14 DAY TRIAL // A visibly healthier and more put together Amy Winehouse surprised music lovers gathered for the first day of UK’s V Festival in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, one of the two venues of the festival. The troubled singer took the stage with The Specials to perform a medley of their most popular songs, which also happen to be Amy’s favorites, the BBC notes.
Winehouse’s surprise appearance was in stark contrast with that of last year, when she took the stage later than scheduled, disheveled and seemingly under the influence, forgot the lyrics and was booed by the crowd. This year, the “Back to Black” songstress was well in control of herself and in brighter spirits than she had been seen in many months. Even better, no one knew that she would perform and that was also a very pleasant surprise, reports in the British media say.
“The singer, who recently returned from several months in St Lucia, joined The Specials for a medley of their tracks ‘You’re Wondering Now’ and ‘Ghost Town.’ The crowd cheered as the singer came on stage, introduced by the band as ‘our good friend Amy.’” BBC says of the special appearance. “Alright?” Amy asked as she bounced on the stage, ready to do her part. “What a day, eh? Sun’s out, Specials are here. Count yourself lucky.” she added, before she unleashed those powerful vocals that had made her a multi-awarded and appreciated international artist.
As per Winehouse’s publicist, doing the medley with The Specials was a request that she specifically made before their gig, as her long stay in St Lucia made her miss out on their tour. “While living in St Lucia, Amy missed the band’s reunion tour and decided to head to V to catch her favorite artists. Meeting them backstage, they invited her to guest for them and made her dream come true.” the publicist tells BBC.
Fans must already know that this is Amy’s first “good” performance in many months. Earlier this year, in May, while she was still living in St Lucia trying to kick her drug habit, she agreed to perform at the St Lucia Jazz Festival, but broke down in tears when she couldn’t remember her words and was consequently booed off stage. Weeks later, she canceled a special concert for the 50th anniversary of Island Records, her music label.
See Amy Winehouse perform with The Specials at V Festival below.