It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 10 years since Amy Winehouse sadly passed away at just 27. Since her death, the singer’s life, struggles with addiction and powerful music have been memorialised by her peers through covers of her most iconic tracks, as well as moving portraits on film, like Asif Kapadia’s Oscar and Grammy-winning Amy. Now, Amy Winehouse: 10 Years On will add to that canon, marking a decade since her death and exploring who the star really was.
The one-off documentary, a collaboration between BBC 2 and BBC Music, will be a celebration of the singer’s legacy, and take a look behind the curtain at her stratospheric rise to fame. Much of that behind-the-scenes story will be told through the eyes of Amy’s mum, Janis Winehouse.
“I don’t feel the world knew the true Amy, the one I brought up,” Janis has revealed in a press release ahead of the one-off documentary. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to offer an understanding of her roots and a deeper insight into the real Amy.”
Her mother’s decision to speak out about Amy now (in the past, the singer’s dad, Mitch, has always been more comfortable speaking to the press) is poignant, considering that it’s motivated by her own personal health struggles. Janis suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, and says she wants to use the film to immortalise her personal memories of her daughter as her condition progresses.
While we don’t know exactly when the 60-minute documentary will be released, we can expect to see Amy Winehouse: 10 Years On at some point this year, along with a three-CD compilation of her live performances at the BBC released alongside the film.
The channel is also commissioning a number of special programmes to celebrate Amy’s legacy, including one film about her influence on younger female musicians, and a documentary introducing her to a new generation of listeners. Which means, hopefully, we could still be listening to Amy for 10 more years to come, and beyond.
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