Amy Winehouse_ The Biography - Chas Newkey-Burden [68]
More than anything, Amy and those close to her hoped that these nominations would remind people that, for all the controversy and discussion that surrounded her lifestyle, Amy remains a musical artist and a supremely talented one at that. ‘After a tempestuous year of incredible highs and incredible lows, some people forget that she isn’t just a tabloid queen,’ said an excited Island Records Group UK president Nick Gatfield. ‘She’s actually a hugely talented artist. We are all really pleased about the Grammy nominations, obviously. And we hope things will get better from now on. She must keep busy.
‘It’s a reflection of her status [in the United States] that when you flick through the TV coverage [of the nominations], it’s her image they use above everything else,’ Gatfield added. ‘She’s made a bigger impact than even her record sales would dictate.’ Not that Amy should or would be getting carried away. ‘Getting so many nods, it doesn’t mean your career is going to take off,’ warned Giant Step co-founder and CEO Maurice Bernstein, whose music and lifestyle marketing company handled the grassroots outreach for Back to Black. ‘But this was hands down the best album of 2007. Nothing album-wise has come out that has touched it from start to finish; the quality of sounds, the soul.’
Then came the inevitable discussion about whether Amy would make the award ceremony. The Charlotte Observer kicked off the discussion, asking, ‘Now that the Grammy nominations have been announced, the big question is whether British songstress Amy Winehouse will actually make it to the awards ceremony. It’s looking unlikely unless she gets help soon.’ The writer pleaded directly to Amy: ‘Don’t be like Britney at the VMAs and embarrass yourself at the Grammys. You’re more talented than that.’
Those behind the Grammy’s were naturally very keen indeed to see Amy appear at the ceremony. ‘I’d hate to see technicalities prevent creativity from happening on the stage,’ said Neil Portnow, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. ‘I think it talks about the strength and the excellence of her music and the way that it’s received by our membership.’
Word soon came from Amy that she would of course be attending. The whole Grammys news was music to her ears, because she’d recently had to cut short a UK tour in upsetting circumstances.
On the night, Amy was unable to attend the ceremony due to visa complications. However, that was not enough to stop her winning five prizes: Record of the Year, Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Pop Vocal Album and Female Pop Vocal Performance. It was a colossally successful evening for her, as she became the first ever British female artist to win five Grammys in one night.
She left rehab for the evening and performed two songs – ‘Rehab’ and ‘You Know I’m No Good’ – via satellite from the Riverside Studios in London. Her performances prompted a standing ovation over in Los Angeles and she said: ‘Thank you very much, it's an honour to be here. Thank you very, very much.’ She also delivered her acceptance speech via satellite, dedicating her success to ‘My mum and dad. To my Blake, my Blake incarcerated.
‘I am so proud of this album,’ she said in reference to Back To Black. ‘I put my heart and soul into it and it’s wicked to be recognised in this way. I feel truly honoured to be mentioned in the same breath as many of the artists present tonight and to win is even more amazing.’ She was mobbed by ecstatic band members, friends and family on the stage.
Despite being 5,500 miles away, Amy was the talk of the town in LA. With this latest triumph, her dream of making it big in America came true as the entire nation sat up, took notice and demanded to know more about this remarkable singer who couldn’t make it to the Grammys but still won five awards. America is her oyster.
Chapter Nine
NO SLEEP ’TIL BRIGHTON
In November 2007, Blake Fielder-Civil, aged twenty-six, and