My favourite album is Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.
It was the first album I knew all the words to back to back, and I was probably only 9 or 10. My dad listened to a lot of really cool current music when I was growing up, so we had Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters all on CD. Back to Black was played on car journeys, at home, when I got my first iPod (a purple iPod Nano) it was one of the first albums I put on there.
Her lyrical honesty and confidence, how she wasn’t ashamed to tell her story exactly how it was without giving a shit about being judged, was so inspiring for me. She was a badass, outspoken woman. She had such a tortured life, she was vilified by the British media way more than any male singer at the time, her personal life scrutinised and her struggles with addiction mocked.
You can tell music was her safe space from all the bullshit, and listening to this album instantly makes me feel safe, like I’m in a little cocoon.
Girli’s Matriarchy album will be released in May.