There’s one huge story obviously dominating news of the Grammy Awards 2009 - Chris Brown being arrested for allegedly assaulting Rihanna. But that’s been covered to the nth degree in various different places, and the full details have yet to emerge.

So, as is my remit here at Brit Music Scene, I’d like instead to focus on the good that came out of this year’s ceremony. Several British artists went home with awards on the night, and they deserve the plaudits they are receiving.

Last year’s Grammy Awards were all about one British artist in particular, with Amy Winehouse winning five honors. She also performed live via satellite without screwing up, leading many of us to believe she was on the road to recovery. But that wasn’t to be.

The Grammy Awards 2009 saw the range of British artists winning much more diverse, and that’s a great indicator of the healthy state of British music at this point in time.

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We all know Amy Winehouse hasn’t exactly been healthy for the last couple of years, with the continued drink and drugs abuse really taking a toll on her body. But there are new fears over the state of her health after her latest public appearance where she looked almost on the verge of death.

Winehouse’s year started off surprisingly well, with her winning five Grammy Awards stateside. This made her the most successful artist at the annual backslapping event, and although she couldn’t attend in person, she performed via satellite without messing up one little bit. She actually looked quite healthy and there was optimism surrounding her addiction problems.

But it’s been downhill since then. Her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, has been jailed, although he’s expected to be released in to his mum’s care soon. And Winehouse has also been hospitalised twice, the second time being when she was diagnosed with emphysema.

And then there are the numerous incidents of fighting in the street with paparazzi, reporters, and innocent bystanders. While all of this has been going on in her (supposedly) private life, her professional career has bombed, with the James Bond theme slipping away, and her new album nowhere near being finished.

Phew. And that’s only the half of it.

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Amy Winehouse took part in her first gig since coming out of rehab, apart from the live performances for the Grammy Awards, and the Brit Awards, over the weekend at the Rock In Rio festival in Portugal over the weekend. It didn’t go too well, but Winehouse has defended her appearance and denied the rumours that she fired her band which have since appeared in the tabloid press.

Her gig at the festival started badly, with her keeping the estimated 90,000 fans waiting for almost an hour before finally lumbering on stage. After the crowd started to express their displeasure by booing, she appeared and blamed a sore throat for the delay.

Even when she did finally get around to singing, she disappointed many expectant fans there with a poor performance. Her voice is said to have cracked repeatedly, and she kept stopping the show to talk to her band. She then cut short her show, and didn’t return for the obligatory (except for The Futureheads) encore.

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Amy Winehouse is currently writing her new album with friend and producer Mark Ronson. The songs will make up the bulk of her as yet untitled third LP release. And if you thought Back To Black was introspective and depressing, it seems you haven’t seen (or rather heard) anything yet.

The Sun is reporting that Winehouse has played some of the new tracks to her friends, and as impressive as they were, it also left them fearing for her mental state.

Since contracting a skin disease, thought to be Impetigo, and being photographed with ugly scabs on her face, Winehouse is thought to have become depressed, and even a recluse, so the negative lyrics on the new songs are hardly surprising.

However, to hear that some of the lyrics are so black that a friend described it as “suicidal music” is still quite shocking.

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It looks as though Amy Winehouse could be getting back to her worst, and back drinking and taking copious amounts of drugs, at least if you believe what her friends have reportedly told the newspapers.

It’s a mere eleven days since Winehouse left her enforced spell in rehab to perform via satellite at the Grammy Awards, where she won five accolades, and was the most successful artist on the night.

Since then, things looked to be going well, with a triumphant performance at the Brit Awards, where she not only performed her own set, but also duetted (if that’s the right word) with Mark Ronson on their joint cover of The Zutons Valerie.

The past few days have even seen talk of a fashion range being launched by Amy, including clothes and make-up which the singer has become known for wearing.

Unfortunately, it seems there is also a down side to all of this, and it looks as though Amy is getting back to her substance abusing worst.

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Is life about to turn around for Amy Winehouse? First, she enters rehab and successfully gets through the difficult cold turkey portion of her treatment, and now she has become the most successful artist at this year’s Grammys, walking away with five awards.

Winehouse couldn’t attend the ceremony in Los Angeles due to difficulties in obtaining a Visa, so instead she performed via satellite in a London studio to her parents, and a small audience of fans.

Amy was at the Riverside studios, where she sang Rehab and You Know I’m No Good towards the end of the American awards ceremony, meaning it was nearer 4am here in the UK.

Even via satellite, Winehouse received a standing ovation from the LA crowd, to which she said:

“Thank you very much, it’s an honour to be here. Thank you very, very much.”

Any was then announced as having won Record of the Year for the glorious Rehab, which also won the 24 year old Song of the Year and Female Pop Vocal Performance.

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