Amy Winehouse_ The Biography - Chas Newkey-Burden [67]
Given this glittering background and the prestige of the award, Amy was delighted to learn that in 2007 she was nominated in not just one but six categories for the fiftieth annual awards, to be held in February 2008. She was nominated in the Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album categories. Amy was the only performer to appear in all four of the most prestigious categories, but she fell short of drawing the most nominations. That distinction went to the rap star Kanye West, who led the field with eight nominations, including his third for Album of the Year for the latest CD in his college-themed trilogy, Graduation. Her rivals for the Record of the Year were Beyoncé’s ‘Irreplaceable’, Foo Fighters’ ‘The Pretender’, Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ and Justin Timberlake’s ‘What Goes Around Comes Around’.
Host George Lopez had a few jokes at her expense at the nomination ceremony in Los Angeles in December. ‘Could somebody wake her up this afternoon around six [o’clock] and tell her?’ Lopez said. ‘Usually when I’m high and drunk, I’m not very good, but Amy has it down to where she can get a good buzz going and be very creative. She makes Lindsay Lohan look cool.’
Naturally, news of Amy’s sextet of nominations made huge headlines in America and back in Britain. WEST IS BEST, WITH AMY RIGHT BEHIND, screamed the New York Post. The New York Times wondered aloud whether her ‘well-publicized problems raised questions about how Grammy voters would view her’. The Los Angeles Times went with, WINEHOUSE IS BUZZ-WORTHY FOR THE GRAMMYS. The Canada National Post ran with, WINEHOUSE VS. FEIST: A GRAMMY SHOWDOWN. Back in England, The Times was more sober: AMY WINEHOUSE HAS REASON TO CELEBRATE WITH SIX GRAMMY NOMINATIONS. Most memorable of the lot, though, was the Village Voice, which headlined its response THIS YEAR’S GRAMMY NOMINATIONS: FUCKING INSANE. In a less direct way, some at home complained about Amy’s nominations, too. Amanda Platell wrote in the Daily Mail that, despite Amy’s problems,
Our amoral music industry lionises her. What sort of message does that send out to the singer, and more pertinently, to her many young and impressionable fans? For the music industry so publicly to canonise a self-destructive junkie is to endorse and encourage her nihilistic behaviour.
GRAMMYS MAY BE LIVING DANGEROUSLY THIS YEAR, said the San Diego Union Tribune. ‘Viewers can expect potential fireworks from West and a possible meltdown from Winehouse, whose very public drug and alcohol problems have made her a tabloid queen in Europe and beyond.’ It was also discussed that another of the nominees, Chad Pimp C Butler had died shortly before he received his nomination. So there was plenty for the tabloid press to get their teeth into there, too.
Among those in the American record industry, there was joy. ‘Amy Winehouse is incredible. I think she should have got a little more positive recognition,’ said singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. Grammy-winning producer John Shanks called Winehouse’s album Back to Black, which included the telling hit ‘Rehab’, ‘an important record’. Shanks added, ‘I don’t think her troubles are really going to hurt her. I think the sound of that album made an impact.’
First word from Amy herself in response came via the mouth of Mark Ronson. ‘I called her today because the record was something that we went through together… Hopefully she will get into America so we can celebrate. Amy doesn’t get excited about anything,’ he explained. ‘She was never once excited while in the studio. And today she’s just like, “Yeah, Ronnie Chops, we got Grammy nominations.” That’s her. But she’s happy and psyched.’
This was followed by the official statement from Amy herself: ‘Thank you for all your kind letters and emails, I am grateful for all your support.