Amy Winehouse finally gets US visa

Amy Winehouse has been issued a US visa, but it's too late for the singer to attend Sunday's Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, her representatives said today (February 8).

The singer's publicist issued a statement yesterday saying that the US Embassy had denied Winehouse a visa to enter the US for the event, although they did not cite the reason.

Today, a US State Department official told the Associated Press that Winehouse's original visa application was denied under US immigration rules regarding the "use and abuse of narcotics".

"Amy would like to thank all of those people, in particular the staff involved at the US Embassy in London, who have all worked so hard to expedite her application," the singer's publicity firm said in a statement.

"She is looking forward to being a part of the 50th Annual Grammy Awards with her Sunday night performance and to going back to the US soon."

Winehouse, who has been in a rehabilitation clinic to treat drug addiction for the past two weeks, is scheduled to perform on the Grammy Awards telecast via satellite from London.

She is nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for 'Rehab'.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
Find out more about NME.


The Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 are coming soon -- and it's time to have your say. Vote now by heading to NME.COM/awardsvote and you could win VIP tickets to the ceremony, which takes place in London on February 28.