18 December 2014
Newsdesk
Mark Ronson will think about Amy Winehouse for the rest of his life.
The two music stars were close friends and collaborated on hit song Valerie in 2007.
Amy tragically passed away in 2011 at the age of 27, from alcohol intoxication, but is always in Mark's thoughts.
The 39-year-old producer is gearing up for the release of his fourth studio album Uptown Special and thinks Amy would give it a mixed reaction.
"I’m going to think about her for the rest of my life," Mark mused to British newspaper Daily Star. "There are things on this record I think she’d like, and others she’d f**king hate."
"Most people would judge her Back to Black [album] as my strongest and most impactful work. It’s important to start each record with the same motivation and expectation to make the best record you can."
Uptown Special has already produced hit song Uptown Funk, which features Bruno Mars.
Hot new singer Keyone Starr is also on the album, with Mark praising her flawless vocals.
"I’m so drawn to singers with rasp and something broken in their voice, where you really hear the rawness. We wanted a young Chaka Khan...
"She just looked so bad-ass. I remember thinking: ‘It would be awesome if this one could sing really great.' She just opened her mouth and she had it instantly," he smiled.
Music legend Stevie Wonder also makes an appearance on the record playing harmonica, which is the pinnacle of Mark's career to date.
However production didn't run smoothly; especially on Uptown Funk, as it was used on the UK X Factor so had to be rush-released.
"We took seven months to make it. We were under pressure. The stress of finishing this song. I fainted in a restaurant and threw up three times," Mark revealed.
