Sex, Drugs And A Lot Of Soul - Amy Winehouse

She also sympathises with the comments that Lily Allen made on her blog about the ‘patronising’ NME feature, The Cool List, and the unexpected cover change make way for a male fronted act seemingly to sell more copies of the magazine, Muse. “The thing about Lily is she’s like me, she just says it! And she’s not wrong! She’s right on the money that girl. I think that in Lily’s position, she’s just released her first album and she’s like, ‘Right! Now I’ve got a voice I can say anything.’ Because I was like that when I released my first album and I was worse than her! I reckon when she does her next album she just won’t bother with stuff like that, she won’t care so much.  And in support of Lilly, I think they just put Muse on the cover because they tour 300 days a year, they’ve probably got 10 albums out or something, and nobody knows what the fuckers look like!”

For a singer and songwriter who lays her relationships bare on her records, she naturally goes on to openly talk about her current relationship. Explaining that the reason she was “depressed” during the interview mentioned in the article, was because her boyfriend had found out that she’d cheated on him. “I cheated on him like a month ago when we first got together, which I didn’t think really counts, which is subject to speculation…”

Back to the nitty gritty then, and she tells us that she’s much happier with her new record ‘Back To Black’, after being quoted as saying that she couldn’t listen to Frank because she was so unhappy with it. “I smoked a lot of weed then which makes you a) paranoid and b) defensive, and this time, I go to the gym, I don’t smoke anymore, and I know them all. I trust them.”

“With Frank I was like, ‘Shit! Why didn’t I put that in?’ and, ‘Shit! Why did I let them put that in? But it’s a learning curve, and the thing is, the album isn’t a complete disaster but it was a learning curve. You always want to make what’s in your head on CD, I think I’ve done it 150% on this one, I’ve surpassed myself.  And people like Mark (Ronson) and Salaam (Remi) really pulled it out for me. I am so lucky I get to meet people like them.” She enthuses: “Mark is great. I’m like his little brother and he’s my big sister! He’s a very influential boy. He’s like me, he’s a geek, a real music geek and nerdy with it, so we’re always trying to impress each other.”

Her new album takes a tip from ‘Frank’, but her vitriolic take on relationships has softened somewhat. Still essentially a break up album this record takes a more introspective turn, especially on tracks like ‘Love Is A Losing Game’ where the specifics are left out and an overarching melancholy pervades. Her albums back to back seem to suggest she has been through a series of tumultuous relationships, and she admits this to a certain extent.

“Yeah, I have the sensitivity and the romance and the, fuckin’, throw myself into a situation thing that a woman has. But I also have the ‘fuck yourself I don’t care’ thing of a man. So I will throw myself into someone but the minute they fuck me up I’ll be like, ‘It was nice, thank you for letting me know what a shit you are, bye!’ And I don’t regret throwing myself into any situation because if you don’t do that you’ll never know.”

“I’m not even that sexual, I’m like a boy. You know, if a boy goes out all night the girlfriend is like “Where have you been?!” and he’s just like “Shut up I’ve been drinking and playing pool.” I’m like that; all I wanna do is have a good time, have a laugh with people. I don’t need intimacy, I don’t need love, I always look after myself perpetually and forever so… ah huh… (with a coy smile which suggests this statement isn’t entirely true) my boy just text me…”

Shortly before she is rushed off to do a phone interview with a magazine from Brazil, Gigwise asks her what she thinks about ‘Rehab’ being covered in Jo Wiley’s Live Lounge by Paulo Nutini. “I heard about that! That’s so nice! And I can’t even think of his voice now, which is really insulting, but yeah! Is he fit? No I think I’ve seen a picture of him and he is fit… hmmmm…”