Amber DeLaRosa
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- Find me on YouTube
- Awards and Nominations
- SAMMIES 2020 Winner★ Artist of the Year ★
- SAMMIES 2020 Winner★ New Artist ★1st Place
- SAMMIES 2020 Nominee★ Artist of the Year ★
- SAMMIES 2020 Nominee★ New Artist ★
- SAMMIES 2019 Nominee★ Singer-Songwriter ★
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Q & A
Can you describe a moment in your career, where you felt like you truly reached somebody or made a difference?
02.20.20
I think in the moment there’s something tangible when someone is truly feeling a song with you. Feeling every lyric, as if you are illuminating a secret experience. There’s solidarity in reading that code together. Any moment that someone has taken the time to come up to me after a show or message me to let me know that somehow my music truly reached or affected them, is a feeling that never stops feeling special, and never wears off.
Favorite SAMMIES story?
02.20.20
Definitely watching Hobo Johnson sweep the SAMMIE’s, one after another in 2017. I knew it was special for him, and a part of something bigger. It felt like witnessing just the start of what was to come for him and his music career.
Is there a central theme to your music?
02.20.20
I just try to tell my deepest darkest secrets through music. So that leads me to tackle themes of intimacy, inadequacy and recovering from abuse. Overall, I hope my music leaves a listener with a sense of solidarity, and ultimately empowerment.
Tell us about this creative project. What is it?
02.20.20
I had been at a crossroads for a long time, both personally and musically. I took a brief break from writing on guitar, and started writing my songs over piano instead. I quickly noticed the songs were coming out much differently, and had an overwhelming urge to explore these new parts of my voice. I met Michael Franzino around this same time, who was also looking to explore a new direction sonically. We sat together and reimagined the piano ballads as pop songs, and the rest was history.
Tell us about your best gig in Sac.
02.20.20
I have so many special memories playing in Sac, but it would be hard to top opening Concerts in the Park for Hobo Johnson to over 9,000 people. It was my first time revealing my solo project and playing that material live. The feeling in the air was palpable, and riveting and all kinds of wonderful.
What did you want to be when you were 7?
02.20.20
I have always known deeply that I wanted to be a singer and songwriter. Music has always been my plan A, B and C for as long as I can remember. I still hold on to a box of my earliest written songs as a reminder that music has always been a part of me.
What drives you to keep interviewing even though the industry can be so harsh?
02.20.20
I’ve had to ask myself this same question during trying times. The answer is: Music is and has always been a lighthouse to me in very dark places. I have an obligation and honor to keep that light burning, not only for myself, but for others who are also navigating their way through the darkness.
What message do you hope to give with your music?
02.20.20
Keep going, you can turn your pain into something beautiful.
What's the best part of this experience?
02.20.20
Connecting with people who genuinely resonate with my lyrics, my heart and my experiences. More than anything, it surrounds me in a feeling that I am not alone.
What’s your favorite song to perform live right now?
02.20.20
I genuinely feel excited about each song in my set right now. They feel like little secrets I’ve been keeping up my sleeve, and I finally get to belt them out to a sea of strangers and friends!
When did you first discover your love for music?
02.20.20
There was never a time when music wasn’t with me. I think of music as my first best friend. My earliest memories are me signing songs into tape recorders and having my mom scribble out the sentences so I could perform concerts in my living room. That passion never went away, it only grew bigger with time.
Who are your biggest influences?
02.20.20
Halsey, Billie Eilish, Julia Michaels, Fletcher, the Cranberries. Basically, any Woman with a killer voice, an emphasis on songwriting and emotional vulnerability.
Who first inspired you to play music?
02.20.20
My parents. They were at one point in a band together, and I absolutely adored and idolized that as a kid. My dad wasn’t in my life much growing up, so playing his guitar felt like my secret magic connection to him. My mother really nurtured my interest in songwriting, and really pushed me to let my voice out as loud as I could.
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