The Amy Winehouse Bandwagon (who is continuing the trend in 2024?)

Written By Freya Astrella

In the words of Paul Simon, “Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts”. It is indeed true that every generation has one true artist who paves the way for others. And it could be argued that Amy Winehouse was my generation’s hero.  

Since her untimely, tragic, and avoidable death, I have observed endless truckloads of aspiring singers – and cynical record labels – trying to fill the Amy void.  

I write this blog now as I recently discovered that Amy’s debut album, Frank, was released...wait for it...20 years ago! And yet, Amy’s bandwagon is still trucking.  

DIVAS OF A DIFFERENT KIND

Before Amy, the singer landscape was full of high-and-mighty divas, with silk dresses, steel lungs, and syrupy ballads. My childhood popstar ambitions were fuelled by the likes of Mariah Carey, Leanne Rimes, and Christina Aguilera.  

The early years of the 21st century were dominated by bouncy pop princesses (Katy Perry, Pink, Gwen Stefani) and smooth soul sisters (Joss Stone, Dido, Alicia Keys).

But Amy flipped the script. Her one-of-a-kind voice was humble and raw, yet complex and impressive. I remember mulling over every track on the Frank album in my late teenage years, enamoured by her rich conversational tone and her swift jazz-informed agility.  

Not to mention her unique and often bizarre lyrics, which were painfully personal and totally relatable. She rebranded the concept of the diva – from squeaky clean ice queen to salt of the Earth lass.  

The diva next door 

You will probably be more familiar with Amy’s second album, Back To Black, which was released three years later. This iconic record cemented the public appetite for divas with working-class roots, personal problems, and an inclination to tell everyone about it. 

It wasn’t long before the first Amy bandwagon arrived, carrying with it Adele, Lily Allen, and Paloma Faith, along with several quickly forgotten names (off the top of my head I can recall Kate Nash, Duffy, Gabriella Cilmi, Beth Rowley, Corinne Bailey Rae, Eliza Doolittle, and Pixie Lott).   

The British audience never did like a show-off, so we were quite content with pop stars who felt like one of us. Sopranos were out; altos were in. Inspirational anthems were out; gritty lyrics were in. Intricate adlibs were out, mockney accents were in.  

A gap in the market 

I’m gonna say what everyone’s been thinking all along: if Amy Winehouse was still alive, I do not believe that the aforementioned names would have been half as successful. Within months of Amy's passing, we saw the stratospheric rise of Adele (whose second album was released just a few months prior).  

The ‘Best British Female’ at the Brits in the consequent years was an undeniable Amy bandwagon: Adele (2012), Emile Sande (2013), Ellie Goulding (2014), and Paloma Faith (2015), followed again by Adele (2016), and Emile (2017). 

But these wins felt rather contrived. Like the British public was still mourning the loss of Amy, and we were grasping at any decent look-a-like to take her place.  

I even remember being struck by a huge billboard advert in London, promoting a new US-based artist touted literally as “The new Amy Winehouse”.  In fact, throughout Amy’s career and since after, the US has been determined to serve us a platter of Disney Princess versions of Amy (Bebe Rexha, Fergie and Kesha were a few notable nightmares).  

NEW FLAVOURS EMERGE, BUT THE BANDWAGON TRUCKS ON 

Thankfully, a new burst of female energy – and refreshing new artistic direction - came from across the pond. And in 2019 everyone and their Gran had heard the whispering angst of Billie Eilish. Mark by words, ladies and gentlemen, Billie has ignited the next big bandwagon.  

But Amy is far from forgotten. You can hear her twangy tone and mumbled diction in many of today’s sultry sirens. Including Jorja Smith (who cites Amy as a direct inspiration), as well as Joy Crookes and Raye (who are both inundated with Amy comparisons yet deny any direct influence). Whatever the case, all three ladies have achieved critically acclaimed careers. And I’m sure they have Amy to thank for that.

Of course, several other bandwagons exist too. Rihanna, Jessie J, Arianna Grande, and Lady Gaga have already left their mark on a whole new generation of voices. The question now is: which female singer will be leading the next big bandwagon? 

A final note on imitation 

Imitation is a great teacher. We all learn to talk by imitating, including accents and colloquialisms which phase in and out of our vocal blueprint. 

Every singer will inevitably soak up the sounds around them. Even Queen Beyonce herself has been caught imitating Rihanna and Cardi B in recent years.  

Imitating can be fun and respectful from time to time, but I do not believe that somebody else’s voice- or brand – should be your default setting.  

This is why I encourage people to listen to a vast array of musical genres – from Italian opera to Norwegian metal; from West Side hip hop to East Europe folk; from London grime to Cornish shanties. That way, your artistry will be informed by everything the world has to offer, and you will not be beholden to a narrow window of cultural exposure.   

As a vocal coach, I want to help you discover what YOU sound like and what YOUR artistry looks like. With any new student, I like to strip away all the layers of imitation to reveal your raw, naked voice. From there, we can slowly and consciously play with vocal effects and feel into what feels true and what feels contrived.   

Why be one OF millions when you could be one IN a million? Only you sound like you, and that is a true superpower.     

This blog was written by Freya Astrella, an expert vocal coach in East Sussex, UK.

Freya is a bonafide vocal technique expert and is one of the only teachers in the region to have gained Estill Voice certification. Freya holds a First Class BA(hons) in Professional Musicianship, a VocalTech Diploma, and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance. She is currently undertaking the Vocal Process teacher training course.

Freya has taught all ages and abilities at BIMM, Access To Music, The Academy of Music And Sound, TheatreTrain, Stagecoach, and The Rock Project. She currently coaches at Rhapsody Artist Development in Seaford. Furthermore, Freya was a lead writer for VoiceCouncil.com, which was the biggest online resource for singers.

Freya Astrella
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