Q: Hi Amanda! I’m loving your new single, “Amazing”! It reminds me of early 2000s alt pop/rock that I loved growing up. Can you walk me through the creative process of making this track?
AMANDA BROWN: Hi! First of all, you have just made my entire year with that reference. I went into the studio with Kenny Carkeet (who produced this song), and Jordan Hannah Cantor (who I co-wrote this song with) and we talked for a while. We talked about where I was in life and what I was feeling at the time. We talked about how it felt to be living in LA. This song was one of the last songs written for my EP ‘From Here’, so I had a fairly good idea of what the EP was about. Once we knew what we wanted to say in this particular song, then we started hearing melodies. Initially, Kenny was accompanying us on the piano but he moved over to the guitar and I think that’s when the song began to come to life. I grew up in a fairly sheltered Christian home so I didn’t discover bands like The Foo Fighters and Radiohead (whom I love), until later in life. I think that’s also why this project is giving a little 2000’s alt pop/rock energy and I’m here for it. I love that you picked up on that!
Q: “Amazing” feels like a power anthem, about you going through something and now you feel amazing. Curious, did any real life events occur in your life that inspired “Amazing”?
AMANDA: This song was inspired by my departure from NYC and the end of a long-term relationship. I was born and raised in NYC and never lived anywhere else before moving to Los Angeles. I was also quite unhappy in my relationship at the time. I felt stuck and knew that I would continue to feel that way unless I changed some things in my life. When I left the relationship and moved to LA, I had a number of things I wanted to accomplish. When we wrote ‘Amazing’, I began to see those things manifest. I was feeling good and happy that I took a chance on myself and ‘amazing’ was the word we felt captured that feeling.
Q: I’m always fascinated by musicians’ journey to where they are now. Do you remember at what age you decided to delve into the music world? Were you always musical growing up?
AMANDA: Both of my parents are musical and were quite involved, at various points, in the music ministry in our church. My mom sings and plays the piano and my dad plays the trumpet, guitar and bass, so music was definitely a big part of my upbringing. I was always involved in all of the music programming in our church from the age of five but it wasn’t until I attended LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts in NYC that I began to explore the possibility of pursuing a career in music (around age fourteen/fifteen).
Q: If you could collaborate with any musician, who would it be and why?
AMANDA: Jonny Greenwood is the first person that comes to mind. I basically want to be in Radiohead for a day…or forever! I’m obsessed! LOL. Dave Grohl is another. Pharrell. Sheryl Crow. Rick Rubin. Lenny Kravitz. Basically, I want to travel back to the 90’s/early 2000’s and collaborate with all of the prominent alt-pop and rock performers and producers of that period.
Q: What did your time on The Voice teach you about the music industry?
AMANDA: I learned on The Voice that no one dictates what you can and can’t do unless you allow it and that I have to be true to myself and what I feel is right for me regardless of the opinions of others. I also learned that television and the music industry are two different beasts and neither of them is easy to navigate so being grounded in oneself and one’s self worth is essential to survival.
Q: Lovely speaking with you today! What exciting projects are coming up for you in the upcoming year?
AMANDA: It was lovely speaking with you as well. I look forward to releasing some more music videos in addition to a few Spanish versions of songs from my EP, ‘From Here’. I’m really excited about that as it will be my first time releasing recordings of me singing in Spanish!
Interviewed by Melissa Cusano
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