At age 17 , Winehouse signed with Island Records , and later released her debut album , '' Frank '' , on 20 October 2003 . She dedicated the album to her ex-boyfriend , Chris Taylor , as she gradually lost interest in him . Produced mainly by Salaam Remi , many songs were influenced by jazz , and apart from two covers , every song was co-written by Winehouse . The album received positive reviews with compliments over the " cool , critical gaze " in its lyrics and brought comparisons of her voice to Sarah Vaughan , Macy Gray and others . The album reached number 13 on the UK Albums Chart at the time of its release , and was eventually certified triple Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry ( BPI ) . In 2004 , Winehouse was nominated for British Female Solo Artist and British Urban Act at the Brit Awards , while '' Frank '' made the shortlist for the Mercury Prize . That same year , the album 's first single , " Stronger Than Me " , earned Winehouse and Remi an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song . In a 2004 interview with '' The Observer '' , Winehouse expressed dissatisfaction with the album , stating that " some things on the album made her go to a little place that 's fucking bitter " . She further notes that the marketing was " fucked " , the promotion was " terrible " , and everything was " a shambles "
Brit Awards
2004 Brit Awards
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