Adele: ‘I Owe 90% of My Career’ to Amy Winehouse
Adele took a moment during her concert in Boston Wednesday to honor Amy Winehouse, a formative influence during her teen years. “I feel like owe so much of my career to her,” Adele noted. September 14th would have been Winehouse’s 33rd birthday (via MTV).
The singer remembered being captivated by Winehouse’s debut album when it came out in 2003. “I know that America really caught on to her with Back to Black, but her first album, Frank … really changed my life,” Adele explained. “I went to music school when I was 14, and when I was like 15 and a half, Frank came out. I used to see her on TV or in magazine shoots with a pink electric guitar, and I used to think she was the coolest motherfucker on the face of the Earth.”
Winehouse’s example encouraged Adele to grab an instrument and start composing her own music. “Because of her, I picked up a guitar, and because of her, I write my own songs,” Adele said. “The songs that I got signed with are the songs I wrote completely on my own. If it wasn’t for her, that wouldn’t have happened. I owe 90 percent of my career to her.”
Happy Birthday Amy X pic.twitter.com/m5yp8NY1eU
— Adele (@Adele) September 14, 2016
“I’m obviously completely happy with all the music that she left behind, because it’s all genius,” Adele continued. “But every day I wish I could hear a new song from her.” She then dedicated a rendition of Bob Dylan‘s “Make You Feel My Love” to Winehouse. “We love you,” Adele added. “We always will.”