London-based producer Gil Cang has shared an unreleased demo from the late Amy Winehouse titled “On My Way.” The demo, co-written by Cang with the help from James McMillan, was recorded when Winehouse was 17 to attract the attention of the record labels. She would then later be signed to Simon Fuller’s 19 Management a year later.
“It was at a particularly dire time in the pop world – lots of terrible, terrible girl bands and boy bands and we had to make something for them,” Cang said in an interview with Camden New Journal. “Amy came in to see us, opened her mouth and just blew us all away.”
After Winehouse’s death in 2011, the vast majority of her unfinished demos were destroyed by her label to prevent the creation of posthumous albums. Universal had released Lioness: Hidden Treasures, a posthumous album featuring B-sides and covers, it was not received as well one would think. David Joesph, Universal UK CEO had the remainder of Winehouse’s unfinished demos destroyed. Though, despite this, Cang went on Youtube and posted the unreleased demo.
“It was a moral thing,” he said. “Taking a stem or a vocal is not something that would ever happen on my watch. It now can’t happen on anyone else’s.” However, after rediscovering this early demo in his studio, Cang thought it best to put it out for the general public, despite her former label’s wishes. “I found it again last week and thought – I’ll put it out there so people could hear it.”
Years of not hearing Winehouse’s Winehouse’s raspy, soulful voice makes the rare track such a treat. Even if the song is from the beginning of her career, it still sends chills down one’s spine.
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