The 23 year-old Brit Award winner’s recent public appearances have earned her tabloid ignominy and, thanks to a combination of public concern and morbid fascination, enough online attention for a place in Hotlist’s Bubbling Under chart.

Citing exhaustion, the Back to Black star recently cancelled a fortnight of gigs – enough to make even Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty look like a paragon of reliability – only to be snapped drinking at her Camden local. She returned to the stage at a high profile gig at Cornwall’s Eden Project but her performance was memorable only for more bizarre behaviour. After forgetting the words to several songs, she proceeded to slap herself in the face, beat her head with her mic and spit at the audience.

Amy’s addled actions date back over several months and include heckling U2 frontman Bono after picking up a gong at the 2006 Q Awards and a famous drunken TV appearance on The Charlotte Church Show. Her relationship with hubby Blake Fielder-Civil was also examined at length by newspapers and gossip mags as the couple reconciled after a 12-month separation and got hitched in Miami back in May.

But it just the bad news that's allowed Amy to climb the Hotlist. She was named as one of the 12 nominations for the Mercury Music Prize. Despite facing stiff competition from the likes of The View, Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons and Dizzee Rascal, Back to Black was immediately installed as the bookies’ favourite for the prestigious award.