Early Career
At the age of 10, Amy formed a rap duo called Sweet ‘n Sour with her childhood best friend Juliette Ashby. She later landed her first job working as a celebrity reporter at World Entertainment Network, set up by Juliette’s father. Amy’s first album was called ‘Frank’.
Released in 2003, ‘Frank’ received critical acclaim, went double platinum, and was nominated for two Brit Awards and the Mercury Music Prize. ‘Stronger than Me,’ the debut song on the album earned her the Ivor Novello award. Not a bad start to her career!
A Record Breaker
Her album ‘Back to Black’ successfully debuted in America in 2007. The album went higher on the Billboard charts than any other female British artist in history, and stayed in the top 10 for several months. There really was no doubting of this woman’s talent.
The idea for her hit song ‘Rehab’ came when she was walking down the street with Mark Ronson, singing the hook to the song as a joke. Ronson thought an entire song on Rehab would be amazing, and the rest is history. Get yourself a friend like Mark Ronson, you’ll probably do quite well in life.
A Grammy’s to Remember
Amy Winehouse was banned from attending the 2008 Grammy Awards after numerous instances involving substances and arrests. She went on to win five Grammy Awards that night and performed via satellite. Sure, that’s got to be awkward, but why would the Grammys still ask her to perform? If anything, it’s a strong testament to just how talented Winehouse was (okay, the 5 Grammys is also a pretty good testament to that).