Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Famous singers in the U.K.: Amy Winehouse

Certificate of Competence in English

Coordonator Georgescu Roxana

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Student Cauti Cristina

Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Bucharest,2013
Table of Contents: Argument.....................................................................................................page 3 Chapter 2.General Facts..............................................................................page 4 Chapter 3.Music career: 3.1 Early life....................................................................................page 5 3.2 Early career...............................................................................page 5 3.3 International success.................................................................page 6 3.4 Final projects..............................................................................page 8

Chapter 4.Influence....................................................................................page 10 Chapter 5.Personal life: 5.1 Relationships.......................................................................page 11 5.2 Drug problems and legal difficulties..................................page 12

Chapter 6.Other ventures...........................................................................page 13 Chapter 7.Artistic impression.....................................................................page 14 Chapter 8.Death..........................................................................................page 15 Conclusion..................................................................................................page 16 Bibliography...............................................................................................page 17
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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Argument

Nowadays, a lot of people do not know how to appreciate the true values of music and they prefer to listen to whatever is on the radio. That is why, the music
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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

standards have begun to decrease and true artists are increasingly fewer, most of them not having voice, but having nerve.

Therefore, I have chosen this topic, Amy Winehouse. I believe that she was one of the most powerful voices of all times and also, a beautiful woman.

Despite her vicious life, full of love, music and drugs, which led to her death in the end, Amy Winehouse succeeded in being very famous due to her deep voice, and now, a lot of people are listening to her songs, missing her presence.

Chapter 2: General Facts

Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Amy Jade Winehouse, born in London on September 14 th,1983, and dead on July 23 rd, 2011, was a British singer and composer. She was very well- known for her deep vocals and her mix of R&B,jazz and soul.She broke into the music bussiness at the age of 16,when a classmate passed on her demo tape. She signed her first record as a jazz vocalist and her music, later, blossomed into an mix of jazz, pop, soul and R&B. Therefore, her first album Frank(2003) was very successful in the U.K. and her follow- up album Back to Black (2006) led her to the winning of the five from 6 Grammy Awards. She achieved the record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night and also the right to be the first British female to win the Grammy for: Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2007, she won a Brit Award for Best Female Artist and she had also been nominated for Best British Album. Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July, 2011. Her album Back to Black posthumously became the UKs best- selling album of the 21st century, at that point. In 2012, Amy Winehouse was listed at number 26 on VH1s 100 Greatest Women in Music.

Chapter 3: Music Career

2.1 Early Life
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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Amy Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of north London, to Jewish parents. Despite the fact that her father, Mitch Winehouse, worked as a cab driver and her mother Janis was employed as a pharmacist, Amys upbringing was surrounded by jazz. Her grandmother, Cynthia, was a singer and, also, Amys father often sang Frank Sinatras songs to his little daughter.When she was nine, she attended the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School for four years, and founded a short- lived amateur rap group called Sweet 'n Sour. At 12, Amy was accepted into the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School, and after toying around with her older brother Alexs guitar, she received her own at the age of 13, and began writing music a year later. By the age of 16, Winehouse was expelled for "not applying herself" and piercing her nose.

2.2 Early Career

In July 2000, at only 16 years, she became the featured female vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. That same year, she caught her first big break when her boyfriend, pop singer Tyler James, passed her demo tape to an A&R person, who was searching for a jazz vocalist.While being developed by the Simon Fullers 19 Management in 2002, she was kept as a recording industry secret. Her future A&R representative at Island/Universal, Darcus Beese, heard of her, by accident. It took several months of asking around for Beese to eventually discover who the singer was. Beese introduced Winehouse to his boss, Nick Gatfield, and the Island head shared his enthusiasm in signing the young artist.

2.3 International Success

Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Winehouse's debut album, Frank, was released on 20 October 2003. Produced mainly by Salaam Remi, many songs were influenced by jazz 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, alongside Salaam Remi, with her contribution to the first single, "Stronger Than Me". In the same year she performed at the Glastonbury Festival, the V Festival, the Montreal International Jazz Festival , and on the Jazzworld stage. 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. Additional singles from the album were "Take the Box", "In My Bed"/"You Sent Me Flying" and "Pumps"/"Help Yourself". In contrast to her jazz- influenced former album, Winehouse's focus shifted to the girl groups of the 1950s and 1960s. Winehouse hired New York singer Sharon Jones's longtime band, the Dap- Kings to back her up in the studio and on tour. In May 2006 Winehouse's demonstration tracks such as "You Know I'm No Good" 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 after the release of "Pumps" and both were slated to appear on her second album. Promotion of Back to Black soon began and, in early October 2006 Winehouse's official website was relaunched with a new layout and clips of previously unreleased songs. Back to Black was released in the UK on 30 October 2006. It went to number one on the UK Albums Chart numerous times, and entered at number seven on the Billboard 200 in the US. It was the best- selling album in the UK of 2007, selling 1.85 million copies over the course of the year. The first single released from the album was "Rehab". The song reached the top ten in the UK and the US. Time magazine named "Rehab" the Best Song of 2007.

Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

The album's second single and lead single in the US, "You Know I'm No Good", was released in January. It ultimately reached number 18 on the UK singles chart. The title track, "Back to Black", was released in the UK in April 2007 and peaked at number 25, but was more successful across mainland Europe. "Tears Dry on Their Own", "Love Is a Losing Game" and "Just Friends" were also released as singles, but failed to achieve the same level of success. Winehouse toured in conjunction with the Back to Black album's release. She performed headlining gigs in September and November 2006, including one of the Little Noise Sessions charity concerts at the Union Chapel, Islington. She began a run of another 14 gigs beginning in February 2007. At his request, Bruce Willis introduced Winehouse before her performance of "Rehab" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. In November 2007 the opening night of a 17- date tour was marred by booing and walkouts at theNational Indoor Arena in Birmingham. A music critic for the Birmingham Mail 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." By 2007's end , Amy had garnered numerous accolades and awards. The singer won 2008 Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Rehab", while her album Back to Black was nominated for Album of the Year and won the Best Pop Vocal Album award. The singer also earned a Grammy in the Best New Artist category. This earned Winehouse an entry in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for Most Grammy Awards won by a British Female Act. She performed "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab" at the awards ceremony via satellite, as her visa approval came through too late for her to travel to the US.

Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

At the 2008 Ivor Novello Awards, Winehouse became the first artist to receive two nominations for the top award, best song, musically and lyrically. She won the award for "Love Is a Losing Game" and was nominated for "You Know I'm No Good". "Rehab", a Novello winner for best contemporary song in 2006, also received a 2008 nomination for best- selling British song. Winehouse was nominated for a MTV Europe Award in the Act of The Year category. On 20 February 2008, Winehouse performed at the 2008 BRIT Awards, performing "Valerie" with Mark Ronson, followed by "Love Is a Losing Game. In Paris she performed what was described as a "well- executed 40-minute" set at the opening of a Fendi boutique. Although her father, manager and various members of her touring team reportedly tried to dissuade her, Winehouse performed at the Rock in Rio Lisboa festival in Portugal in May 2008. Although the set was plagued by a late arrival and problems with her voice, the crowd warmed to her.

2.4 Final Projects

In May 2009, Winehouse returned to performing at a jazz festival in Saint Lucia amid torrential downpours and technical difficulties. During her hour long set it was reported she was unsteady on her feet and had trouble remembering lyrics. She apologised to the crowd for being "bored" and ended her set by walking off the stage in the middle of a song. In July 2010 she performed "Valerie" with Mark Ronson at a movie premiere. She sang lead but forgot some of the song's lyrics. In October Winehouse performed a four song set to promote her fashion line. In December 2010 Winehouse played a 40- minute concert at a Russian oligarch's party in Moscow. Guests included other Russian tycoons and Russian show business stars. The tycoon hand picked the songs she played.

Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

On 18 June 2011, Amy Winehouse started her 12- leg 2011 European tour in Belgrade. Local media described her performance as a scandal and disaster, and she was booed off the stage due to her apparently being too drunk to perform. It was reported that she was unable to remember the city she was in, the lyrics of her songs orwhen trying to introduce themthe names of the members of her band. The local press also claimed that Winehouse was forced to perform by her bodyguards, who did not allow her to leave the stage when she tried to do so. She then pulled out of performances in Istanbul and Athens which had been scheduled for the following week. On 21 June it was announced that she had cancelled all shows of her European tour and would be given "as long as it takes" to sort herself out. Winehouse's last public appearance took place at Camden's Roundhouse, London on 20 July 2011, when she made a surprise guest appearance on stage to support her goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield, who was singing "Mama Said" with The Wanted. Winehouse's last recording was a duet with American singer Tony Bennett for his latest album, Duets II, which was released on 20 September 2011.

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Chapter 4: Influence

John Legend said "Amy Winehouse was produced by people who wanted to create a marketing coup. The positive side is that it reacquainted an audience with this music and played an introductory role for others. This reinvigorated the genre by overcoming the vintage aspect". After the release of Back to Black, record companies sought out female artists with a similar sound and fearless and experimental female musicians in general. Adele and Duffy were the second wave of artists with a sound similar to Winehouse's. Singers such as Adele,Duffy and Lady Gaga were thankful for Amy Winehouses success in the United States,because this made their journey into the music career a bit smoother. After the release of Back to Black, record companies sought out female artists with a similar sound and fearless and experimental female musicians in general. Adele and Duffy were the second wave of artists with a sound similar to Amy Winehouse's. Charles Aaron was quoted as saying "Amy Winehouse was the Nirvana moment for all these women," "They can all be traced back to her in terms of attitude, musical styles or fashion".

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Chapter 5: Personal Life

5.1.Relationships
In early 2003, Winehouse met Blake Fielder- Civil, a music video production assistant, at a local bar. The two began a stormy relationship and Winehouse had his name tattooed over her heart,while he tattooed her name near his ear. Winehouses tempestuous relationship with Fielder- Civil was the catalyst for much of her destructive behaviour. During one break- up Winehouse admitted to drowning her sorrows in booze but she also used the heart-break in writing her new album. Her drug and alcohol intake increasingly affected her live performances, as she turned up to several club or TV performances too drunk to complete her set. Winehouse later told The Sun newspaper she did go to rehab but did not last long: I did, for just 15 minutes. I went in and said, Hello and explained that I drink because I'm in love and have destroyed the relationship. Then I walked out." While on a break with Blake, Amy dated chef- musician Alex Clare in 2006. But in early 2007, Amy And Blake ended their relationships with other partners and got back together. In May ,the couplegot married in Miami Florida. In a June 2007 interview, Winehouse admitted she could sometimes be violent toward him after she had been drinking, saying " if he says one thing I don't like then I'll chin him". In August 2007, they were photographed, bloodied and bruised, in the streets of London after an alleged fight, although she contended her injuries were self- inflicted. Later that month, with Blake in jail, Winehouse turned up to Birmingham concert drunk and emotionally distressed. She later cancelled all further appearances for 2007 saying on her website: I can't give it my all onstage without my Blake. My husband is everything to me and without him it just isn't the same.. Winehouse was spotted with aspiring actor Josh Bowman on holiday in Saint Lucia in early January 2009, saying she was "in love again, and I don't need drugs. She commented that the "whole marriage was based on doing drugs" . Her turbulent marriage to Fielder- Civil has continued to deteriorate to the point that he has requested a divorce, based on both claims of adultery and also to 'save' the life of his wife. They divorced in August 2009. She dated director Reg Traviss for approximately two years before her death.

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

5.2. Drug problems & legal difficulties

Amy Winehouse's battles with substance abuse were the subject of much media attention. In 2005, she went through a period of drinking, heavy drug use, violent mood swings and weight loss. People who saw her during the end of that year and early 2006 reported a rebound that coincided with the writing of Back to Black. Her family believes that the mid- 2006 death of her grandmother, who was a stabilising influence, set her off into addiction. On 2 December 2007, images of the singer outside her home in the early morning hours, barefoot and wearing only a bra and jeans, appeared on the internet and in tabloid newspapers. In a statement, her spokesman blamed paparazzi harassment for the incident. The spokesman reported that the singer was in a physician-supervised programme and was channelling her difficulties by writing a lot of music.

Winehouse was arrested on 7 May 2008 on suspicion of possessing drugs after a video of her apparently smoking crack cocaine was passed to the police in January, but was released on bail a few hours later because they could not confirm, from the video, what she was smoking. On 19 December 2009, Winehouse was arrested again on charges of common assault, plus another charge of public order offence. Winehouse assaulted the front- of- house manager of the Milton Keynes Theatre after he asked her to move from her seat. On 20 January 2010, she admitted common assault and disorderly behaviour.

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Chapter 6:Other Ventures

Amy joined a campaign to stop a block of flats being built beside the George Tavern, a famous London East End music venue. Campaign supporters feared the residential development would end the spot's lucrative sideline as a film and photo location, on which it relied to survive. As part of a breast cancer awareness campaign, Winehouse appeared in a revealing photograph for the April 2008 issue of Easy Living magazine. Winehouse had an estimated 10m fortune, tying her for tenth place in the 2008 The Sunday Timeslisting of the wealth of musicians under age 30.

AmyWinehouse collaborated on a 17 piece fashion collection with the Fred Perry label. It was released for sale in October 2010. According to Fred Perry's marketing director "We had three major design meetings where she was closely involved in product style selection and the application of fabric, colour and styling details," and gave "crucial input on proportion, colour and fit". The collection consists of "vintage-inspired looks including Capri pants, a bowling dress, a trench coat, pencil skirts, a longline argyle sweater and a pink-andblack checkerboard-printed collared shirt". At the behest of her family, three forthcoming collections up to and including autumn/winter 2012 that she had designed prior to her death will be released. Charity work Throughout her life Winehouse donated her money, music and time to many charities, particularly those concerned with children. She was once named "the most charitable act" by Pop World. Whilst this side of her personality was never well- known to the general public, throughout both the arts community and the charity community she was known for her generosity and was even known as a "soft touch". In 2009, she paid for the medical tests for a man called Julian Jean DeBaptiste in St. Lucia. "I had surgery on 1 July 2009 ... it cost a fortune and Amy paid for the whole thing. I tried to thank her but she just hugged me and told me not to say anything. Her generosity gave me my life back".

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Chapter 7: Artistic impression

London's Mall Galleries opened an exhibition in May 2008 that included a sculpture of Winehouse, titled Excess. The piece, created by Guy Portelli, had a miniature of the singerlying on top of a cracked champagne bottle, with a pool of spilled liquid underneath. The body was covered with what appeared to be tiny pills, while one outstretched hand held a glass. Another piece, a print titled "Celebrity 1" by artist Charlotte Suckling, was exhibited in the same exhibition. A wax sculpture of Winehouse went on display at the London Madame Tussauds on 23 July 2008. The singer did not attend the unveiling, although her parents did. A sculpture by Marco Perego, titled "The Only Good Rock Star Is a Dead Rock Star", that depicts Winehouse lying in a pool of blood with an apple and a bullet hole in her head after being shot by American novelist and beat poet William S. Burroughs (in a recreation of the accidental killing of his wife Joan Vollmer), was scheduled to go on display in New York's Half Gallery on 14 November 2008. The sale price for the sculpture is listed at US $100,000. Perego said of the sculpture "Rock stars are the sacrificial animals of society." Winehouse's spokesperson said "It's a funny kind of tribute. The artist seems in thrall to a tabloid persona that is not the real Amy. People often use her image to sell their work." Young British Artist Annemarie Wright created a tribute to the deceased 27-year-old, using the handwritten song lyrics from "Frank" and "Back to Black". This image has been permanently exhibited in the Adee Phelan salon, Birmingham. Camdens local council has approved plans to build a life-size statue of the late singer Amy Winehouse.The statue will be designed by Scott Eaton and will see Winehouse with her styled in trademark beehive style and wearing a short dress.

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Chapter 8: Death

Amy Winehouse began binge drinking in 2008 after kicking a drug habit. By the summer of 2011, she had fallen into a pattern of abstaining for a few weeks, and then relapsing. One such relapse led to her death by alcohol intoxication in the morning hours of 23 July 2011. Winehouse's bodyguard said that he had arrived at her residence three days before her death and felt she was somewhat intoxicated. He observed moderate drinking over the next few days. He observed her "laughing, listening to music and watching TV at 2 a.m. the day of her death". According to the bodyguard, at 10 a.m. he observed her lying on her bed and tried unsuccessfully to rouse her. This did not raise much suspicion because she usually slept late after a night out. According to the bodyguard, shortly after 3 p.m., he checked on her again and observed her lying in the same position as before, leading to a further check in which he concluded she was not breathing and had no pulse. He said he subsequently called emergency services. The report released on 26 October 2011 explained that Winehouse's blood alcohol content was 416 mg per 100ml (0.416%) at the time of her death, more than five times the legal drink- drive limit. According to the coroner, "The unintended consequences of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden death." Winehouse's record label, Universal Republic, released a statement that read in part: "We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer." Many musical artists have since paid tribute to Winehouse including U2,Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, George Michael, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Courtney Love, and the American punk rock band Green Day, who wrote a song in her tribute titled "Amy. Family and friends attended Winehouse's funeral on 26 July 2011 at Edgwarebury Lane cemetery in north London.Also, Romanian singers such as Rona Hartner, Paula Seling, Nico and Maria Radu performed a memorial Amy Winehouse concert in Bucharest,2011.

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Conclusion

The tragic death of Amy Winehouse, on 23 July 2011, robbed the world of a unique musical talent.She was one of the most gifted,sincere and talked-about artists ever to emerge from the UKs music scene. She sold millions of records, won numerous top awards and earned the respect, fascination and devotion of people across the globe. Her songwritting skills and soulful voice made her great. She was a warm and witty person, but a frank one, too. Even though, her fans had never let their enthusiasm for Amy to decrease.They adored her and, in the latest years of her life, willed her to return to the frontline. Moreover, I can say that I consider myself a big fan of Amy Winehouse and I also admire her so much due to her international success and the fact that, thanks to it, now we can listen to voices such as Adele, Duffy, Lana del Rey. But, of course, none of them can beat Amys voice, character or life. Sometimes, I think that I admire her so much, not just thanks to her voice, but due to her interesting life and her vicious character. Despite all of that, she succeeded in being one of the most impressive voices of all time.

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Famous singers in the UK-Amy Winehouse [Yea r]

Bibliography
Books 1.
Amy My Daughter by Mitch Winehouse, published in Great Britain in 2012 by HarperCollins publishers

2.

Amy Winehouse,the biography 1983-2011 by Chas NewkeyBurden, Kindle Edition

3.

Amy Winehouse, a Losing Gameby Mick OShea,Plexus London

Websites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Winehouse http://www.amywinehouse.com/ http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/amywinehouse.html

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