If Amy Winehouse had not died prematurely on July 23, 2011 from excessive alcohol intake, the British singer would have turned 40 on September 14. As a tribute, his parents, Mitch Winehouse and Janis Seaton, have collected the diaries he wrote in his almost 28 years of life. Intimate writings that help delve into her vulnerable personality and which will be published on August 29 under the title In her words.
As an advance, the Winehouse couple has given an interview to The Telegraph newspaper, in which they reveal some of the writings, as well as anecdotes from the life of the youngest of their two children and which begin on the same day she was born: four days after the expected date. Mitch and Janis say they've joked with Amy all her life about her constant lack of punctuality. “From the moment we brought her home from the hospital, Amy was a real individual. She could be adorable and charming, but if she wasn't happy, everyone knew it. 'Amy, silence' was probably the phrase heard the most in our house. Whether she was happy or sad, Amy loved being the center of attention."
The couple remembers that it didn't take long for the singer-songwriter to start scribbling dozens of notebooks with abstract ideas, which sooner than later would be the sketches of a developing artist. According to Mitch and Janis, Amy would stay up until the wee hours of the morning writing abstract ideas or doodling in her notebooks, which she always had with her. To her parents, its contents were always a mystery, although they remember that on special days, such as a birthday or Mother's Day, Amy used to read aloud a poem written on it.
At school he also took the opportunity to embody ideas when he was bored. "The teachers told us he was bright and capable, but there was always a 'but'. But...she couldn't sit still or she misbehaved in class. On the other hand, Amy devoured films, musicals, novels, poetry and music", say her parents, who remember her singing songs by Ella Fitzerald or Mary Poppins.
In the notebooks, Amy not only poured her thoughts into them, but also the people she saw on the street, in magazines or on television. He would paste clippings of these people who caught his eye and make comments about their appearance.
Mitch remembers many arguments with his daughter, in which, between screams, she would interrupt him, go find her notebook and immortalize her words in it. In fact, this was how one of the most important songs of his career was born: Rehab. “It was written after a conversation with Mitch, probably scribbled in a notebook. She had come home to her then-managers, who were concerned about her drinking and wanted to take her to a rehab facility. 'I don't want to go, dad. I don't have 90 days,' he told Mitch. Later, this conversation would end up inspiring the song", says his mother.
At the height of success, Amy Winehouse is aware of her behavioral problems: “I hate my temper. Sometimes I get so moved that I become physically violent with those I love. No matter how much I say 'I'm sorry', it's something they'll never be able to forget," he confesses.
“Twelve years after her death, looking back at these drawings and doodles still makes us smile, just like Amy did. Of course, we cannot whitewash his story. Yes, she was addicted and yes, her life was chaotic. Ultimately, her addictions robbed her and us of her life. But we don't stop in these times", says the artist's mother, and her father reads one of the thoughts written by his daughter: "Above all, I dream of being very famous, of working on stage. It's a lifelong ambition. I want people to listen to my voice and forget their problems for five minutes... I want to be remembered for being... just me”.
