Biography
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter whose distinctive voice and deeply personal songs made her one of the most recognizable musicians of her generation. Combining jazz, soul, rhythm and blues and pop, she created a sound that drew strongly on earlier musical traditions while remaining unmistakably her own.
She was born on 14 September 1983 in London, England, into a family with a strong interest in music, particularly jazz. From an early age she showed musical talent and began writing songs as a teenager. She studied at theatre and music schools and started performing professionally while still young.
Her debut album, Frank, was released in 2003. Influenced by jazz and contemporary soul, the album received critical acclaim and introduced Winehouse as an unusually direct and expressive songwriter.
International success came with her second album, Back to Black, released in 2006. Working with producers including Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, Winehouse combined 1960s soul and girl-group influences with modern rhythm and blues. Songs such as Rehab, You Know I'm No Good and Back to Black became internationally successful.
At the 2008 Grammy Awards she won five awards in a single night, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Rehab. Her success helped bring soul-influenced music back into mainstream popular culture and opened the way for a new generation of British singers.
Winehouse was also known for the emotional honesty of her songwriting. Many of her songs dealt openly with love, separation, vulnerability and self-destructive behaviour. Her powerful contralto voice, phrasing and jazz-influenced interpretation gave her performances a distinctive character.
During the final years of her life, personal difficulties and problems with alcohol and drugs increasingly affected her health and public performances. Amy Winehouse died at her home in London on 23 July 2011, aged twenty-seven.
Despite her short career and a discography built around only two studio albums released during her lifetime, Winehouse left a lasting mark on popular music. Her combination of jazz, soul and contemporary songwriting influenced many later singers and secured Back to Black a lasting place among the defining albums of the early twenty-first century.
