In 2010, Amy Winehouse released her fourth and final studio album, 24]. The album represented a significant artistic and commercial comeback for the singer who had struggled with drug addiction and undiagnosed health problems for much of the previous decade. The album was received with great critical and commercial acclaim and went on to become Amy Winehouse‘s most successful and acclaimed release to date. The title track “24”] garnered the singer her second Grammy Award and was followed by another Grammy win for “Valerie.”
The following year, Winehouse appeared to be at the height of her popularity. The album had achieved multi-platinum sales and was accompanied by a successful North American tour. Yet, despite all the success, Winehouse would go on to lose a massive amount of weight – a fact that was largely overlooked in the frenzy that surrounded her at the time. In fact, Winehouse’s dramatic weight loss became such a point of conversation that she would even jokingly announce on The Tonight Showthat she had lost a total of 15 pounds.
So, how much weight did Amy Winehouse really lose? To find out, we consulted with celebrity nutritionist Chris Powell, who told us that based on the information he was given, her body mass index (BMI) actually decreased by 23% between 2010 and 2011. Furthermore, even after she regained much of the weight that she lost, her BMI fluctuated between 18.8 and 24.9, which is considered normal. Essentially, in order to put her current weight gain in perspective, she had to be a lot thinner when she released 24]than she is now – a stark contrast that underscores just how much wine and food influenced her decision to get back on track.
The Evolution Of Amy Winehouse’s Musical Style
Amy Winehouse rose to fame as one of the most promising new artists of the aughts, scoring multi-platinum albums with each of her early releases. Yet, despite her meteoric rise to fame, Winehouse had struggled with drug addiction and undiagnosed health problems for much of the previous decade. By 2010, however, the singer was seemingly clean and had gained a significant amount of weight. The following year would see her rebound and regain much of the weight she had lost. This evolution is evident in the following video, which documents her career from its beginning until now:
From the moment that we see Winehouse in the video, it is obvious that she has changed. Gone are the days of the wasted and anorexic artist. Instead, we see a confident and happy singer who has fully embraced her large, beautiful frame. Even more telling is the video’s musical style, which is radically different from that of her early work. While the lyrics to “Back To Black” are rather morbid and dark, one cannot escape the influence of Elton John and the progressive edge that his music had given the album. In addition, the video’s stylings lean more heavily on the contemporary art world, with video artists such as Richard Prince and Chris Kelsey heavily influencing both the music and the imagery throughout the album’s promotional cycle. This is most noticeable on the cover of 24], which was designed by Kelsey and depicts Winehouse in a see-through dress with her back to the camera. The following year would see Prince return the favor by providing the artwork for her greatest hits collection, Back To Black – further establishing the artistic connection that would see these two influential figures work together on several projects.
Why Did Amy Winehouse Lose All That Weight?
Amy Winehouse is undoubtedly one of the most beloved and successful singer-songwriters of all time, and her music has undoubtedly influenced many people’s lives for the better. Yet, she is also one of the most polarizing figures in music, with many fans admiring her artistry while others denounce her as a fraud. For those who love her music, it is quite difficult to lose sight of just how much she struggled with drugs and alcohol towards the end of her life – particularly in the wake of her recent death.
With that in mind, it is quite an amazing feat that Winehouse was able to overcome her addictions and navigate her way back to health, both mentally and physically. In the end, it was simply a matter of self-respect and personal pride that motivated her to get back on track. In the wake of her recent passing, Twitter was abuzz with tributes to Winehouse, with many followers praising her as an inspiration. In one tweet, @lilimjwashington noted, “I love Amy Winehouse and will always be a fan…She inspired me to stand up for myself, be happy, and live my life how I want to.” Indeed, while Winehouse’s music is certainly complex and challenging, it was the combination of her artistry, intellect, and willpower that allowed her to overcome her most significant hurdles.
Based on the information that we were able to gather, it appears that Winehouse lost a massive amount of weight around the time that she released 24]. The album’s lead single “Back To Black” serves as a fitting illustration of what happened. Written and produced by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song is an ode to the dark side of urban life. Yet, it also serves as a metaphor for the beginning of a new life for the artist, who was reborn thanks to the song’s success. In the words of John Lennon, “When [McCartney and I] were putting this song together, everything just came together perfectly.”
Following the release of “Back To Black,” Winehouse released two more singles, “Forever” and “Valerie,” the latter of which became her second-most successful single to date. The album’s second track, “You Know Me Better Than That,” served as the B-side to “Valerie,” and the singer performed the song on several high-profile occasions, including the 2010 Grammys and the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, where she famously belted out the song’s chorus while flanked by a massive choir and orchestra. “Back To Black” became the biggest-selling single of Winehouse’s career to date – the song eventually going on to sell over a million digital copies in the US alone.
Despite the commercial success of “Back To Black,” the album as a whole is a narrative of Winehouse’s continued struggles with addiction and undiagnosed health problems. The title track’s lyrics, “When you’re told you’re beautiful, you start believing it / When you’re told you’re worthless, you start believing it too,” are a heartbreaking reflection of just how far Winehouse had to come in order to repair her relationship with food and drink. With the help of her team of doctors, she ultimately managed to put the past addiction struggles behind her and embrace a new, healthier lifestyle. As she said in her autobiography Opium:
“You have to want it bad enough so you’re prepared to fight for it…I knew that if I wanted to achieve my goal, I had to be ruthless. That’s why the album title, 24], had to have a double meaning. It was to show that even if I was going to lose a pound a day for the next 24 days, I wasn’t going to budge from my goal, because I wanted to prove to myself, and to everyone else, that I could be healthy again.”
Ultimately, 24 days, 7 hours and 30 minutes of non-stop music made up the full album. Despite the incredible effort that went into its production, Winehouse’s final album is an artistic triumph over addiction and its toll on her body. From the moment that we hear her beautiful and haunting voice, we are taken on an incredible journey, as each song paints a vivid picture of Winehouse’s continued struggle with food and drink – reminding us just how far she had to come in order to be the proud and healthy woman that she was before her untimely passing. In closing, we leave you with these words of wisdom from Elton John: “You can’t improve on perfection, but you can always do better.”