Will Angelina Jordan be the ‘New Amy Winehouse’?

Who is Angelina Jordan, the singing sensation?

Angelina Jordan Astar is a true musical phenomenon of our time. Born on 19th January 2006 in Oslo, Norway, she displayed a passion for music when only one and a half years old, when she reacted to Whitney Houston performing “I Will Always Love you”. Whitney was her first major musical influence, and she later drew inspiration from the legendary Billie Holiday – who shaped her musical direction – Louis Armstrong and Dinah Washington. She initially taught herself to sing by watching YouTube videos.

So will Angelina Jordan be the new Amy Winehouse? Keep watching and let’s find out …

Angelina Jordan’s personal life and family

Angelina attended the Oslo Waldorf School, and later studied at the Oslo School of Music and the Performing Arts, where she learned to play the piano and had singing lessons. She also loves writing and drawing, and now also plays the violin, guitar and flute.

Her parents, Gerry Christian Slättman and Sara Astar, were supportive and cultivated her singing passion, together with her uncle Michael Astar, who became her manager; however, her mother insisted that she live a normal life and finish her schooling. Angelina has a sister who’s appeared at times on her videos, but her biggest cheerleader is her grandmother, Iranian artist Mery Zamani, who is a strong influence and a mentor in Angelina’s life.

Angelina Jordan’s memorable debut on “Norway’s Got Talent”

At the tender young age of seven, Angelina, barefoot and in a white dress, performed Billie Holiday’s 1941 jazz hit, “Gloomy Sunday” on “Norway’s Got Talent”. She stole the judges’ and audience’s hearts, and won the competition, being the youngest ever winner in Norway. The judges agreed Angelina’s performance was fantastic, got goosebumps and had tears in their eyes. Judge Lisa Tønne exclaimed, ‘You Are Music!’ with judge Mia Gundersen adding: ‘I think you are born to sing, and before us here and now people, we have a star!’

In the semi-final she sang Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” and in the final, George Gershwin’s evergreen “Summertime”. Before the final show she said, “I love singing, and tonight I will show you that” and true to her word, she swept up the first prize.

Angelina’s career unfolds and takes off at a speed

With the videos of her performances in “Norway’s Got Talent” going viral, Angelina made an instant name for herself, and the world got to know her as a young singer with an amazingly mature, sultry and powerful voice. Her first disc, “My Christmas” featuring three classic covers was released when she was eight years old.

Dear friends! I'm on the final episode of Lilyhammer tonight on NRK channel 21:15 CET! pic.twitter.com/FIvoRFpL3B

— Angelina Jordan (@angelinajordanA) December 17, 2014

In October 2014 Angelina surprised everyone by arriving at the red carpet premiere of the Netflix series, “Lilyhammer”, adding her voice in two episodes in Season 3. In 2016, Swedish DJ and music producer, the now late Avicii (Tim Bergling) chose Angelina as the vocalist behind his worldwide Volvo commercial campaign, a brilliant cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”. When Norah Jones performed in the Muse In City Festival in Seoul in South Korea, she invited 11-year old Angelina to join her on stage.

Angelina released “Angelina Jordan – The EP” in 2017, which contained six songs, including an original version of Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black.” She went on to produce the album “It’s Magic”,  her single “Shield” in 2018, and performed in an Oslo concert, a Quincy Jones concert in London and for Barack Obama in Stockholm, all whilst continuing her schooling.

At the age of 14, Angelina signed up with Republic Records. She wrote and released her debut song with them, “Million Miles” – a heartfelt cry born from the loss of her grandfather who passed away in March 2018. In her own words: ‘I felt like “Million Miles” could be a light in this darkness, to spread love and a voice to say you are never alone.’

Angelina competes in “America’s Got Talent”

In 2020 Angelina auditioned for the second season of “America’s Got Talent: The Champions”. Her performance of the tricky number, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” gained her a golden buzzer by judge Heidi Klum, securing her a spot in the season’s finale, and the video instantly went viral.

Later, Angelina performed Sara Bareilles’ “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, and although it was acclaimed by both audience and the judges, it didn’t land her among the top three contestants. However, her appearance on “AGT” helped open many doors for her, including returning to the US and performing with Lady Gaga. It was the perfect next step in setting up her career for success.

Not only a singer, but a writer too

When she was nine years old, Angelina became the youngest published author in Norway ever, with the children’s book “Mellom to Hjerter” (Between Two Hearts), in November 2015, illustrated by her grandmother, Mery Zamani.

“Mellom to Hjerter” is based on an incident Angelina experienced when she was six, when she met a poor, motherless girl in the Middle East who was sitting alone, wet and barefoot in the corner. The two girls spoke for a long time discussing their dreams in life. In an interview in 2015, Angelina says that she felt sorry for the girl who had lost hope so gave her her own ocean green-colored shoes that she loved and thereafter did miss, but felt good at being able to give her something to uplift her. The poor girl, called Princess in the book, pledged to pray for Angelina that her dream of becoming a successful singer come true, and Angelina promised her that she would always perform shoeless, which she has done.

With every performance Angelina says ‘I always see her in my heart,’ and Princess’ prayers must be paying off as Angelina has certainly achieved her dream to sing ‘for the whole world’. She says she loves to make people happy, has written a lot in her own right and hopes to publish more.

In a Scandinavian talk show in November 2018, Angelina professed that when she sings, she goes to another world full of happiness. She said that the only time she feels 12 years old is when she looks as her passport. This dynamic singer certainly has a maturity and talent about her that far outshines her actual age.

Reflections on and memories of Amy Winehouse

Born Amy Jade Winehouse on 14th September 1983 in Enfield, London, England to Jewish parents, Amy stole the world’s hearts during her short-lived and tumultuous life. Amy bought a guitar when she was 14, and began writing music soon after. In 2002, at the age of 19, she signed up to Simon Fuller’s management company, recorded some songs, then went on to sign a deal with EMI.

Amy became well-known for her soulful and expressive contralto vocals across a mix of musical genres, and her popularity and fame grew exponentially. However, her turbulent relationship with her husband, her lifestyle and the stress of constant touring may have culminated in Amy’s struggles with substance addiction, outbursts of violence, mental illness and excessive drinking. She often appeared inebriated on stage. She sadly died as a result of her ill health, from smoking crack cocaine which led to a form of emphysema, and alcohol poisoning on 23rd July 2011, aged 27.

Amy won many awards, and her second album “Back to Black” was rated the best-selling album in 2007 plus she ranked 26th on the UK’s 100 Greatest Women in Music. The media’s negative critiques also garnered her a load of publicity, not always favorable, as in 2009 she was nominated for the Villain of the Year award and won the Worst Dressed award.

The movies “Amy”, launched in 2016, and “Reclaiming Amy” in July 2021, remind one of her raw, unapologetic style. In Amy’s words “I ain’t no spice girl. I want to be remembered for just being me.”

Amy also donated to charities, and lives on through her musical legacy and artworks. A wax sculpture of her is exhibited at Madame Tussauds, and a statue of her graces The Stables Market in Camden Town, London. After her death, her family launched the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which  continues to assist young people struggling with drug and alcohol addictions.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, she was worth $4 million at the time of her death in 2011.

Another movie based on Amy’s life, “Back to Black” is due to be released on 12th April 2024.

 

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Angelina’s fame and fortune

In addition to the billions of views of her YouTube videos, Angelina’s videos have been viewed more than four billion times on Facebook, on which she has over 650,000 followers. On Instagram she has over 580,000 followers, her YouTube channel 880,000 and YouTube Cover Channel 485,000 subscribers.

In conclusion, Angelina started off her career and gained stardom at an extremely young and vulnerable age. She’s been lucky in that she’s had the protection and support of her family to hold her hand through her rise to the top. The young girl has grown into a beautiful young woman, who is confident, centred and has always been completely at home on the stage.

In an interview in March 2021, Angelina said that the hardest part was being told she was too young to share her music. She’s been called an old soul who can project emotions that are usually born of a lifetime’s experience. She added that she’s humbled and honored to be called a prodigy, which makes her feel like she has a responsibility to create more art. She has an absolute passion to connect people through musi,c and this keeps her going.

Angelina currently lives in California, and is often involved in social causes and performing for charity events such as the Rainforest Alliance and Ein Herz für Kinder in Berlin where she helped raise over 21 Million Euros.

Currently, at 18 years old, Angelina’s already a shining star and continues to sparkle on the world stage. Her net worth is estimated at an impressive $3 million.

Will Angelina Jordan be the next Amy Winehouse?

Angelina often sports a beehive hairstyle, and her singing voice and style often reminds one of the legendary Amy Winehouse. Whilst their voices and musical genre choices are similar, Amy’s songs had a wistful tone, maybe at times drawing her emotional and mental state from the depths of her pain. Angelina too sings and writes her songs with a deep passion that strikes a chord, but her intention being to bring joy. She became a star as a child and has always been very focused on her dreams, so hopefully the stresses of fame and glory never get to her, and she remains true to her path and her calling.

Angelina recently performed for star film director Steven Spielberg, and in February 2023 performed the 2022 FIFA anthem entitled “We Are the Best” with record producer Red One at the FIFA Football Awards. Her next scoop is a concert scheduled for 29th February 2024 in Las Vegas.

Angelina’s dream is to fill a huge arena with needy children, and collaborate with many artists to produce a benefit concert for them. She declares: ‘I want people to feel my music in their soul’, and that’s what makes her who she is and what she’s becoming ….