by Stephen Bate

Created on: January 29, 2008

Amy Winehouse - undoubtedly talented, with a strong, soulful, bluesy voice and a selection of songs that ooze musicality and class. Her album "Back to Black" is one of THE must-have albums and is receiving huge critical acclaim worldwide.

HOWEVER - she is fast becoming the latest star to feel the pressure of fame and is starting to descend into a drugs and booze fueled spiral that is actually gaining her more column inches than her music ever has. Whilst a genuine profile should be on the artist and her music, her lifestyle has become her trademark and is everything that she is about at the moment.

Why, when she has such a talent for easy, high quality music that hum with soul and vibrancy, does she feel the need to self destruct and tarnish the God-given talent that she has been blessed with?

I believe that the reasons for this are many.

Firstly, the music and entertainment business are cut-throat things. All publicity is good publicity, and many artists have found themselves in situations and areas that they feel uncomfortable in, but persevere for the fame that they bring. Unfortunately, these "situations" usually involve alcohol or drugs and the effects of these can start to feel good and actually take over the reason for taking them in the first place. Musicians can be tortured souls, constantly craving acceptance, and many, Amy included, have fallen foul of drink and drugs because they numb the pain. They make the world, and the criticism go away for a while, and certainly make their lives more tolerable, in their own heads, at least. Amy Winehouse seems to have taken to this lifestyle all too easily and, whilst I would say there is obviously a level of personal choice, has been able to maintain this lifestyle with a lot of help from her friends!

Friends and family are a second reason for this downturn. Certainly her family have been very vocal in their support for Amy, and in their attempts to help, but it would seem that her choice of partner, now husband, has been destructive, too. Blake Fielder-Civil seems to hang on to the lifestyle with a passion, blinded by the money and profile that Amy's success has brought, and certainly looking to continue in the same vein. Rarely has it been more the case of picking a "wrong 'un" as his current run-ins with the legal system are showing. Worryingly, Amy seems utterly besotted and dependent on him. I'm all for a close relationship where partners lean on each other for strength and support, but this seems to be bordering on hero-worship and she seems to be utterly lost without him. As a result, the downward spiral accelerates.

Finally, she seems to have fallen victim to the "musician's curse" of believing their own media hype. Yes, the music is great, and she did rise to a high level of stardom very quickly, but this creates great insecurity in the individual as they are on a constant drive to please and crave to be liked. They realize that this can be taken away all too quickly and occasionally flick an angry and insolent finger to the society that can take away their dream away. Unfortunately, she seems to have taken to this course of action fairly permanently, probably in an attempt to "protect" herself, but the binges are becoming larger and all too frequent.

Hopefully, Amy's current attempt at rehabilitation will start her on the road to recovery. Her music doesn't seem to have suffered much from her lifestyle downturn, probably a great sign that the basic talent and star quality shine through brightly, but if this does not work, her career will be a brilliant, but all too short, one.

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