Amy Winehouse - Jonathan Ross 2004 HQ (I Heard Love Is Blind + Interview)

Let's get my next guest out, I think she's one of the most exciting and brilliantly talented vocalists to emerge in this country in many, many years.

It is Amy Winehouse.

Wow, Amy, you look fantastic.

I don't want to give you my cold.

Wow, Amy, you look stunning.

Thanks.

That's a great dress, well done, congratulations.

That's certainly perked me up no end.

Amy, I'm a big fan of, I heard her album and initially I wouldn't listen to that sort of thing I thought, someone told me it's new jazz, okay, and I know you might dispute that.

The album's called Frank, listened to it, I was knocked out by your voice.

Where are you from, tell us a bit about yourself, how long have you been singing, what's going on?

Um, I'm from Southgate, I was born in North London and um, yeah, my dad's a singer, you know, that's what I come from, even though I am, I am really young.

Well now, 20 years old.

Why, why turn to old jazz?

Most people your age I would guess and I, I hope I'm not just spouting a cliché or generalization here, but I suspect it's true.

Most youngsters when they start singing they want to do R&B or they want to do rock and roll or even hip hop or rap or something.

But going to jazz and it does seem to be quite a new trend now.

There's quite a few new sort of jazz voices on the scene.

Yeah, I wouldn't call a lot of people that are doing jazz, jazz singers, you know what I mean?

Um, my album's a kind of straight jazz hip hop cross, there is no blues or folk.

You know what I mean, it, it's just a straight jazz hip hop album, man.

A lot of the stuff out doesn't, it is not heartfelt.

Yeah.

You know, and I just wanted to write music that was emotional and that people would want to listen to and connect with.

And you write it all yourself or you write with someone?

I write all the lyrics myself, I write on the guitar.

Okay.

Um, what are the songs about then, if people haven't heard the album yet?

What, what kind of subjects do we deal with here?

Um, well, I always said I never wanted to write about love and then I went and did that anyway.

I've got maybe seven or eight songs.

About this guy.

Is that your ex-boyfriend you're talking about this?

Yeah.

Man.

Now, I wouldn't want to be an ex-boyfriend of yours.

I mean, I'm sure, I'm sure it's a fun ride while it lasts, but afterwards, then you get the album coming out.

Because you kind of, you're quite hard on him, I feel.

Well, I was very frustrated at the way things turned out with me and him as he was.

And you know, when um, you're quite emotionally tied into someone, it's never that simple.

You call him a ladyboy at one stage on the album.

There's something no one wants to be called, even if you are a ladyboy, I suspect.

Uh, you're, you're, you're very confident young woman, I've noticed.

Have you always been kind of this self-possessed?

Um, yeah.

I mean, that nicely.

I mean, you know, you just, I'm surprised.

It's, and it's a good thing.

Do you get it from your mum, your dad?

I mean, who?

I don't know.

My, no, my dad's quite outspoken.

He's a cab driver.

Oh, well, that's, that's saying them all.

Yeah.

That's it.

And has he got a picture of you in the cab now?

Does he lean back, does he try and flog your album to people in the, the taxi?

I don't think so.

Uh, you're managed by the company.

Uh, and this surprises me.

I only found this out today.

You're managed by the company who look after S Club 7, used to look after the, the Spice Girls, Simon Fuller.

Uh, have they tried to, to mold you in any way, have people asked you to do things to change the way you look or speak or behave?

Um, yeah, one of them tried to mold me into a big triangle shape.

And I went, no.

No.

No.

You know, I've got my own style.

Yeah.

I've got my own style and I, I wrote my own songs and, you know, if someone has so much of something already, there's very little you can add.

Yeah.

You know what I like about you as well?

Is the way you sound so common.

Now, because, because I am common.

And you know, it's like, you know, it's so refreshing to hear someone who isn't speaking like they've taken elocution lessons.

Yeah.

They gave me elocution lessons, but they kind of.

They didn't stick.

Off, off my back, yeah.

Amy, you're, you're, you're good to go.

You're okay to sing for us now.

What track are you going to do?

I'm going to sing a song called I Heard Love Is Blind.

This is on the album.

The album's called Frank.

Uh, if you haven't heard it yet, um, give it a listen.

I suggest you get a copy, I think it's terrific.

Ladies and gentlemen, she's going to sing for us live right now.

Amy Winehouse.

Thank you, Amy.

Thank you.

I couldn't resist him.

His eyes were like yours, his hair was exactly your shade of brown.

Now he's just not around, but I couldn't tell when it was dark.

I was lying down.

You are everything, he means nothing to me, and I can't even remember his name.

So why are you so upset when baby you weren't there?

You know, I was thinking of you.

When I came home.

Now what do you expect?

You left me alone.

I drank so much, did it your touch.

Now don't overreact.

Yes, I pretended he was you.

Because you're what I want me to be lonely.

Now how can I put it so you'll understand?

I didn't let him hold my hand.

But he looked like you.

But it wasn't you.

No, he wasn't you.

But you can still trust me.

This ain't infidelity.

No, it's not cheating.

When you were all on my mind.

Yes, he looked like you.

But I heard love is blind.

Wow.

Fantastic.

Amy Winehouse, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you, Amy, that was wonderful.

Thank you.