RIP Camden's finest

Amy Jade Winehouse

14th September 1983- 23rd July 2011

 

There's always a great sense of loss and sadness when an artist we admire and grow up with passes away- but there was something different about discovering the death of Amy Winehouse that triggered true distress and grief to the public when the news was first announced. Throughout most of her musical days, her talent was mostly swamped by consistent headlines of her drink and drug problem. Continiously being the media's bull's eye for bad press, she never failed to cause a fuss when stumbling out of a bar completley addled...yet above everything and beneath the bad girl image she so often portrayed, Winehouse was no doubt the quirkiest, most soulful and eccentric artist of our time.

Frank; the singer's first debut album was immediatly a great success in the UK, which was then followed up by her second album Back to Black in 2006. The album was the third biggest seller of the 2000s in the United Kingdom, scooping up an impressive six Grammy Award nominations- making her the first British female to achieve five favourable wins. The first single released from the album; Rehab, gained her further attainment in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Although her career was souring, it was also an abiding battle when dealing with her drug and alcohol abuse as her violent and self destructive behaviour always seemed out of control, leaving her family, friends and fans all disappointed. Her pernicious relationship with her former husband (Blake Fielder) introduced further complications resulting in him serving prison time in 2008. She was faced with a series of health problems that threatened both her career and life that eventually, but not surprisingly, resulted in her putting down her microphone and taking a step back from the music industry she was so clearly unstable for.

With such promising talent, the public were always left hopeful for a comeback from the instantly recognisable singer, (not forgetting her trademark beehive hairdo) yet her frail and unfit state meant she had to pull out of her return just last month. Instead, she was found dead in her London flat days ago with the case described as 'unexplained'.

Whether it was the drink or drugs, she was undoubtedly a true icon. What made Winehouse so special, was her ability to create music that really spoke to people. In a time where music is so highly competitive, she managed to become the best, proving anything can be achieved. Her unparalled voice and lyrics made it possible for her fans to see past her tribulations and grow only to adore and respect her- despite the numurous occasions in which she couldn't give her everything. She was the voice of a generation with down right raw talent, challenging pop music with her inspiring jazz and blues sounds, as well as becoming the most iconic and exceptional artist of our era. If its anything she's left behind, its knowing that there really won't ever be another quite like Winehouse.

'My justification is that most people my age spend a lot of time thinking about what they’re going to do for the next five or ten years. The time they spend thinking about their life, I just spend drinking.'

'I was expecting it to be cynical because I'm like that myself.
 I wouldn't want it to be all roses because life isn't like that.'

'I only write about stuff that’s happened to me.. stuff I can’t get past personally.
 Luckily, I'm quite self-destructive.'

'It's not important to me to make other people at ease.
I am difficult, but that's because I don’t really give a fuck.'