Amy Winehouse (Image: Getty Images)Getty Images
Winehouse, who died aged 27 in July 2011 from alcohol poisoning, appeared in the interview as a young woman exhilarated by her creative achievements, fiercely protective of her private life and seemingly indifferent to the scale of her growing celebrity.
“When I was younger, yeah. The thought of dying without ever making my mark, that was my biggest fear,” she told Leve.
But after writing most of Back to Black herself, she felt she had already made that mark.
“Yeah, I’m really proud of myself,” she said. “I’ve just done an album that I’m really proud of. If I die tomorrow then cool, do you know what I mean?”
Back to Black, released in 2006, became an international phenomenon, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide and winning five Grammy Awards. Its blend of soul, jazz and heartbreak helped establish Winehouse as one of the most distinctive British singer-songwriters of her generation.
Yet the interview reveals that, despite her extraordinary success, she found happiness in surprisingly ordinary places.
“I’m happiest when I’m cleaning my house and cooking for my friends. I’m so lucky, I can’t even tell you. So lucky,” she said. “I dance around my house to music and clean.”
The interview also captures the intensity of her relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, whom she married in Miami in May 2007.
She described her husband as a gifted screenwriter with an extraordinary imagination, dismissing suggestions that her success might threaten him.
“He’s got a brilliant mind. A brilliant mind,” she said.
She insisted that she admired and respected him, and that she wanted him to succeed as much as she had. Asked whether she could imagine them remaining together for life, she was unequivocal.
“I know we’re going to die together,” she told Leve.
The couple’s relationship later deteriorated and they divorced in 2009, two years before Winehouse’s death.
She also spoke about the intrusive press coverage that followed her rise to fame, saying she rarely read stories about herself and did not feel particularly troubled by what was written.
“I sometimes get funny if I’m asked about Blake but that’s because he’s my baby and I want to protect him,” she said. “I feel like what we’ve got is sacred. Sacred.”
Amy Winehouse and her signature eyeliner (Photo: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)Getty Images
The interview also touches on her self-image and mental health. Winehouse described herself as having a depressive personality and spoke about her reluctance to seek professional help.
At one point, she described herself as “quite forgiving”, explaining that she tried to understand why people behaved badly rather than simply condemning them.
“If someone’s being a dickhead, I don’t think, you’re an idiot. I think, why are you being an idiot? What’s wrong with you?” she said.
The interview offers a deeper glimpse into the woman whose Jewish roots remained part of her identity.
Winehouse grew up in a Jewish family in Southgate, north London. Her father, Mitch Winehouse, later described her as “a very proud Jewish girl”, saying she took pride in her family and heritage. Her family’s East End connections formed part of a history that helped shape her sense of home and belonging.
Nearly 15 years after her death, her music continues to resonate with listeners across generations.
