clean for three years, but there are still rumours of her inebriating binges.
Fashion trendsetter
Whatever people say about Amy, we have to admit that the singer's look is certainly a unique one. Who else could sport a beehive, thick eyeliner, tattoos and mini skirts and look so good? The singer is top clothes designer Karl Lagerfield's muse and he has compared her to 1960s French actress Brigitte Bardot. To prove his devotion, Karl has a line inspired by the star. Her design collaboration with Fred Perry has seen her showcasing a range of Polo tops, dresses and button through shirts in girlish, appealing styles and colours.
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