Jazz singer died of an overdose. Amy Winehouse's life story

Biography, life story of Amy Winehouse

Young talent

Amy Jade Winehouse was born in a suburb of London on September 14, 1983 into a Jewish-English family. Her father worked as a taxi driver, and her mother as a pharmacist. Although they had nothing to do with music, Amy's relatives, especially on her mother's side, included many professional jazz musicians, and her paternal grandmother loved to recall her youthful romance with British jazz legend Ronnie Scott. Her parents also contributed to the development of her musical tastes by collecting a collection of Dinah Washington records, (Ella Fitzgerald), ( Frank Sinatra) and other great artists.

The period of passion for pop music (, Kylie Minogue and so on) ended for Amy at the age of ten, when she discovered Salt "n" Pepa, и другие бунтарские хип-хоп и R&B-группы. В 11 лет гиперактивная Эми уже стояла во главе собственной рэп-команды, которую назвала Sweet "n" Sour и описывала как еврейский вариант Salt"n"Pepa. В 12 лет !} young talent entered the Sylvia Young Theater School, but after a year she was expelled - due to the fact that she, they say, " didn't prove herself"From the age of 13, Amy Winehouse played the guitar and rapidly expanded her musical horizons, listening to the most different music, mainly modern jazz and hip-hop, and soon began writing and recording her own songs.

Right off the bat

Big show business discovered Amy Winehouse in 2000, when she was only 16 years old. Through the efforts of her friend, pop singer Tyler James, her demo tapes ended up in the hands of Island/Universal managers who were looking for young jazz vocalists. She immediately signed a contract and began performing as a professional singer.

But the debut album was still far away. More than three years passed before, at the end of 2003, Amy Winehouse presented her first studio disc, “Frank,” for which she wrote most of the material. As Felix Howard, Amy's main collaborator during the work on her debut, recalled, when he first heard her recordings, he was speechless. " It was like nothing I've ever heard before, he admitted. - She managed to scare even seasoned jazz musicians. The sessions featured very serious performers. And when she started singing, all they could say was: “Lord Jesus!"

CONTINUED BELOW

What shocked her colleagues most of all were Amy’s very frank texts, dedicated mainly to her boyfriend, with whom she had recently broken up. But not only him. Let's say the track "Fuck Me Pumps" is a story about 20-year-old girls who hang around crappy clubs, dreaming of hooking up with a rich groom. And in the song "What is it About Men?" Amy is trying to understand her father's character and the reasons for his instability in family life (at one time she was very worried about her parents' divorce).

The recording fell on the shoulders of keyboardist and hip-hop producer Sallam Remi. Jazz harmonies fused with elements of soul, pop music, rhythm and blues and hip-hop, sensual and ironic performance, magnificent vocals, in which critics heard similarities with Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan (Sarah Vaughan) and Macy Gray - all this immediately attracted the attention of the music industry to Amy Winehouse. Ordinary music lovers rocked longer.

The sales curve began to climb only after Winehouse's name was among the nominees for the Brit Awards and the Mercury Music Prize, and at the Ivor Novello Awards, the British Composers' Awards, she was awarded the award for the author of the best contemporary song - for the first single "Stronger Than Me" , written by her and Salaam Remi. In the summer of 2004, Amy Winehouse was generously applauded by audiences at the Glastonbury, Jazzworld and V Festival festivals. By this time, the album "Frank" had managed to reach the top of the British charts and was certified platinum.

In interviews of this period, Winehouse constantly emphasized that her debut album was only 80% her work, because at the insistence of the label, some songs and mixes were included on the disc that she absolutely did not like. She was not entirely happy with the arrangements, so later, after the release of the second album, she admitted: “ I can’t even listen to “Frank” now, and, in general, I didn’t like it before. I've never listened to it from start to finish. I only like to perform songs at concerts, but it's not at all like listening to the studio version".

Second album

Amy Winehouse is quickly becoming one of the tabloids' favorite characters. Of course, it’s not her music, or even the provocative lyrics, that is to blame. Alcohol and drugs scandalous antics during the tour, obscene jokes, inappropriate behavior, insulting fans - journalists had something to profit from. The Independent newspaper assured readers that Amy was susceptible to manic depression but did not want to take medication. The artist herself admitted that she has problems with appetite - " a little anorexia, a little bulimia", called herself " more a man than a woman, but not a lesbian", claimed that all her managers were idiots, her marketing was terrible, and her debut album promotion was terrible.

The more actively the artist played tricks in real life, the worse creative things went, that is, they actually didn’t go at all. The record bosses waited a long time for new songs from Amy, until they finally invited her to undergo treatment for alcoholism and get to work. Amy Winehouse categorically refused the rehabilitation clinic, and instead of receiving treatment, she sat down to write songs. Her new composition “Rehab”, the first sign on the eve of the next one, spoke about why she so does not want to give herself into the hands of doctors. studio album. Amy always said that once she started writing, there was no stopping her. You just had to be patient and wait for this moment. At this time, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Mark Ronson, known for his production work with (Robby Williams) and Christina Aguilera, very opportunely appeared in her life. Amy called him the main inspiration for the second album.

Six months later, the recording was ready, and in October 2006 the public became acquainted with the first promotional single “Rehab”, which immediately catapulted into the British Top 10. The new long-play “Back to Black”, released next, was received with a bang and by the beginning of 2007 topped the English charts. Even in the history of the American music industry, the record managed to “inherit”: in the US pop chart from the very first week it started at number seven - this was the second result of the British singer after Dido, whose album “Life For Rent” immediately reached number 4 line in the American rating.

The second album, unlike the debut, permeated with jazz harmonies, returned to the era of the 50s and 60s, drawing inspiration from the then soul, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and the work of female pop groups, in particular the ensemble Shangri-Las. Producing duties were shared between Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson. The tandem, or rather the trio Winehouse-Remy-Ronson, turned out to be extremely successful, both commercially and creatively. The singer received the Brit Award as the best solo artist, and the disc "Back to Black" itself was nominated for the title of best British album. At the end of 2006, readers of Elle magazine named Winehouse the best British artist.

Bad habits

Amy rose through the ranks and fell into the abyss due to drug addiction and alcoholism. Critics, fans, colleagues note not just Winehouse’s talent - she is a genius and speaks a new word in the world of pop music. But the singer’s habits and lifestyle are literally destroying her. When Amy isn't performing or working in the studio, she's in and out of hospitals.

In August 2007, she canceled all her concerts in the US and Britain due to health reasons. She went to a rehabilitation clinic with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil, but left after five days. Amy's parents blamed everything on her husband, a slacker musician. And his relatives suggested that Amy Winehouse’s fans boycott her work until the couple “gives up bad habits.”

At the 50th Grammy Awards in February 2008, Amy Winehouse won in five categories. The singer was denied a US visa, and she delivered her speech via television broadcast. Some time later, Amy began a new rehabilitation course at the Canadian singer's Caribbean villa. But after some time the singer was hospitalized. She was diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema.

On June 12, 2008, Amy Winehouse's only concert in Russia took place - she took part in the opening of the Center modern culture"Garage" in the Bakhmetevsky garage in Moscow.

Personal life

Amy met her future husband, Blake Fielder-Sibyl, in a London pub. Two years later the couple got married.

In July 2008, Amy Winehouse's husband was sentenced to 27 months in prison for attacking a pub owner in Hoxton. While in prison, Fielder began divorce proceedings... After leaving prison, he was now ex-husband Winehouse began demanding six million dollars from her, believing that part of her fortune rightfully belonged to him and that it was he who inspired his wife to write the Back to Black album.

But as you know, dear ones scold - they just amuse themselves. The former spouses began appearing together at parties again and were rumored to be planning to remarry. Finally, the couple broke up completely, Amy Winehouse plunged into new novels.

After the breakup, Amy Winehouse bought a larger house in Camden than they had before. Amy Winehouse was probably going to start a full-fledged family with offspring.

Death

In 2011, the singer planned a world tour, but was forced to cancel it due to an unsuccessful performance in Belgrade - in front of an audience of 20 thousand, a drunken Amy ran on stage for an hour and a half. Without singing a single song completely. At the beginning of the concert, she greeted Athens, then the audience in New York, stumbled, talked to the musicians, tried to sing, but forgot the words. The singer had to leave under the whistling of the audience.

On July 23, 2011 (at 15:54 local time) she was found dead in her apartment in London. Until the end of October 2011, the causes of death remained unclear.

Preliminary versions of the causes of death include a drug overdose (the police did not find any drugs in Winehouse's house) and suicide. It is also known that she suffered from emphysema. In September 2011, Amy's father suggested that the cause of her death was a heart attack caused by alcohol intoxication, which later turned out to be true. Three empty vodka bottles were found in the singer’s room, and the level of alcohol in her blood was five times the legal limit.

Fans and celebrities around the world quickly responded to sudden death Winehouse on Twitter and other social networks. The Universal Republic label said in a statement about the artist's death: " We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer.».

Several at once famous musicians dedicated their songs to her. Already on July 23, 2011, during a concert in Minneapolis, the lead singer of the Irish band Bono, before performing his song “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” said that he dedicated it to the suddenly deceased British soul singer Amy Winehouse. Lily Allen, Jessie J and Boy George also dedicated their latest performances to the British singer. The Russian rock singer wrote on her website: “ Amy died. rainy day. r.i.p." The Russian alternative rock band Slot wrote the song “R.I.P.”, which they dedicated to Amy.

The farewell to the singer took place at the Golders Green Synagogue, the oldest of the synagogues (1922) in the area of ​​the same name in north London. On July 26, 2011, Amy Winehouse was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, where the body of the family's idol, jazz saxophonist Ronnie Scott, was cremated in 1996, and her grandmother Cynthia Winehouse in 2006. She was buried in Edgwarebury Lane Jewish Cemetery in the London suburb of Edgware (Middlesex) next to her grandmother, who was also a jazz singer. Blake Fielder-Civil, whom Amy divorced back in 2009, was not allowed to attend his ex-wife’s funeral.

The charismatic British singer Amy Winehouse had everything to become a real star: a gorgeous voice, good acting skills, and composing talent. But when you become closely acquainted with her work and biography, you understand that not everything is so simple. An Englishwoman of Jewish blood, she sang as an African-American. She looked very sexy, but she didn’t play it off in any way. At a young age she had the voice of a mature woman. A subtle sense of music and provocative rudeness in communication. She wrote both gentle melodies and harsh, obscene lyrics. And, perhaps, the strangest thing: she was not interested in fame or money. " For me, music has always come first. I would agree to live in a dirty hole if they promised me that I would meet

Exactly a year ago, a legend left this world. A performer who, without exaggeration, is called a cult person modern music and ranks with such great names as Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain. Her name has long become a household name, synonymous with talent and skill. Winner of the most prestigious music awards, including 6 Grammy awards, one of which was awarded posthumously. A performer whose 3 albums have sold more than 20 million copies around the world. Today we remember one of the most amazing voices in music history - Amy Winehouse.

Amy Jade Winehouse was born on September 14, 1983 in south London. Her father, Mitch Winehouse, is a former taxi driver whose secret passion was jazz music. It was at his instigation that young Amy became interested in soul and blues. Winehouse's mother, Janice Winehouse, is a former pharmacist. Interesting fact: many of Amy's maternal relatives were in one way or another connected with jazz music. It is also known for certain that Amy Winehouse’s mother has Russian roots. When Amy turned 9, her grandmother, a famous soul singer in the past, insisted that the girl study at a prestigious art school called “Susi Earnshaw Theater School”, where, according to Cynthia Winehouse, the baby could fully reveal her talents. unique talent. Amy attended school for 4 whole years, during which time the girl grew noticeably vocally. With the help of her classmate and childhood friend Juliette Ashby, she even created her first musical group, Sweet-and-Sour. Surprisingly, Musical direction This group was close to hip-hop.

At age 13, Amy was given her first guitar. Since then, she has practically never parted with her beloved musical instrument. As the singer’s relatives would later say: “Amy worked on her songs almost every day, this became her favorite pastime.” The girl called Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington her main inspiration. It was these two iconic jazz performers who most shaped musical style future soul diva, ranging from blue-soul to jazz-funk. Amy performed a lot with several local bands, but never seriously thought about signing a contract with any recording studio. As often happens, Winehouse's career began by accident. Her ex-boyfriend, R&B singer Tyler James, sent a cassette with Amy's demo recordings to one of the well-known production centers, and a few months later Winehouse signed a contract with Island Records.

Her debut album was released on October 20, 2003. The title single of the album was the song “Stronger Than Me”.

Despite its modest commercial success, the song became a real hit among connoisseurs of good music. The composition was also accompanied by an excellent b-side, the song “What It Is”.

The second single, the track “Take The Box,” turned out to be much more successful.

But the real breakthrough was the double single, which united some of the most striking compositions of the entire album, the songs “In My Bed” and “You Sent Me Flying”.

Unfortunately, the last song was not filmed music video, but this did not prevent its spread among music lovers around the world. Music critics have noted that “You Sent Me Flying” must be one of the most emotional and personal songs of the last decade of music. The successful experience of releasing a double single inspired Amy and within a few months she again simultaneously presented two of her songs to the public at once.

“Fuck Me Pumps”

“Help Yourself”

In addition to the official singles, several songs from the tracklist of the “Frank” album were included in radio rotation.

“Know You Now”

"Love Is Blind"

“There Is No Greater Love”

Taking advantage of the release of her debut album, Amy staged a small tribute to her favorite performer, the aforementioned Sarah Vaughan. The motive and lyrics of the composition “October Song” directly refer us to the main hit of the black legend, the song “Lullaby Of Birdland”.

And, of course, it is impossible not to mention the song “Amy Amy Amy”. Stylish, bright and bewitching, she has become one of the main favorites for all admirers of Amy's talent.

It took three years to wait for the next album from Winehouse. But, as you know, creating high-quality music requires enormous resources, including temporary ones. This time, three people took part in the work on the album: the producer of the first album, Salaam Remi, Mark Ronson and Amy herself. No one doubted that the brilliant trio would record an excellent album, but what the listener received in the end changed the entire global music industry...

The lead single of the album, “Back to Black,” a song called “Rehab,” introduced the listener to a completely different Amy. Now the girl has officially admitted the presence of addictions, and, it seems, she even laughs at how actively the press is discussing it. The music video for this track was widely distributed on the video hosting site “YouTube” and on this moment has over 35 million views!

The second single from the album was the song “You Know I’m No Good”. It’s not hard to guess that, like “Rehab,” this song was autobiographical in nature.

The relationship between Amy and her boyfriend, unemployed Blake Civil, has become a favorite topic for all secular journalists. They happily placed photographs of the regularly drunk, and often beaten (by each other) couple on the front pages of their newspapers, but Winehouse did not care much about this, she simply enjoyed the company of her stupid young man. It is worth noting that despite the scandals and fights between Amy and Blake, there were also good moments that the press did not like to mention.

The third single was a song that to this day is business card Winehouse. The composition “Back to Black,” as well as the subsequent music video filmed in its support, will be called prophetic several years later; in that same black and white video, Amy walks at the head of a funeral procession, and in the last seconds the viewer realizes that the singer herself is in the grave. At the moment, the number of views of this video is approaching 30 million.

The fourth single from the incredibly successful album was the song “Tears Dry On Their Own”. The director of the music video of the same name was the famous photographer and artist David La Chapelle.

Gradually, Amy's slobby image became a trend. And the hairstyle, which many previously only laughed at, turned out to be the most desirable for all English fashionistas.

The final single of the album “Back to Black” was the song “Love Is a Losing Game”. In support of her, a simple but very sincere video clip was shot, mostly made up of recordings that previously belonged to the singer’s personal video archive.

One of the most personal songs on the second album was “Wake Up Alone”. Amy often cried while performing this composition. Only now we understand that these were tears from the realization of our total loneliness.

The deluxe edition of the album “Back to Black” also had something for a lover of quality music to profit from. Below are the three most interesting (in our opinion) compositions of the extended edition of the record.

"Monkey Man"

“To Know Him Is To Love Him”

Now a little about the success of the album. Majority music critics The USA and Great Britain awarded the album the highest score. From the anniversary, 50th Grammy ceremony, Winehouse took with her as many as 5 statuettes (“Best Pop Album”, “Best new artist", "Song of the Year", "Record of the Year" and "Best Female Pop Song Performance" for "Rehab"). “Back to Black” was number one in 17 countries, going 8 times platinum in Europe and the United Kingdom, two times platinum in the USA and the same number in Russia! The disc still remains one of the best-selling "women's albums" in British history, second only to Adele and her genius creation “21”.

Unfortunately, “Back to Black” became the last album Amy released during her lifetime. It is impossible to overestimate its significance for modern music, and more importantly, for soul vocalists, who were considered “off-format” before the release of Winehouse’s second album. Amy's incredible popularity paved the way for a whole galaxy of talented performers, including Duffy, Adele, Paloma Faith, Gabriella Chilmi, Corinne Bailey Rae, Pixie Lott and many others. Since mid-2007, it has been repeatedly reported that Amy is working on new material. At the beginning of 2011, the singer’s management announced that the singer’s third album was completely ready for release and its release date depended solely on Amy. But the dreams of millions of fans were not destined to come true. The tragic news about the sudden death of their favorite shocked the world on July 23, 2011. Thousands of fans around the world decided to honor the memory of the great singer in those difficult days. Russia was no exception. On July 30, Russian admirers of Winehouse's talent gathered at the British Embassy, ​​laid flowers and put up posters with the image of their idol.

Amy's posthumous album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, officially went on sale on December 2, 2011. Despite the fact that half of the material present on the album is demo recordings from earlier famous songs, the record easily managed to become “platinum” in 12 countries (in the UK it won this status as many as 2 times).

The lead single of the posthumous album was the song “Body & Soul”, performed together with the legend of the jazz scene, Mr. Tony Bennett.

The composition was appreciated by critics and even received a Grammy statuette in the “Best Duet” category. A wonderful end to the career of one of the best performers of our time.

Amy Winehouse is the sad genius of our generation. She lived her short life under the motto “Live Fast, Die Young”. Despite all her great merits and achievements, which would have been more than enough for several performers, she remained meek and simple to the end. She had many addictions, but one turned out to be destructive - love. Amy divided her heart into two equal parts, giving the first to her, if not ideal, but to the last days loved one, and investing the second in magnificent songs. Her creativity - whole life. A real outlet for millions of young people and girls who have known the joys and sorrows of true love. Amy could hardly be called a beauty, but neither boys nor girls could resist the inhuman charm that this sweet and always a little sad girl radiated. There are no words that can express the grief that Amy's fans experienced when they lost their main friend, mentor, and that very vest in which you could cry when you were in unbearable pain. Amy lived a negligibly short but incredibly bright life, leaving behind a gigantic cultural heritage, which fits into only three albums. They say that great people do not live long, they light up quickly and burn out quickly... Well, this statement is quite applicable in relation to Amy, with one exception: Winehouse was a real torch, the light of which will illuminate the path for another generation!

Childhood and youth

The whole family lived by music, in particular jazz. My mother's brothers were professional jazz musicians, and Amy's paternal grandmother dated the legendary Ronnie Scott and was a jazz singer herself. Amy loved her very much and even got her grandmother's name tattooed on her arm (Cynthia).

Amy Winehouse attended Ashmole School, where her classmates included Dan Gillespie Sells (The Feeling) and Rachel Stevens (S Club 7). And already at the age of 10, the girl organized a rap group called “Sweet “n” Sour” with her friend Juliette Ashby.

In 1995, the schoolgirl entered the theater studio Sylvia Young, but after a couple of years she was expelled for bad behavior. At school, along with other students, Amy managed to get into an episode of “The Fast Show” in 1997.

In the same year, the young artist already wrote her first songs, but success was not cloudless: at the age of 14, Amy tried drugs for the first time. A year later she began working in a jazz group. Her boyfriend at the time, soul singer Tyler James, helped her sign her first contract with EMI. The singer spent her first check on the group The Dap-Kings, which accompanied her in the studio, after which the same group went on tour with the artist.

Music career

Amy Winehouse - Stronger Than Me (from debut album Frank)

Amy continued to evolve, and in her second album, Back to Black, released in 2006, she added jazz motifs that were inspired by women's music. pop music groups 50-60s. The producers were Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson, who helped promote the tracks on the East Village Radio show. “Back to Black” took seventh place on the Billboard chart, and in the singer’s homeland the album was certified five times platinum and declared the best-selling album of 2007.

The first single “Rehab” received the Ivor Novello award in the spring of 2007: it was recognized as the best contemporary song.

Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"

However, success was again accompanied by drugs: in the summer of the same year, Amy canceled concerts in the USA and Britain, citing deteriorating health. Photos appeared in the media showing that the singer was taking illegal psychoactive substances. Also, photographs of Amy fighting with her husband Blake often appeared in the press.

Amy’s father said that “now the tragic outcome is not far away,” and the singer’s representatives said that the paparazzi were to blame for everything, making Amy’s life unbearable. In the fall of 2007, Winehouse’s relatives called on fans to abandon the artist’s work until she and her husband gave up “doping.”

Amy (documentary)

In November, a DVD entitled “I Told You I Was Trouble” appeared with a recording of a concert in London and a documentary about the performer.

At the same time, Amy was already working on recording vocals for the song “Valerie” from solo album"Version" by Mark Ronson. The singer recorded a joint composition with Mutya Buena, a former member of the Sugababes. At the end of 2007, Winehouse was ranked 2nd on the list of “worst dressed women”, behind Victoria Beckham.

Amy Winehouse - "Valerie" (Live)

Island Records stated that it was ready to terminate the contract with the singer if she did not sort out her problems. And at the beginning of 2008, Amy Winehouse began undergoing rehabilitation - at Bryan Adams' Caribbean villa. At this time, the popularity of the album “Back to Black” was gaining momentum. The album brought Amy 5 Grammys in 2008.

Amy Winehouse - "Back To Black"

In April, the singer announced the start of work on theme song for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" with Daniel Craig in leading role. But a little later, the producer announced that work on the composition had been stopped because Amy had “other plans.”

On June 12, 2008, Amy Winehouse gave her only concert in Russia - she opened the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture. Some time after this, the singer was hospitalized with a diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema.

Amy Winehouse at the awards ceremony music award"Grammy"

In June 2011, the artist canceled her European tour after a scandal in Belgrade. Then Amy went on stage to 20 thousand spectators, stayed there for more than an hour, but did not sing. The girl greeted the audience, spoke to the musicians, stumbled, but when she started singing, she forgot the words, and eventually left under the whistling of the audience.

Personal life of Amy Winehouse

In 2008, Blake received a seven-month sentence for assaulting a passerby. At this time, divorce proceedings began between Amy and Blake, and in 2009 the couple divorced.

Death

A musician by birth and by vocation, the first British artist to win 5 Grammys at once, a star who fell from the sky before she had time to truly flare up. All the stars are like stars, and Amy... It’s hard to believe, but the fate of Amy Winehouse is tragic not because it consists of the events that led to her death at the age of 27.

Amy Winehouse - biography, facts, photos

The worst thing in her life is that until recently, almost no one from her circle saw or understood how serious everything that was happening to the singer was.

All emotions were expressed on stage or through drug use.

IN modern world where are the scandals? great option PR, and shocking behavior is practically the norm where everyone is trying to become the best, it is extremely difficult to separate provocative behavior from mental disorders.

In one of her interviews, Amy said directly that she is prone to self-destruction. This is precisely what, in her opinion, was a resource for creativity - the singer always wrote about herself.

Inspired by the girl bands of the 60s, Amy Winehouse did not at all resemble a jazz diva who would fascinate with her beauty, alluring plasticity or seductive charm.

A tall cocoon of hair, black eyeliner, gray skin with traces of alcoholism and drug addiction is not at all an attractive image for a world-famous artist. And soul-tearing texts, in which there is not a drop of exaggeration - best biography recorded in music.

In the world of jazz Amy Winehouse

Jazz was not just the basis of her work, jazz was her way of thinking and way of expressing feelings. IN early childhood she fell asleep to songs that served as lullabies; a little later, playing the guitar became a part of her life - at first she borrowed the instrument from her older brother, then she got her own. Then she began writing her songs.

The first album Frank, released in October 2003, immediately appealed to the general public - jazz hits sounded modern. Popularity was not long in coming - by the beginning of 2004, the album took first place in the British chart.

Amy's first songs with guitar

There was no romance in Amy’s life either - the surging fame did not turn the life of a “simple girl” into a fairy tale, did not lift her to the top of Olympus, but frightened her and placed a huge burden on the shoulders of a singer who was completely unprepared for this. The consequence of this was Amy’s “escape” from reality into alcohol, loneliness and drugs.

Album Back to Black

“And saying goodbye,
With whom I died a hundred times,
You're going back to someone else
I'm returning to the darkness..."

Premiere of the second and last lifetime album The Emmy took place on October 30, 2006. The album was released on Island Records and recorded with The Dap-Kings.

The style of “Return to Darkness” differs significantly from the singer’s previous work - she moves from classic jazz to a mixture of R&B with classic soul. One thing remains unchanged - the album is again dedicated to love, this time to Amy's husband- To Blake.

The love of her life, he not only drew her into a sadomasochistic relationship and hooked her on crack and heroin, he literally overshadowed everything in her life, so much so that even several years after breaking up with him, the singer’s life could not return to normal. , and even music could not help her live.

The song Back to Black was recorded by Amy in three hours and became an instant hit. Several more songs were released as separate singles: Rehab, You Know I’m No Good, Tears Dry on Their Own and Love Is a Losing Game.

A few words need to be said separately about Rehab. A song that won three Grammy Awards. A song that was almost banned due to accusations of promoting drugs and alcohol. A song that autobiographically tells about how the lyrical hero refuses to be treated in a clinic for alcoholism.

At the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008, Amy received five statuettes for her album Back to Black while in London - Amy Winehouse was denied a visa and was unable to attend the awards in person.

Creative unions on stage and in the studio

One of the key figures in Amy's work is Mark Ronson, who not only produced the second Amy's album together with Salaam Remi and contributed in every possible way to his promotion, but also invited Amy to record vocals for his song Valerie in 2007.

At the same time, Amy Winehouse wrote a duet with Mutya Buena for the single B Boy Baby for Buena's solo album.

Amy also worked with Pete Doherty on the song You Hurt The Ones You Love, and George Michael wrote a song for their future duet.

Amy's only concert in Russia took place in 2008.

The Death and Legacy of Amy Winehouse

On July 23, 2011, Amy was found dead in her home. The third album she promised was never released during her lifetime, but was released in October 2011. Lioness: Hidden Treasures features songs from previous albums as well as never-before-released recordings, including Body and soul, which he co-recorded and won a Grammy for Best Duo in 2012.

Uptown Special is Mark Ronson's fourth album, released in 2015 and dedicated to Amy Winehouse.

Despite the fact that, according to Amy's relatives, the emphasis in the film is shifted to the negative aspects of the girl, the film received an Oscar in the category "Best Documentary Feature" and contains a large amount of rare materials.

In 2016, it appeared, founded by her father for women suffering from alcohol, nicotine or drug addiction. Amy's House is located in London and can accommodate up to 16 suffering women.

The appearance of the fund is not accidental - even during her lifetime, Amy was unusually responsive: she helped many people in need in a targeted manner, and also spent a lot of money on the fight against slavery and helping children.

A documentary about “The Girl You Don’t Know” was released in 2015. It includes about a hundred audio recordings of Amy, as well as videos from family archive and interviews with the singer’s relatives.

Watch the movie "Amy" online

It was an accident, which was preceded by alcohol abuse, says the conclusion of the coroner's court in London's St Pancras district.

Winehouse in Camden Square on July 23 this year. The cause of her death was not immediately determined. The autopsy results showed that there were illegal drugs in the body of the 27-year-old artist, who had suffered from alcohol and drug addiction for many years. However, according to the results of a toxicological examination, there was alcohol in her blood.

According to British media, on Wednesday pathologist Sohail Banthun confirmed to the coroner that the singer had consumed large amounts of alcohol before her death. Its concentration in Winehouse’s blood was almost five times higher than the maximum permissible limit for drivers.

Inspector Leslie Newman, who led the investigation, confirmed that three empty bottles of vodka were found next to the deceased's bed - two large and one small. He also concluded that death was the result of an "unfortunate coincidence."

The singer's father claims that in the last months before her death, Winehouse completely gave up alcohol and suffered from inexplicable seizures. A singer at Edgewarebury Cemetery in the north of the British capital.

Winehouse struggled with her addiction and, after undergoing treatment, did not drink any alcohol for three weeks. That is, in the period from the beginning of July to July 22, before drinking these three bottles of vodka, the singer did not touch alcohol.

At the trial, it became known that the artist’s body was discovered by security guard Andrew Morris who lived in her house. At 10 a.m. he came to check on her, but thought she was sleeping. After realizing by 3 p.m. that Winehouse was showing no signs of life, he called an ambulance.

Her parents and closest friends were present at the hearing, where a verdict was handed down on the cause of the singer's death on Tuesday. Before the court's conclusion was announced, a small incident occurred when documents containing information about the announcement of the verdict were sent to the wrong address. The Winehouse family informed the police that they had not received any notification and it was only last Friday that the documents were returned to Scotland Yard.

Despite the scandalous personal life and legal troubles, Winehouse was one of Britain's most successful pop stars.

She has received five Grammy Awards, including best song of the year, debut and best pop album (Back To Black).

In 2008, Winehouse was ranked tenth on the Sunday Times list of Britain's richest musicians under 30. Her fortune was estimated at 10 million pounds sterling (about 16.5 million dollars). In 2011, she shared ninth place on the same list with four other musicians, and her fortune had decreased to 6 million pounds ($10 million).

At the end of May 2011, the singer independently signed up for a course of treatment for alcohol addiction. However, after this there was a scandal with her concerts in Europe. The first summer concert of the planned 12 dates of the European tour took place in Belgrade, but at it Winehouse appeared in drunk and could barely stand on her feet. The tour was cancelled.

Before her death, Winehouse managed to release only two albums - Frank (2003) and Back to Black (2006). After the artist's death, there was talk of publishing her unfinished recordings.