The Amy Winehouse Comparison Trap
‘Some people say I remind them of Amy’, sings RAYE on her sophomore album, This Music May Contain Hope. ‘Some spit through their keyboards, I’ll never amount'.
Amy Winehouse’s passing was truly tragic, and, as one of my all-time favourite singers, I mourn the loss of her virtually every single day. With her raw, honest songwriting, uncompromising sense of style, and vintage sensibilities, Amy was unapologetically herself, and refused to bend to the will of the music industry. Despite her early death, Amy has left behind a truly phenomenal legacy, one that continues to inspire many other artists to this day.
However, in spite of her great legacy, with it have come some impossible ballet slippers to fill (ballet slippers that perhaps shouldn’t try to be filled in the first place). As much as it pains me to say it, there will never be another Amy Winehouse. And yet, as her iconic album Back to Black now celebrates its 20th anniversary, we’re still desperate to cling onto whatever (and whoever) is left of her. Enter: the Amy Winehouse comparison trap.
First it began with Adele. Like Winehouse, Adele also hails from London, went to BRIT School, and also shared Amy’s affinity for reviving British soul and blues. She’s even cited Winehouse as a main source of inspiration in her early career, saying that ‘because of her, I picked up a guitar, and because of her, I write my own songs’ (Rolling Stone). So, when she released her debut album, 19, it was understandable that she would face a couple of comparisons here and there, most of which were purely complimentary, though some critics went as far as to dub her the ‘new Amy Winehouse’ (The Guardian).
However, in the present day, to be compared to Amy Winehouse can be as damaging as it is honourable, something which RAYE addresses in her song, ‘I Will Overcome.’ Being a Londoner, alumna of BRIT School and lover of soul and jazz, RAYE was always likely to be compared to the late Winehouse, only this time, these comparisons have taken the form of online abuse, with trolls stating that she will never live up to Amy's legacy.
To an incredibly small extent (one that does not condone trolling), I agree with them, because as similar as RAYE is to Winehouse, there are also a lot of differences, and the same can be said for Adele. All three of these female artists do share similarities (stunning vocals, to name but one), but they’re also all individual singers with their own unique styles: Amy always gravitated more towards jazz and soul, whilst Adele falls into the realms of piano-heavy pop, and RAYE is mostly inclined towards contemporary R&B.
To use Amy’s legacy to tear down other artists is a step taken too far, and, as RAYE has spoken about in interviews, the hurtful comments she receives are ‘a microcosm of what Amy went through’ (Billboard). We shouldn’t keep reducing emerging artists like RAYE to extensions of those that came before them. Ultimately, we are always going to encounter new talents that take inspiration from the greats, but we should always remember to take these rising stars seriously too, and recognise them as artists in their own right.
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