I think Amy definitely took lot of blows that we don’t have to take nowadays - because she took them all. So that’s why it was my number one - because not only is it just a masterpiece in itself, because she changed everything for young women in this industry. An album like Back to Black opened so many doors for all young women after her to be able to say what they wanted to - unapologetically. But when you talk about it so openly, I think that’s where you find your real strength and that’s where it becomes beautiful. The things that she’s saying are not pretty things. She just went there and sat in the discomfort, invited her pain in and sat with it. She was exclusively herself at all times. She is one of the most honest songwriters I’ve ever listened to in my life. That was something that I loved about her, that I’m still trying to do. She was just up there with her guitar and she never sang the same way twice. I remember watching her acoustic performances before she became, you know, Amy Winehouse. Amy Winehouse is one of the reasons that I wanted to become a musician in the first place. I had that feeling all throughout high school - that sense of solitude, and feeling discomfort in that. There was a period of time in school where I didn’t have a lot of friends and I was sort of just a recluse. Even though she was a lot older than me, I still identified with it and loved her. I identified with the loneliness and the certain types of vulnerabilities and fears and pain that she was experiencing. I was probably too young to even be listening to that music because she swore a lot and the subject matter was super heavy, but for some reason I still identified with it. I remember I downloaded all of the songs on this little hot pink iPod Nano and I listened to it on the bus ride to and from school almost every day. When the record came out, it was everything to me. I fell in love with the song, with her voice, with her. I remember seeing the music video for “Rehab” on MTV when I was nine or 10 years old and I fell in love with it. (Go here to read the complete list of 500 Greatest Albums voters and learn more about how the current ranking was assembled.) Here, Cara reflects on how the album comforted and inspired her during a formative time. Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black topped Alessia Cara’s personal ballot and landed at number 3 3 on the overall list. This piece is part of our ongoing coverage of Rolling Stone’s newly updated 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
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