Amy Duffy got her first taste of fame when, in 1984, she and her sister became the first set of twins born in the tiny Welsh town of Nefyn in nearly 100 years. Twenty-three years later her fame began spreading throughout the U.K. thanks to "Rockferry," the lead single and title track from her debut album, and a soulful-beyond-her-years voice and throwback style that has drawn repeated comparisons to Dusty Springfield, as well as Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and even Amy Winehouse.
Situated on Wales' picturesque northwest coast, Nefyn was isolated to the point that Duffy had two options for learning about music: her parents' collection of classic pop and R&B albums, and her father's old videotape of 1960s TV show "Ready Steady Go!." "I thought it was the sexiest, most exciting thing ever," Duffy told the London Times, "and I played it again and again until finally it disintegrated."
In 2003, Duffy took second place in the Welsh TV show "Wawffactor" (think "American Idol"), and a year later she recorded a demo that caught the attention of Rough Trade Records co-owner Jeanette Lee; Lee became Duffy's manager and introduced her to former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, who wound up writing several songs with the young singer.
Duffy spent much of the next three years making Rockferry, and in early 2008 she was voted #2 in Britain's Sound Of 2008 poll, in which dozens of industry experts pick the acts they expect to come up biggest in the coming year.
Provenance: Nefyn, Wales
Latest release: Rockferry (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Duffy
