With this week marking the seventh anniversary of Amy Winehouse‘s untimely death, publishers Taschen are gearing up to release a new book featuring photos of the icon’s most intimate off-stage moments.
Shot and compiled by Blake Wood, a longtime friend and photographer for the singer, who met her in 2007 following the explosive success of ‘Back To Black’, the book features 85 full-colour photographs spanning their close relationship. Shots range from creative moments in her Camden, to more personal times on holiday in Paris and St Lucia, crafting an intimate portrait of a singular artist.
Below, NME has an exclusive preview of some images from the book – check those out below and pre-order the book here ahead of its August release.
‘Amy Winehouse, Blake Wood’ cover
The book spans an intense and intimate relationship between Whitehouse and Wood, during one of the most turbulent times of her career.
Amy Winehouse, Plantation Beach, Saint Lucia 2009
Taking in holidays and private moments, it paints a complex picture of one of modern music’s most enduring icons.
Horseback riding toward Plantation Beach as the clouds roll by. Epouge Bay, Saint Lucia 2009
From personal family holidays to writing retreats and more, the book allows a more human insight into a time when Amy’s public image was mainly otherwise predicated by tabloid hysteria.
Karl Lagerfeld invited Amy to perform at the opening of the Ave nue Montaigne Fendi store during Paris Fashion Week. Paris, 2008
The book also follows her to Paris, documenting the worldwide, almost overnight explosion of Amy’s career.
Amy fixing her lips in a kitschy pub bathroom mirror. George Tavern, East London 2008
Of course, her time in London is key to Amy’s story, and the book follows her from East London to Camden and back again, as she attempts to keep her feet on home ground amidst an increasingly whirlwind career.
The glass-roofed corner of the living room became the perfect place for Amy’s drum set and music gear. The physicality of playing drums was a release during those days regularly spent indoors. Prowse Place, Camden, London 2008
This behind-the-scenes shot of Amy hard at work in the studio is proof that, no matter how much her lifestyle veered towards celebrities and socialites, it was always music (and her beloved Camden) that kept her grounded.
Cariblue Beach, Saint Lucia 2009
Wood has unprecedented access to Winehouse during this period, as both a friend and trusted photographer.
Cariblue Beach, Saint Lucia 2009
As such, ‘Amy Winehouse, Blake Wood’ is a document of a star like no other, executed in a close-to-home fashion most other biographies of the star have failed to achieve.
Plantation Beach, Saint Lucia 2009
It’s proof, were it needed, of Amy Winehouse’s lasting legacy, and the magic that still buoys her every move in an all-too-short career.
