.JazzyAmra talks overcoming family struggles & her debut festival performance at OZYfest
Growing up in an inner-city neighborhood is challenging for any child. The various levels of poverty and lack of necessary resources make the idea of "getting out" seem like a distant dream. But for people like Jazzy Amra, rough experiences fueled their escape.
With the odds stacked seemingly against her, Amra had to make a decision before she fell deep into her own issues. Driven by the memory of her mother's love for music, Amra turned her experiences into art by writing songs and recording them however way she could. She worked tirelessly on her craft and eventually made her way into the music industry, where she caught the ear of the legendary Wyclef Jean. Jean —- who compared Amra's raw talent to Lauryn Hill, Beyonce, and Mary J.
Well, I lived with my mom as a young girl and she was fighting her addictions. It wasn't her fault. It's hard when you're addicted to something and your life is kind of falling apart. She had custody of her kids, but she had relapsed. They gave her a chance and sent her to the Odyssey House, a rehabilitation center in Harlem. We lived there for a while but she messed that chance up and we got taken away.
I don't know what I would say specifically, but I really, really wish she was here. Just for her to see how much I'm progressing in life at this age, and how far it's gotten me. Like even when I'm at my shows and performances and being recognized by all the people that I looked up to, it would've been amazing for my mom to be there. To get her some tickets, to get her a drink and just vibe out with her before I get on stage, pray with her. I just wish she was here.
Just being from the Bronx is the sauce, you know what I mean? I was inspired by the people on my block and I developed tough skin early because when you're in the Bronx, what you want to do is make it out, right? You don't want to stay in the hood forever so it just gave me the motivation to really want to be greater and inspire the people around me. That's why the first song on my debut album is "Kingsbridge Road.
I can't believe it myself. It's a lot to take in. I'm destined for this. Hearing that just reassures me I'm on the right path, and I'm really, really made to be an artist. I respect him on a thousand and he inspires me. I learned so much from him. The best advice he’s ever given me is that it's all about the vibe. People could take it in so many different ways but it's all about the vibe.
When I wrote "Be With You" I was just getting out of a break-up and I was actually writing that in my room while listening to the beat. I was just in my bag so it's all about the vibe and whatever I'm feeling in the moment. I throw on the beat, write it out, record it, switch some things up and that's how it usually goes. When I record I usually put the melody first and then I put the words to it.
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