These days, an unreleased interview with Amy Winehouse, recorded in Los Angeles in May 2007—the day before filming the video for ‘Tears Dry on Their Own’ and four years before her death—has come to light. At 23, she had just married Blake Fielder-Civil and was living the success of ‘Back to Black’. Nearly twenty years later, journalist Ariel Leve recalls that meeting and the details that stood out the most.
“If I die tomorrow, that would be great.”
Amy Winehouse says that before, she was afraid of dying without leaving a trace. After the success of ‘Back to Black’, of which she is especially proud, she feels that she has already achieved something important as an artist.
“I don’t care about being well-known. I am just a musician.”
“I don’t care about being well-known. I am just a musician, you know?”, says Amy. Despite the success, she asserts that she could have led an anonymous life without problems. She also mentions that she enjoys cleaning her house, cooking for her friends, and dancing while listening to music.
She walked off for 45 minutes to talk with Blake
During the interview, Amy leaves to talk with her husband and spends 45 minutes outside. Ariel Leve starts to think she might not return, but she eventually comes back and asks for dessert. The journalist also finds it difficult to get her to speak openly about Blake, despite how important he is to her.
Amy’s small gestures
Upon re-listening to the tapes, Leve notices details that perhaps went unnoticed at the time, such as the moment when Amy winks at the waiter. The journalist considered her a genius, on par with Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald, but it is precisely these small everyday gestures that help remember her as someone with a special ability to connect with people.
Why has it emerged now?
The interview was shelved because The Times had purchased another exclusive conversation with Amy Winehouse for Rolling Stone. Nearly twenty years later, Shane O’Neill, former press chief for the singer, asked a Sunday Times editor what had happened to her. Ariel Leve retrieved the recordings and the interview has ended up being published this very month, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of ‘Back to Black’.
