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Ras Kwame (center) as judge at Open Mic UK, 2010

Ras Kwame is a British radio DJ and presenter. He started in the music industry as a club DJ playing hip hop, R&B and reggae in the early 1990s. He then moved on to promoting for Kiss100's groundbreaking Starlight Club night and the Mean Fiddler’s Subterranea Club, bringing over talent from the US and promoting local talent. The Subterranea gigs saw Kwame take control of the turntables for artists such as Gang Starr, Public Enemy, Wu Tang Clan, London Posse and the Fugees. During that time, Ras also undertook remix work for Chanté Moore, George McCrae and The 49ers.

Kwame founded West London’s Sugar Shack record shop in 1993 and from 1994-2000 he had formed Baby Shack Recordings and his UK garage production outfit M-Dubs. As a garage producer, Kwame made several innovative underground club anthems for the flourishing UKG scene, such as ‘Over Here’ featuring Ritchie Dan, ‘Bump and Grind’ featuring Lady Saw and the underground smash ‘Body Killin’ by The Vincent Alvis Project. In 2001, Kwame launched the International Rude Bwoy Recordings operation, the label maintains a UK black music output with a variety of styles ranging from hip hop to garage.

Ras Kwame joined BBC 1Xtra at launch in 2002 with the 100% Homegrown show every Sunday evening. The show is dedicated to the sound of UK black music and has provided a live platform for talent and given major support to new acts like Lethal B, Skinnyman and Estelle.

In 2004 Kwame won Best Radio DJ at the Urban Music Awards and started a new music show called Showtime with Ras Kwame on Channel U.

In February 2005, Kwame was brought into BBC Radio 1 to host one of the three OneMusic shows that succeeded the John Peel slot. The other OneMusic hosts were Rob da Bank and Huw Stephens. Kwame's show now goes out live every Sunday Morning 5am - 7am on BBC Radio 1 and on Sundays from 7pm-10pm on 1Xtra BBC.I t has been announced that Ras is leaving Radio One and One Extra as part of schedule changes in January 2011.^[1]

He regularly judges both Open Mic UK and Live and Unsigned.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ras Kwame on Myspace

Durrty Goodz (born May 11, 1981, sometimes known as Durrty Doogz, Dwayne Mahorn in London, England^[1]) is an English grime artist. Mahorn was signed to Polydor Records in 2005, but left due to a lack of creative control.

Durrty Goodz is known for his versatility, which can be seen in his ability to rap on grime, hip hop, bashment, and R&B beats, although grime is the genre many of his fans favour him rapping over.^{[citation needed]}

He was named Best MC by the London pirate radio station Kool FM,^[2] which lead to recognition in the London underground music scene, and was signed to Universal Records soon after. Mahorn made appearances on local radio programmes, mixtapes, and 12-inch singles as well.^[3] He has been featured in Logan Sama's radio segment on Kiss 100 London.^[3]

Mahorn's brother, a grime artist as well, known as "Crazy Titch" (real name Carl Dobson), was accused and later convicted of murdering 21-year-old Richard Holmes, and was sentenced to 30 years without parole. Mahorn spent nearly a year in prison until November 2006, when he was acquitted.

Durrty Goodz returned to his career in 2007, releasing the Axiom EP. This was followed by the Durrty Whirl mixtape in 2008, a re-release of the 2004 release, available for free download on the official Durrty Goodz website.

In 2009, Durrty Goodz released Ultrasound, a Pre-Album in the build-up to the debut album. This was followed by a Free-Album entitled 'Born Blessed' released in 2010. Durrty Goodz then began work on his debut album, entitled Overall which was released in May 2011.

In 2011 Durrty Goodz featured on an all-star Grime single titled Pull Up 2011 alongside producer Dexplicit and other artists such as Big H, Big Narstie, Dot Rotten, Black The Ripper & Shizzle. In October 2011 Durrty Goodz announched that his second album entitled, 'Foundation' will be released soon.

Discography[link]

EPs

• 2007: Axiom

LPs

• 2009: Ultrasound
• 2010: Born Blessed
• 2011: Overall
• 2012: Foundation

References[link]

1. ^ Hancox, Dan. "Durrty Goodz". FACT Magazine. http://www.factmagazine.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=702&Itemid=27. 
2. ^ Thomas, Vincent (2008). "Durrty Goodz". Allmusic. All Media Guide. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p763212. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Clark, Martin (2007-03-21). "This Month In: Grime / Dubstep". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/41803-the-month-in-grime-dubstep. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 

External links[link]

• Durrty Goodz on Myspace

Jay Sean
Sean at the 2009 Indian Day Parade in New York City
Background information
Birth name	Kamaljit Singh Jhooti
Also known as	Jay Sean
Born	March 26, 1981 (age 31) Harlesden, Brent, London, England
Genres	Pop, R&B, hip hop, bhangra, electropop, British soul
Occupations	Singer–songwriter, beatboxer, record producer, arranger, Rapper
Instruments	Guitar, piano
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Jayded, 2Point9, TM3 Records, Cash Money, Universal Republic
Associated acts	Rishi Rich, Lil Wayne, Birdman
Website	jayseanworldwide.com

Kamaljit Singh Jhooti^[1][2], better known by his stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer-songwriter, rapper, beatboxer and record producer.^[3] He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with "Dance with You", which reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003. This led to him being signed to Virgin Records and having two UK top 10 hits as a solo artist in 2004: "Eyes On You" at #6 and "Stolen" at #4. They were included in his critically acclaimed debut album Me Against Myself which,^[4] though only moderately successful in the UK, sold more than two million copies across Asia and remains his most successful album to date.^[5][6][7] Alongside the Rishi Rich Project, Sean was a pioneer of Bhangra-R&B fusion, which his debut album helped popularize among the worldwide South Asian diaspora.^[8]

He eventually left Virgin in 2006 and founded his own independent label, Jayded Records. After a gap of nearly four years, he returned in 2008 with "Ride It", which reached #11 in the UK and topped the charts in several Eastern European countries, including Romania where it was one of the best-selling singles of the year. It was followed by hits such as "Maybe", which reached #7 on the Japan Hot 100,^[9] and "Tonight". They were included in his second album, My Own Way, which became his most successful album on the UK Albums Chart, reaching #6, and topped the UK R&B Chart. At around this time, he began increasingly incorporating electropop sounds into his R&B music.^[10]

Since the end of 2008, has he been signed to Cash Money Records. In 2009, his American debut single "Down" topped the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first solo artist of South Asian origin and first UK urban act to top the Hot 100.^[11] It was the seventh-best selling song of 2009, having sold more than three million copies in the United States that year,^{[12][13][14][15]} eventually reaching four million sales in the United States^[16] and six million sales worldwide,^[17] making him the most successful British/European male urban artist in US chart history.^[18][19] As of 2011, it is the fifth best selling song by a British artist in the digital era.^[20] It was soon followed by another hit, "Do You Remember", which has sold more than a million copies in the US,^[21] and entered the top ten on the Hot 100,^[22] making him the first male act since Chingy in 2003 to "simultaneously appear in the Hot 100 top 10 with his first two charting singles."^[23] They were included in his American-debut album All or Nothing, which debuted at #37 on the US Billboard 200 and reached #11 on the Japan Oricon Albums Chart.^[24] Sean is sometimes referred to as a "one-man boy band"^[25][26] and was ranked #35 in Billboard's Hot 100 Artists of 2009.^[27]

Life and career[link]

1981–2002: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Jay Sean was born as Kamaljeet Singh Jhooti in Harlesden, Northwest London^[28] to Sharan and Bindi Jhooti, Punjabi Sikh immigrants. His year of birth is uncertain, with different sources giving dates ranging from 1979^[29] to 1983.^[3] He was raised in Southall, west London,^[30] and displayed musical talent at an early age. At age 11, he and his cousin Pritpal Rupra formed a hip hop duo named "Compulsive Disorder". His stage name at the time was MC "Nicky J", with the "J" being derived from the first letter of his last name "Jhooti".^[31] He eventually came to be known by the nickname "Jay" among his friends.^[2]

He was a student at Latymer Upper School, the same private school that Hugh Grant, Heston Blumenthal and Lily Cole had attended.^[32] He left the school in 1997.^[33] He finished his GCSEs as a "straight-A student" and then completed his A Levels with an A grade in Biology and B grades in Mathematics and Chemistry.^[32] He later enrolled in Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary, University of London, to study Medicine before he dropped out in 2003 to pursue a singing career. For his music career, he chose the stage name Jay Sean; "Jay" was the nickname his friends knew him as (derived from his previous stage name "Nicky J"), while "Sean" is derived from "Shaan"—a nickname he was called at home by his grandmother—which means "shining star" or "pride" in Punjabi.^[2][34][35]

[edit] 2003–06: Me Against Myself with Relentless Records

After Sean's track "One Minute" fell into the hands of producer Rishi Rich,^[36][37] the Rishi Rich Project was formed (consisting of Rich, Sean and Juggy D) in 2003. Their first taste of UK chart success was the Asian underground song, "Dance with You (Nachna Tere Naal)", which became a Top 20 hit, peaking at #12.^[38] This led to Sean signing a £1m deal with Virgin Records, under their label Relentless Records.^[37] His second single, "Eyes on You," was his first solo effort and became a Top 10 hit, peaking at #6.^[39] His third single, "Stolen," peaked at #4,^[40] with Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu making an appearance in the video. His debut album, Me Against Myself, was released in 2004 and received much critical praise and acclaim.^[4][41][42] Sean was referred to as an "Asian sensation" and was praised for his experimental, creative fusion of contemporary R&B, British hip hop and Indian music.^[43][44] The title track in particular was considered innovative, featuring two alter egos of himself, one an R&B singer and the other a rapper, clashing in a rap battle.^[45]

Despite initially failing to reach the top 20 on the UK Albums Chart (where it peaked at #29), the album gradually managed to sell 100,000 copies in the UK^[46] and went on to become a substantial hit in India, selling over two million copies there.^[5][6][7] He made a brief appearance in the 2005 Bollywood film Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, providing the song "Dil Mera (My Heart)" to the soundtrack, based on "One Night" from his own debut album.^[47] Beyond India, the album sold over 300,000 copies across other parts of the world,^[48] including Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia,^[3][49] and Hong Kong.^[50] His performance of tracks from Me Against Myself on MTV Asia (alongside the Rishi Rich Project) had a television audience as large as 165 million viewers.^[4][49] It helped establish Sean as a major recognized artist across Asia and among the worldwide Desi diaspora, and remains his most successful album to date. With his debut album, Sean was influential in popularizing Indian-R&B fusion sounds in Asian underground and Indian pop music.^[8] He recorded a 16 track album which was scrapped because Virgin felt the market had changed to where it was all about Pop music.^[51] In February 2006, after several delays of his second album, he left Virgin Records.^[52]

[edit] 2007–09: My Own Way and All or Nothing

After parting ways with Virgin Records, Jay Sean continued to work on his second album, which was initially named after the title track "Deal With It," but the song ended up being given to Corbin Bleu. Sean's background vocals remain on Bleu's version of the track. The song "Deal With It" earned Sean a BMI Songwriter Award^[53] and later inspired the 2009 single "Juliette" by South Korean band Shinee.^[54][55]

Jay Sean returned in late 2007 with the new single "Ride It", which was the first single from his second album My Own Way. It was to be the first album released as a joint-venture between his own label Jayded and 2Point9 Records. The video for "Ride It", released in early 2008, featured Jay Sean with a new style after being out of the limelight for nearly three and a half years. My Own Way debuted at #6 in the official UK Albums Chart and generated two more UK top 20 singles, "Ride It" and "Maybe". On the back of this Jay received two MOBO Award nominations, for Best UK Male (alongside Dizzee Rascal, Taio Cruz, Wiley and Sway) and Best R'n'B/Soul (alongside Usher, Estelle, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown). "Ride It" was successful in Eastern Europe, especially in Russia,^[56] Turkey and Romania, where it became one of the three best-selling singles of the year.^[57] "Maybe" was his most successful single in Japan, where it reached #7 on the Japan Hot 100 Singles.^[9] A Mandarin Chinese cover version of "Maybe" by Coco Lee has been released in China. Sean sang a Hindi version of the album My Own Way for release in India. The album sold more than 350,000 copies across the world.^[48][58]

Touch Magazine in the UK described him as "the U.K.'s answer to Ne-Yo," while The Independent called him "...an urban legend in the making." In August 2008, Jay Sean co-hosted London radio station Choice FM's Breakfast show a week in which he only performed previously unheard tracks, including a song whose title was left to the listeners to decide. The unknown track was later confirmed to be called "Tonight" and is included in My Own Way: Deluxe Edition. Jay Sean was confirmed for the third series of Celebrity Scissorhands in October 2008 but he withdrew before the show was aired for unclear reasons.^[59]

On 15 October 2008 during the MOBO Awards, Jay Sean announced that he had signed with the American hip-hop oriented record label Cash Money Records distributed via Universal Republic Records^[60] making him the first male British Asian singer to sign with an American label.^[61] His American-debut single was "Down" featuring American rapper and label mate Lil Wayne. It topped the Billboard Hot 100, replacing The Black Eyed Peas. This makes him the first British artist to top the Hot 100 since Freddie Mercury of Queen in 1980, and the first solo artist of Asian descent to do so.^[62] "Down" has sold more than six million copies worldwide,^[17] and three million digital copies in the US,^[13][14] making the song the best-selling single by a British/European male artist in North America since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" in 1997.^[19][46][63] In addition, "Down" has received a large airplay of two billion listener impressions on radio worldwide.^[64][65] As of November 2011, "Down" has sold 4.1 million copies in the US, which is currently the fifth best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era.^[20] In November 2009, Sean's next single from his album, "Do You Remember", was released and featured Jamaican dancehall superstar Sean Paul plus US Southern crunk rapper Lil Jon.^[66] It entered the Hot 100 top ten on the week of 9 January 2009,^[22] breaking "a three-week streak of no titles moving into the top 10" since December 2009.^[23] Like its predecessor, it has sold more than a million copies in the United States.^[21]

At the 2009 UK Asian Music Awards (AMA), Jay Sean won three awards, including "Best Male", "Best Urban Act" and "Best Album", the latter for his second album, My Own Way. He met with Rishi Rich, Juggy D and H-Dhami during the ceremony.^[67] After the award, he was in America for the first time since signing with Cash Money, he announced through an interview with MTV IGGY that he was recording five new songs for his album, then titled My Own Way (U.S. edition), one of which was his American-debut single with Lil Wayne, later titled "Down". Sean discussed a collaboration with Akon at the 2009 Grammy Awards, in addition to recording a song with Nadine Coyle^[68] and told viewers that the album will be released in third quarter of 2009.^[69] The album title was later changed to All or Nothing, and featured brand new songs and some of the songs from My Own Way. Despite success with two singles from the album, the album itself only debuted at #37 on the US Billboard 200. It was his lowest-charting entry on the UK Albums Chart, debuting there at #62. Despite this, it has become his highest-charting album in Japan, reaching #11 on the Oricon Albums Chart.^[24]

Sean was featured on a song called "Written on Her" alongside Birdman for the CEO’s project, released on 23 June 2009 on iTunes.^[70] This song was played during an interview on Westwood Radio 1 with Birdman and Jay Sean. Jay Sean has featured on Skepta's single "Lush" released on 10 June 2009 on iTunes.^[71] On 2 February 2010, Kevin Rudolf's single "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)", featured Jay Sean alongside Birdman and Lil Wayne, was released.^[72] In early December 2009, it was confirmed that he has collaborated with Justin Timberlake and Esmée Denters on a song, "Love Dealer".^[73][74] There have been talks of collaborations with other American artists such as Ashley Tisdale, Taylor Swift,^[75] Nicole Scherzinger,^[76] Rihanna,^[77] Usher,^[78] and Jay-Z & Beyoncé.^[79]

Jay Sean was in early September 2009 nominated for the 30 Under 30 award.^[80] At the 2009 UK Urban Music Awards, he won the Best Collaboration award for "Down" alongside Lil Wayne.^[81] In early December 2009, he was ranked #35 in Billboard's Hot 100 Artists of the year.^[27] On 11 December 2009, he became the first South Asian origin artist since Freddie Mercury to perform at Madison Square Garden, as part of the Jingle Ball concert, alongside beatboxer MC Zani.^[82] Sean's performance "had the entire crowd – parents and children, teens and twenty-somethings – dancing."^[83]

[edit] 2010–present: Worth It All

Sean began working on his fourth album and second with Cash Money Records Freeze Time in July 2010.^[84] At the time, he stated that he had completed roughly 75 percent of the album and that guests included Lil Wayne, Pitbull, Nicki Minaj and Mary J. Blige.^[85] Three singles, "2012 (It Ain't the End)", "Hit The Lights" and "Like This, Like That" were released in support of the album. Sean also co-headlined with Joe Jonas on the Joe Jonas & Jay Sean Tour with JoJo as the opening act.^[86] Sean released a mixtape titled The Mistress in September 2011 and a Japan exclusive album titled Hit the Lights in January 2012.

Freeze Time was scrapped due to legal issues in 2011^[87] and Sean began working on a new, be more R&B influenced album altogether.^[88] Sean's upcoming album Worth It All is set for a 2012 release. The first single "I'm All Yours" featuring Pitbull was released on May 22 2012.^[89]

Community work[link]

Jay Sean is known for community work. He has worked with BBC Blast doing Q&A's on tour events in an effort to "give something back".^[90] He has supported the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) in the charity event Partnership Walk and Run by performing in Regent's Park in 2004 and 2009.^[91]

In 2009, Sean performed in Justin Timberlake's charity concert to raise funds for the Shriners Hospital for Children, alongside artists such as MC Zani, Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys. It became one of the highest-earning charity events of the year, raising more than $9 million.^[92]

In 2012, Sean became a part of Child Hunger Ends Here campaign along with artists like Owl City and Jewel.^[93] For this purpose he recorded a song named "Here's Hope"^[94] which was available for digital download on the Child Hunger Ends Here official site.

Awards and nominations[link]

Discography[link]

Studio

• Me Against Myself (2004)
• My Own Way (2008)
• All or Nothing (2009)
• Worth It All (2012)^[95][96]

Compilation

• Hit the Lights (2012)

Mixtape

• The Mistress (2011)

Filmography[link]

• Kyaa Kool Hai Hum (2005), himself

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Jay Sean at the Internet Movie Database

Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse at the Eurockéennes festival in France (2007)
Background information
Birth name	Amy Jade Winehouse
Born	(1983-09-14)14 September 1983 Southgate, London, UK
Died	23 July 2011(2011-07-23) (aged 27) Camden, London, UK
Genres	Soul, R&B, jazz, blues
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, composer, arranger
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums
Years active	1993–2011
Labels	Island, Lioness, Universal Republic (U.S.)
Associated acts	Dionne Bromfield, Mark Ronson, Tony Bennett, Nas, Zalon, Tyler James, Paul Weller, The Rolling Stones, Lily Allen
Website	www.amywinehouse.com

Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals^[1] and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz.^[2] Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Her 2006 follow-up album, Back to Black, led to six Grammy Award nominations and five wins, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night, and made Winehouse the first British female to win five Grammys,^[3][4] including three of the "Big Four": Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

In 2007 she won a Brit Award for Best British Female Artist; she had also been nominated for Best British Album. She won the Ivor Novello Award three times: once in 2004 for Best Contemporary Song (musically and lyrically) for "Stronger Than Me", once in 2007 for Best Contemporary Song for "Rehab", and once in 2008 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Love Is a Losing Game".

Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning on 23 July 2011. Her album Back to Black subsequently became the UK's best selling album of the 21st century.^[5] In 2012, Winehouse was listed at number 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women In Music.^[6]

Early life[link]

Amy Winehouse was born in the Southgate area of North London to a Jewish family, with some Russian ancestry on her mother's side^[7][8] who also influenced her interest in jazz.^[9] Her father, Mitchell "Mitch" Winehouse, was a taxi driver, her mother, Janis Winehouse (née Seaton),^[10] a pharmacist.^[11] Her grandmother, Cynthia, was a singer^[12] and she had an older brother, Alex (born 1979).^[13] Mitch often sang Frank Sinatra songs to young Amy, who also took to a constant habit of singing to the point that teachers found it difficult keeping her quiet in class.^[14] Winehouse's parents separated when she was nine.^[15]

When Winehouse was nine years old, her grandmother Cynthia suggested she attend the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School for furthering her vocal education.^[16] She attended the Earnshaw school for four years and founded a short-lived rap group called Sweet 'n' Sour with Juliette Ashby, her childhood friend^[17] before seeking full-time training at Sylvia Young Theatre School; however, Winehouse was allegedly expelled at 14 for "not applying herself" and also for piercing her nose.^[13][18] (Sylvia Young herself has denied this – "She changed schools at 15 – I've heard it said she was expelled; she wasn't. I'd never have expelled Amy.")^[19] She also appeared in an episode of The Fast Show, 1997, with other children from the Sylvia Young School^[20] and later attended The Mount School, Mill Hill, the BRIT School in Selhurst, Croydon, Southgate School and then Ashmole School.^{[21][22][23][24]}

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

After toying around with her brother Alex's guitar, Winehouse received her first guitar when she was 13 and began writing music a year later. Soon after, she began working for a living, including, at one time, as an entertainment journalist for the World Entertainment News Network, in addition to singing with local group the Bolsha Band.^[13][25] In July 2000 she became the featured female vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra; her influences were to include Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington.^[26] Her boyfriend at the time, soul singer Tyler James, sent her demo tape to an A&R person.^[9] Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management in 2002. While being developed by the management company, she was kept as a recording industry secret.^[27] Her future A&R representative at Island/Universal, Darcus Beese, heard of her by accident when the manager of The Lewinson Brothers showed him some productions of his clients, which featured Winehouse as key vocalist. When he asked who the singer was, the manager told him he was not allowed to say. Having decided that he wanted to sign her, it took several months of asking around for Beese to eventually discover who the singer was. However, Winehouse had already recorded a number of songs and signed a publishing deal with EMI by this time. Incidentally, she formed a working relationship with producer Salaam Remi through these record publishers.^[27]

Beese introduced Winehouse to his boss, Nick Gatfield, and the Island head shared his enthusiasm in signing the young artist. Winehouse was signed to Island/Universal, as rival interest in Winehouse had started to build to include representatives of EMI and Virgin starting to make moves. Beese told HitQuarters that he felt the reason behind the excitement, over an artist who was an atypical pop star for the time, was due to a backlash against reality TV music shows, which included audiences starved for fresh, genuine young talent.^[27]

Winehouse's greatest love was 1960s girl groups.^[28] Her stylist, Alex Foden, borrowed her "instantly recognisable" beehive hairdo (a weave^[29][30]) and she borrowed her Cleopatra makeup from The Ronettes.^[28] Her imitation was so successful, as the Village Voice reports: "Ronnie Spector—who, it could be argued, all but invented Winehouse's style in the first place when she took the stage at the Brooklyn Fox Theater with her fellow Ronettes more than 40 years ago—was so taken aback at a picture of Winehouse in the New York Post that she exclaimed, "I don't know her, I never met her, and when I saw that pic, I thought, 'That's me!' But then I found out, no, it's Amy! I didn't have on my glasses."^[31]

New York Times reporter, Guy Trebay, discussed the multiplicity of influences on Winehouse's style. Trebay noted: "her stylish husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, may have influenced her look." Additionally, Trebay observes:

She was a 5-foot-3 almanac of visual reference, most famously to Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, but also to the white British soul singer Mari Wilson, less famous for her sound than her beehive; to the punk god Johnny Thunders...; to the fierce council-house chicks... (see: Dior and Chanel runways, 2007 and 2008); to the rat-combed biker molls photographed by the Swiss photographer Karlheinz Weinberger in the 1960s; to a lineage of bad girls, extending from Cleopatra to Louise Brooks’s Lulu and including Salt-n-Pepa, to irresistible man traps that always seemed to come to the same unfortunate end.^[32]

[edit] Major label success and Frank

Performing at the Bowery Ballroom, New York City in 2007

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^[33][34] with compliments over the "cool, critical gaze" in its lyrics^[2] and brought comparisons of her voice to Sarah Vaughan,^[35] Macy Gray and others.^[2]

The album entered the upper levels of the UK album chart in 2004 when it was nominated for BRIT Awards in the categories of "British Female Solo Artist" and "British Urban Act". It went on to achieve platinum sales.^[36] 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".^[37] The album also made the short list for the 2004 Mercury Music Prize. In the same year she performed at the Glastonbury Festival, the V Festival, the Montreal International Jazz Festival (7 July 2004, at the Club Soda), 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.^[9] Additional singles from the album were "Take the Box", "In My Bed"/"You Sent Me Flying" and "Pumps"/"Help Yourself".

[edit] International success and Back to Black

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.^[38] 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. The 11-track album was produced entirely by Salaam Remi and Ronson, with the production credits being split between them. Ronson said in a 2010 interview that he liked working with Winehouse because she was blunt when she did not like his work.^[39] 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.^[36] 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.^[40]

	"Rehab" noicon 21-second audio sample from Amy Winehouse's first hit "Tears Dry on Their Own" noicon 25-second audio sample from one of the standout tracks on "Back to Black" album "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" noicon Originally performed by The Shirelles in the 1960s, this version slows the tempo down and features a jazz arrangement.
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The album spawned a number of singles. The first single released from the album was the Ronson-produced "Rehab". The song reached the top ten in the UK and the US.^[41] Time magazine named "Rehab" the Best Song of 2007. Writer Josh Tyrangiel praised Winehouse for her confidence, saying, "What she is is mouthy, funny, sultry, and quite possibly crazy" and "It's impossible not to be seduced by her originality. Combine it with production by Mark Ronson that references four decades worth of soul music without once ripping it off, and you've got the best song of 2007."^[42] The album's second single and lead single in the US, "You Know I'm No Good", was released in January 2007 with a remix featuring rap vocals by Ghostface Killah. 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.^[43] "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.^[44]

A deluxe edition of Back to Black was also released on 5 November 2007 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 UK and 13 November in the US. It includes a live set recorded at London's Shepherds Bush Empire and a 50-minute documentary charting the singer's career over the previous four years.^[45] Frank was released in the United States on 20 November 2007 to positive reviews.^[46][47] The album debuted at number 61 on the Billboard 200 chart.^[48]

In addition to her own album she collaborated with other artists on singles. Winehouse was a vocalist on the song "Valerie" on Ronson's solo album Version. The song peaked at number two in the UK, upon its October single release. The song was nominated for a 2008 Brit Award for "Best British Single".^[49][50][51] Her work with ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena, "B Boy Baby", was released on 17 December 2007. It served as the fourth single from Buena's solo debut album, Real Girl.^[52]

Continued success and acclaim[link]

Winehouse performing at Eurockéennes in 2007

By year's end Winehouse 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.^[53][54] Producer Mark Ronson's work with her won the award in the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical category.^[55] 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.^[56] 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. She said "This is for London because Camden town ain't burning down", in reference to the Camden Market fire.^[57] After the Grammy Awards, the album's sales increased catapulting Back to Black to number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 after initially peaking at number seven.^[58] On 13 January 2008, Back to Black held the number one position on the Billboard Pan European charts for the third straight week.^[59] In January 2008 Universal Music International said it believed that there was a correlation between number of albums sold and the extensive media coverage the singer had received.^[60]

Performing at Eurockéennes in Belfort, Territoire de Belfort, France on 29 June 2007

A special deluxe edition of Back to Black topped the UK album charts on 2 March 2008. The original edition of the album resided at the number 30 position, in its 68th week on the charts, while "Frank" charted at number 35.^[61] By 12 March the album had sold a total of 2,467,575 copies, 318,350 of those in the previous 10 weeks, putting the album on the UK's top 10 best-selling albums of the 21st century for the first time.^[62] On 7 April, Back to Black was residing at the top position on the pan-European charts for the sixth consecutive and thirteenth aggregate week.^[63] Back to Black was the world's seventh biggest selling album for 2008.^[64] These sales helped keep Universal Music's recorded music division from dropping to levels experienced by the overall music market.^[65]

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".^[66] "Rehab", a Novello winner for best contemporary song in 2006, also received a 2008 nomination for best-selling British song.^[67] Winehouse was nominated for a MTV Europe Award in the Act of The Year category.^[68] Amy Winehouse – The Girl Done Good: A Documentary Review, a 78-minute DVD, was released on 14 April 2008. The documentary features interviews with those who knew her at a young age, helped her gain success, jazz music experts, as well as music and pop culture specialists.^[69][70] A clip of Winehouse's music was included in the "Roots and Influences" area that looked at connections between different artists at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex NYC, which opened in December 2008. One thread started with Billie Holiday continued with Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and finished with Winehouse.^[71] In a poll of United States residents conducted for VisitBritain by Harris Interactive that was released in March 2009, one fifth of those polled indicated they had listened to Winehouse's music during the previous year.^[72] Winehouse performed with Rhythms del Mundo on their cover of the Sam Cooke song "Cupid" for an Artists Project Earth benefit album that was released on 13 July 2009.^[73][74]

On the week of July 26, after Winehouse's death, Frank, Back To Black, and the Back To Black EP re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 57, number 9, and number 152 respectively with the album climbing to number 4 the following week.^[75][76] Back To Black also topped the Billboard Digital Albums chart on the same week and was the second best seller at iTunes.^[77] "Rehab" re-entered and topped the Billboard Digital Songs chart as well, selling up to 38,000 more digital downloads.^[78] As of August 2011 "Back to Black" was the best selling album in the United Kingdom in the 21st Century.^[79]

Final projects[link]

Winehouse and Mark Ronson contributed a cover of Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" to the Quincy Jones tribute album Q Soul Bossa Nostra released 9 November 2010.^[80] Winehouse and drummer ?uestlove of the Roots had agreed to form a group. Winehouse's problems obtaining a visa delayed the still unnamed group from working together. Producer Salaam Remi had already created some material with Winehouse as part of the project.^[81] According to a newspaper report, Universal Music pressed her regarding new material in 2008. According to that same report Winehouse as of 2 September had not been near a recording studio. It was noted that she had touring obligations during the summer and also that if an album was quickly recorded, it would be at least a year before an album could be released.^[65] In late October Winehouse's spokesman was quoted as saying that Winehouse had not been given a deadline to complete her third album, for which she was learning to play drums.^[82]