More diva than demon: celebrating Amy Winehouse

Eclectic British Jewish singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse died tragically at 27, but her deeply soulful voice and raw emotional lyrics have left an indelible mark on the music world. Kerry Hiles will be Amy in Amy Winehouse – the Diva and her Demons at Sandton Theatre on the Square in January. The SA Jewish Report caught up with her before the show befgins. 

What’s it like playing Amy Winehouse, one of the most talented but tragic figures in the music and Jewish world? 

Amy was an amazing natural talent, and one of my biggest challenges is paying homage to her incredible vocal ability. I have had to rethink the way I hear pop music. Her song-writing wasn’t the most complicated, but her ability to grab vocal notes from the ether and marry influences in one phrase is inspirational. She was jazz, soul, pop, blues, all in one. In this show, we are focusing on her music, not her drama, so the difficulty lies in being as respectful to that talent as I can with my particular skill set. 

How would you describe Amy? 

Amy was rebellious, energetic, and ambitious. She was nonchalant about her health, and she was insecure, not about her talent, but about the rest of her life. She craved love, even if it was detrimental to her. I feel that if she had managed to survive another 10 years, she may have been able to find the peace and comfort in her own skin that she was so desperately seeking. 

How did you get into her skin/mind to play this role? 

I watched hours and hours of documentaries, especially of her as a younger performer, around the time of her first album, Frank. She was so bright, vivid, and clear, and had a slight naivety about her. Quite different from the haggard lass who clogged the tabloids a few years later. I try hard to convey her essence in the beginning. There was an undeniable magic about her, and that’s what I want the audience to grasp. 

When did you first come across Amy and/or her music, and what impact did it have on you? 

It was the early 2000s, and I was performing with an all-girl corporate band called She. I heard Rehab over the DJ sound system, and we couldn’t work out if this deliciously soulful voice belonged to a male or female. It was infectious from the start. I confess that I didn’t get into any of her music barring the radio hits until I started working on this project. 

What do you think Amy’s downfall was, and could it possibly have been prevented? 

Amy suffered from bulimia and alcoholism from an early age. This would always have been her downfall no matter what unless it was addressed. On top of that, she had an addictive personality and did everything to 200%, including substance abuse, self-harm, and involvement with unsavoury characters. I do believe her “addiction” to her husband, Blake, was one of the major factors in her downfall, and that if she had managed somehow to dodge that particular bullet, she may still be creating music. 

Some people have described Amy as a tortured soul for whom there was only one end, others say her addiction killed her. What are your thoughts? 

Yes, absolutely, she was a tortured soul, and it was always going to be difficult for her to maintain balance between normal life and her incredible drive. Her substance abuse didn’t help her situation, but I think under it all was a rebellious little girl who needed to feel accepted. There may have been a way to save her if she was one to accept help, but she never did. 

Amy’s popularity has multiplied since her death. Why? 

The tragedy of her demise at such a young age, when it seemed she was getting on top of all the drama and just as her star was rising is what drives her popularity. Also, as her audience ages and learns to appreciate her music more for its musicality and less for its pop-chart factor, the tragedy hits home. We appreciate the music in a different way now: a little more life and heartache under the belt makes the poetry that much sweeter on the ears. 

How has she influenced some of today’s greats like Adele, Lady Gaga, and Sam Smith, if at all? 

Adele and Lady Gaga have credited Amy Winehouse with forging paths that made it easier for them to rise to their respective heights, either by training audiences to accept unladylike ladies, or strong cartoonish characters, or controversial behaviour, or saucier lyrics. She cut through the cute and the polish of her predecessors, and made space for raw, gutsy women to step into the spotlight again. 

If you could have met Amy, what would you have said? 

If I was 20, I would have said very different things to her than the 30-year old me would say now. It probably would have been fluffy and light, but if I met her now, having observed mental-health issues, stress disorders, and general life, I might try to be kind and assure her that she was loved for who and what she was, for her music. That she had nothing urgent to prove as she had already achieved more than anyone could have dreamed of, and now she could live for herself, her song-writing, and creating a family – which was a desire of hers. 

What can we expect from your show? 

I hope audiences walk away with a new appreciation – dare I say, respect – for Amy Winehouse and her talent. We have taken her music and rearranged it for our live-trio format with a nod to her more acoustic performances. The show is more about her music and impact and less about her demise and drama. It’s a cautionary tale, and one I hope will inspire us to choose our company and habits wisely. 

• “Amy Winehouse – the Diva and her Demons” will be on at Sandton Theatre on the Square from 15 to 25 January.