Gran tells Amy to shut up

She is as well known for her blistering criticism of rivals as she is for her music.

But now Amy Winehouse, who famously dismissed Madonna an "old lady", has pledged to stop lambasting fellow singers - because it upsets her grandmother.

The jazz artist has been reprimanded by her grandparents, who objected to her public denouncement of stars including Dido, Britney Spears, Chris Martin and Katie Melua.

Winehouse, 20, said: "My grandparents have given me enough shit about talking about people so I'm going to keep my mouth shut.

"My Gran was like: 'You can't talk about Dido, you can't talk about Madonna'. There's a massive list."

Despite being a relative newcomer after releasing her debut album Frank last year, Winehouse has never shied away from expressing her opinion of contemporaries.

She said Dido, whose album Life For Rent has sold more than 22 million copies, made her "want to vomit" while Spears was "a joke." But she saved her most stinging attack for Madonna, declaring: "Now she's an old lady. She can't shock people anymore."

Nevertheless, Winehouse says she is "a nice girl" who has strong opinions on music. "I am not here to make friends," she said. "I'm a nice girl, please don't get me wrong. But musically, that's the only thing I take really seriously."

Her explicit lyrics betray a conventional Jewish upbringing in Southgate where she attended a private school.