Interview
| Sex Without Sex:
30 Minutes With Amber (Cont.)
Written by: Kage
Alan
KA:
It's a breath of fresh air to have a music artist so up front
about being a parent involved in their child's life. While
writing, recording and performing is your passion and profession, what
priorities have you set for yourself as an artist and mother?
Amber: My son always comes first. Being that I live in
New York, I have a great working ground in the tri-state area. I
mean, for me not to miss out and to still make money and to be able to
invest into my business and go to the next level, I have the
opportunity with the tri-state area to leave in the evening when he
goes to sleep and be home before the sun comes up. So, that is a
great opportunity where, you know, I don't really want to fly out too
much. When I fly out, I want to fly out for a week straight so I
can just like stomp everything down and just really connect with
everybody who I have to connect with. I might be tired, but I
try to do as much within the timeframe that I'm gone, that I flew out,
as possible, then I can come back to New York because I run my
business from home.
The tri-state area is just a beautiful thing because there's a lot of
clubs out here that are really decent working ground. Then
again, my son is a great traveler. When he's not in school, he's
also been on tour with me. He just loves the music industry.
He thinks it's cool, of course, to hang out and to be in a limo.
Working women who leave at 7 in the morning and come back at 7pm in
the evening have probably less time with their children than me
because I can make choices and say "No, I don't want to take this
gig because it's my son's birthday" or "I have to be
somewhere else. This and this is more important." I can
make out the schedule the way I want to.
Being that I'm fortunate enough to make a certain amount of money a
year, which I invest a lot too, and also with benefits and all kinds
of stuff that I'm trying to do, it allows me also to have a live-in
helper who is there for my son night and day. He doesn't have to
leave his environment. He has a school here and he lives right
around the block from his friend, so he can move on and have his own
little social life, which he's up to right now. He's 11 years
old and he's slowly at that point where he is creating his own little
social life, acting like he doesn't need me too much. You know?
Getting his own little independence, which is healthy.
KA:
Thinking long-term, what do you hope to achieve personally from
your career as a singer?
Amber: You know, I'm trying to think long-term a lot of times
too. On the other hand, I'm trying to enjoy life day by day and
really try to take the fullest out of each one. If I'm going
there, it would definitely be trying to stay in the business as long
as possible, doing the stage thing as long as possible because it's
something I really enjoy doing, connecting with the fans…there's
nothing like it…but then you also have to see it from a realistic
standpoint of view with the business. You always have to look
cute. You always have to be wonderful. You know, things
start sagging at some point and maybe you're not that attractive from
the outside anymore and you have to be realistic about what the
business expects from a woman especially, which is hard. It's
why I'm working out a lot trying to keep in shape!
I'm definitely getting into songwriting for other people more and
more. It's definitely something I want to keep doing. I'm
making really great contacts. I just got a call yesterday from a
dear friend who I had inspired years ago and he wants to put me
together with Babyface and David Foster for a writing session because
those are his friends. It just seems like everything is coming
together right now. All the hard work that I've put in for all
the past years, all the word-of-mouth that's been put out…people who
got to know me and see my sincerity…it all comes back, so I think I
have a pretty great career ahead of me and I'm just trying to enjoy
every day and I'm not too worried about if it's going to happen or not
going to happen. I never was (worried) for some reason. I've always been very calm about my career.
I was always very
conscious about "it's going to happen. When it's meant to
happen, it's going to happen." And it's something I feel I was
meant to be and it's going to be fine.
Also, maybe acting. You know, there's a lot of creative things I
want to do. I want to get into painting. I'm thinking
about putting some artwork out on my website…Andy Warhol kinds of
pictures of me signed with limited editions, just something that
reflects my artistry better than just plastic cups and caps. You
know what I mean. I'm thinking in multiple revenue ways right
now. In the end, I really want to sponsor a project maybe in the
Third World. I just want to make a difference…I want to give
back. I'm thinking it's a bad thing to feed people with the hand
directly into their mouth whereas you could use that money to build up
a project where you educate them to build their own agriculture and
make sure they can feed themselves.
There are a lot of things I want to do and I believe I will do them.
I'm opening up, I'm thinking big and that's what I will do. You
have to give back. I'm researching certain benefits. If it
benefits the promoter, I'm not going to do it. If it really
benefits the people that it has to go to, yes I'd do it. There
are certain things you have to do. You're out there, you have a
name and you can make sure that certain people benefit from your
appearance. It's a great thing. It's a blessing if you are
able to pull that off and you should take full advantage of that.
KA:
And
in the near future?
Amber: I'm also expanding right now and setting up a live band,
so I'm also heading for more of a crossover market just to put my
songwriting in another light. I'm putting together a half
electronic and half live band that will be ready in December and am
going on a different kind of tour. I want to expand to more of
the big fairs and opening up for people and just giving another light
on my music, just have a more intimate atmosphere and a different kind
of interpretation. On the other side, I'll still play to the
crowds who supported me for all these years, go out with four dancers
and just give a high energy show.
KA:
There's always an image that accompanies an artist that tends to
elevate them as larger than life and doesn't always allow others to
see below the surface at the person underneath. What would you
like your fans to know about you as a person, as a mother and as an
artist when they think of you?
Amber: (long silence) Hmm…you know, I'm just a simple
girl. I have to shit and die like everybody else and I don't
consider myself more or less than anybody else out there. Everybody has a talent.
It's just for you to experience that
talent, just feel what you are meant for; somebody is good at painting
nails, somebody is good working at a bank, somebody is just meant to
be a business person. Make the best out of it. Make sure
you are happy with what you are doing. I know I'm happy with
what I'm doing and there is so much more out there that I can achieve
and that I can look forward to, but I'm very realistic. I'm a
very loving person, a very positive person, but I have my faults too.
Hell yeah I have my faults too! I'm super critical about certain
things, but when it comes down to it, I feel very equal with everybody
else out there and I don't think of myself as better than somebody
else. I think that's what keeps me grounded and I don't show off
as "Oh, who are you anyway?"
I just had to laugh so hard when I met Ivana Trump and I said
"Hey, Ivana, can I take my picture with you?" and she looked
at me and said (with Ivana accent) "Who are you?" And my
publicist next to me says "Well, this is Amber. She's a
recording artist in America, worldwide actually, and can we take a
picture with you and her?" And she looked at me and she's like
(with Ivana accent again) "Oh, if you are a recording artist,
sure, darling, sure. Let's take a picture." And I said to
myself at that moment "Do I really want to have a picture with
her?" But I said "okay". I took a picture with
her and it's going to be on my website. You go through those
events and it's really hysterical the kinds of egos and kinds of
situations and the kinds of people you meet. It's just like
"Wow, why would you possibly think you're better than me?"
Yeah, okay, you have $100 million dollars in your account? Big
deal. But you want to tell me you don't have to go to the
restroom and wipe your butt? Maybe somebody's doing it for you?
I don't know. That is something.
My mom raised me very grounded and I'm so thankful for that because
that keeps me normal in my head. When I'm at home, I just put on
my jeans, I look a mess and I do my laundry, clean the house…you
know, try to keep my life as normal as possible. Of course,
okay, I have a person to help me out with certain things when it gets
too much, but I'm trying to portray a life as normal as possible for
my son so he doesn't think that things come easy.
With the same grace and charm as when our conversation began, Amber
ended the interview by once again expressing her love to the fans and
media who have helped keep her voice on the airwaves and her messages
heard. If early sales figures of "Naked" are any
indication of the album's potential success as well as the artist's
staying power, we'll be hearing from this non-typical dance diva for a
long time to come.
***A
special thank you to Scott at Borderline Music for letting me know
Amber was going to be in town, to Asia (you are so sweet!) for helping
me get in touch with Amber's publicist and also to Michelle at Jill
Siegel Communications for helping me schedule the interview.
COMMENTS
Date/Time of Posting:
Sep 19 2002 / 01:29:13
IP Address: 66.81.115.72
name = ian orr
where = ino@mailcity.com
comments = How odd. Two pages about Amber and no mention of her
full name.
Date/Time of Posting: Sep 21 2002
/ 21:47:54
IP Address: 64.12.96.46
name = Alexa
where = Downeaster@amber-naked.com
comments = Great interview!
Date/Time of Posting: Sep 24 2002
/ 06:26:49
IP Address: 206.181.233.105
name = Vanessa Conde (MP3.com Artist)
where = missspanishgirl@mail.com
comments = Great and informative interview! This well grounded Diva
knows where she is going and relies on her inner strength and talent
as an artist to pull her thru any trial. Very RARE nowadays that an
artist is able to reflect on who they are and what their music means
to them as an individual away from all the hype. Amber reflects her
positivity as a woman and as a singer. The Ivana Trump thing I can
relate to...people think after they have reached a certain
"Height" in their achievements, it somehow gives them the
pass to mistreat you. I THINK NOT! LOL
Thank you guys for interviewing this lovely Diva!
Date/Time of Posting: Oct 14 2002
/ 17:24:33
IP Address: 172.166.244.203
name = Michael da Baer McCLain
where = alisonbaer@aol.com
comments = Great Interview - her wonderful personality shines
through....she's so down to Earth and a great woman/person, as this
interview shows!
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