Amy Jade Winehouse (born 14 September 1983) is an English soul, jazz, and R&B singer and songwriter.

Her debut album, Frank (released in 2003) was nominated for the Mercury Prize. She won the Ivor Novello Award in 2004 for her debut single "Stronger than Me" and again in May 2007 for the first single "Rehab" from her 2006 album Back to Black. On 14 February 2007, she won a BRIT Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. On 17 July, Back to Black was announced as one of the 12 albums on the 2007 shortlist of Mercury Prize nominees and later that year she was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards and "Mejor artista nuevo internacional" or "best international new artist" in Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica.

The singer`s bulimia as well as her drug and alcohol problems became regular tabloid news in 2007.

Life and career

Early life and influences

Amy Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of Enfield, London to a Jewish family with a history of jazz musicians. Her father, Mitchell Winehouse, is a taxi driver and her mother, Janis, is a pharmacist. She has one brother, Alex. She grew up in the suburb of Southgate and attended Ashmole School. She was trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School when she was twelve years old but was allegedly expelled at fourteen for "not applying herself" and piercing her nose. She later attended the BRIT School in Selhurst, Croydon.

At age ten, Winehouse founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour. She received her first guitar when she was thirteen. By age sixteen she was singing professionally after her friend soul singer Tyler James sent her demo tape to an A&R person. She later had an "on and off" relationship with Tyler.

2003 - 2004: Frank

Amy Winehouse`s debut album, Frank, was released on 20 October 2003. It was produced mainly by Salaam Remi; many songs had jazz-influences and, apart from two covers, every song was co-written by Winehouse. The album received positive reviews with compliments over the "cool, critical gaze" in its lyrics and brought comparisons of her voice to Sarah Vaughan, Macy Gray and others. Later in 2004, she won the Ivor Novello songwriting Award for "Best Contemporary Song" with her contribution to the first single, "Stronger Than Me" (alongside Salaam Remi). The album also made the short list for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize. In the same year, she performed at the Glastonbury festival, on the Jazzworld stage, and at the V Festival.

After the release of the album, Winehouse commented that she was "only 80 percent behind the album" because of the inclusion by her record label of certain songs and mixes she disliked.
She later clarified this, saying: "I listen to it differently now. I am still really proud of it, I still think it`s a great album. But, with hindsight, there are some things I would have done differently... Just because I would do things a bit differently now doesn't mean I don't like what`s on that album."

2006 - 2007: Back to Black

In early 2006, Winehouse`s demonstration tracks such as "Wake Up Alone" and "Rehab" appeared on Mark Ronson`s New York radio show on East Village Radio. These were some of the first new songs played on the radio since the release of "Pumps" and were both to appear on her second album. The album was released on October 30 2006, a little more than three years after the release of Frank. In an interview, Winehouse explained "After Frank I didn't write for 18 months but when I met Mark (Ronson) I pretty much wrote the album in six months - he was so inspiring." The eleven-track album was produced entirely by Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson, with the production credits being split between them almost equally.

Back to Black went to number one on the UK Albums Chart numerous times, and entered at number seven on the Billboard 200. This was the highest debut entry for an album by a British female solo artist, only to be outdone two weeks later by Joss Stone who debuted at number two with Introducing Joss Stone.

The first single released from the album on 23 October 2006 was the Ronson-produced "Rehab", a song about her past refusal to attend an alcohol rehabilitation centre after it was encouraged by her management company. On October 22 2006, based solely on download sales, it entered the UK Singles Chart at #19 and when the physical single was released the following week, it climbed to #7. By 25 October the album was approaching 5xplatinum in the UK, making it the best selling album of 2007. The song won the Ivor Novello award for best contemporary song on May 24 2007.

In early October 2006, Winehouse`s official website was re-launched with a new layout and clips of previously unreleased songs.

Winehouse performed at various festivals, including UK`s Glastonbury Festival, Chicago`s Lollapalooza Festival, Rock Werchter and Baltimore`s Virgin Music Festival. She was scheduled to perform at the UK`s V Festival on the Channel 4 stage, but her manager announced that she was cancelling and has put all her tour commitments on hold until further notice. Amy Winehouse also toured with Patrick Wolf as an opening act.

On September 8 2007 Winehouse settled a claim for copyright infringement over the song "He Can Only Hold Her" brought against her by songwriter and producer P*Nut. His spokesperson said he would now receive a share of the copyright from the song and payment of costs. Previously he had received a "thank you" for his contribution and no songwriter credit on the album.
The singer was a vocalist on the song "Valerie" on the Mark Ronson solo album Version. The song peaked at #2 in the UK, upon its October single release. A deluxe edition of Back To Black was also released on November 5 in the UK. The bonus disc features b-sides, rare, and live tracks, as well as "Valerie". Winehouse`s debut DVD, I Told You I Was Trouble: Live in London, was released the same day in the U.K., and November 13 in the U.S. It includes a live set recorded at London's Shepherds Bush Empire and a 50-minute documentary charting the singers career over the last four years.

In November 2007, the opening night of a 17-date tour was marred by booing and walkouts at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham. An attendee quoted in a UK newspaper reported, "She came on stage half an hour late. She managed four songs but was slurring her words and swaying all over the place... She fell into the guitar stand and dropped the microphone -- it was atrocious. The song dedicated to her husband was so bad it was like swinging a cat round your head." The music critic for the Birmingham Mail newspaper said it was "one of the saddest nights of my life... I saw a supremely talented artist reduced to tears, stumbling around the stage and, unforgivably, swearing at the audience."

On December 10, 2007, the final single from Back To Black, "Love Is a Losing Game", will be released in the United Kingdom. Her work with ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena, "B Boy Baby," will be released on 17 December 2007. It will serve as the fourth single from Buena`s solo debut album Real Girl.

Future recordings

On 17 September 2007 the singer confirmed she is to return to the studio to start work on a new album set for release in 2008. According to The Sun newspaper the singer is to reunite with Mark Ronson. Ronson revealed that Winehouse wants to steer clear of her trademark horn-heavy style: He said, "I think that we can't do the same thing again - it can't be like a 60s element or Motown. If anything, I'd really like to make it sound older or more morbid. Really wall of sound. But, I don't want to second guess before I actually hear the songs."
Winehouse is also said to be working with Missy Elliott and hip-hop producer Timbaland.

Prince says he would like Winehouse to fly to to his Minnesota home to work on a musical collaboration after Christmas. Previously, Prince has said that he was a "big fan" of the singer prompting her to reply: "I'm honoured. I'm a massive fan. I'd love to work with him." George Michael has written a song in which he wants to duet with the singer. Michael said "Amy is the best female vocalist I have ever heard in my entire career, as well as one of the best writers."

Personal life

Since her rise to fame, Winehouse has been the subject of much media attention. On 18 May 2007 she married Blake Fielder-Civil in an unannounced ceremony in Miami, Florida. The marriage came as a surprise to fans and even family as the two had split two years earlier, the break-up inspiring several of the songs on Back to Black. In August 2007, she and her husband spent a brief period in rehab but left after five days, much to her family`s dismay. During this period she canceled a number of shows in the UK and Europe, citing exhaustion or ill health. In October 2007, Winehouse and her husband were arrested in Norway for possession of marijuana. The couple were later released and fined 3850 Norwegian kroner (around £350). The singer claims she was "duped" into confessing to possession of illegal drugs and vowed to fight the United States ban on her travel there triggered by the arrest. Also during this period the singer and her husband were photographed bloodied and bruised in the streets of London after a hotel room fight allegedly started when, according to the singer as quoted by a tabloid newspaper, she was spotted by her husband doing drugs with a call girl. Her husband has been remanded in custody as one of five arrested on 9 November pending investigations on a charge of trying to pervert the course of justice in relation to an alleged assault on a bartender in June 2007. Reports state that there is no suggestion Winehouse is involved.

Winehouse`s lifestyle has been a source of concern to her friends and family. Her father has voiced his worry that his daughter and her husband will at some point "reach rock bottom". The singer`s parents-in-law have also made their fears public, urging fans and the industry to boycott her music in an attempt to halt her decline. In a separate interview, her mother-in-law said she was worried that Amy and Blake had become so inseparable that if one were to commit suicide, the other would follow.

The singer has been dropped as the favourite to record the theme tune to the next James Bond movie Bond 22 due to her personal problems, paving the way for Ville Valo of Finnish rock band HIM to record the film`s theme. Winehouse was thought to be a shoo-in for the theme, and there was talk of a cameo appearance.

In various interviews, Winehouse has admitted to having problems with eating disorders and self-harm. She has attributed these problems to insecurities about her appearance.