f you asked singer/songwriter/producer Amber Mimz where she sees herself in the next couple years, she'd toss her response at you with a smile and easily respond, “I want to move people through my music. I want to reach all kinds of people and just show how much we are all the same...”
The D.C. born artists’ early musical years consisted of singing as she did her homework next to a radio on full blast in her family’s basement at age 11. Creative writing and creating sounds however she could gave proof that music was always in her bones, it wasn’t until a standing ovation at high school talent show that gave her the confidence and pushed her over the edge falling deeply in love with music curbing her to follow all paths leading to the artistry. She attended The New School University studying Jazz and Contemporary music where she quickly found her writing and arranging style, acknowledged key elements of her her signature vocals and got into production. In the tradition of her artistic and entrepreneurial background she hit the pavement with hopes of exposing her music and style to the masses.
Changed by the difference in scenery from moving to New York at the age of 18 to transitioning back into Washington, she began work on her first project “Thoughts While Getting Dressed... A Mixtape” released in June of 2009 that led to her internet acclaim with the single and music video for the song “Dutch Master.” Hitting almost every stage and venue in Washington DC's arts district, U street, and completing two spring tours which included shows in NYC (SOBs, etc), Boston (Boston College), Atlanta (Morehouse, and Spelman College, D'Jango's, Apache Café etc) and California's Bay Area (Mohito's, LaPena etc), she began garnering rave reviews. To follow up the buzz of the mixtape, Mimz released Urban Romance Sessions Ep in July of 2010. The sound and mission this time was clear... people need to know who Amber Mimz is. Her demurely explicit yet catchy thought-provoking lyrics coupled with original production fused with hip-hop, soul, pop, jazz influenced the self-proclaimed Urban Romantic movement.
"If you’re egotistical, music can't use you and I want to be used up. "
Influenced by modern artist like D'Angelo, Erykah Badu and Outkast to legendary creative’s like Pink Floyd, The Rotary Connection and Roy Ayers, Amber just wants to share music... good… music. So the movement continues. With the release of her first full length album “The Life of Riley” in December 2013 and after a two year hiatus Mimz re-emerges with more inspiration and musicality than ever! “Its fresh, innovative but more importantly… its simply real, especially for where I am as a person right now” says Mimz. Recording the album in sunny California surely inspired sounds and content that is quite evident thru ought the 10 song release written, produced & performed by Amber. Having the album mixed by Grammy Award Winning Engineer, Jeff Ellis (Channel Orange, Frank Ocean) was just the sugar to make it all a bit sweeter.
The ability to connect humans through sound is a gift and she has a way of creating something soulful, something innovative yet familiar, something fresh and full of perspective. From the melody to the lyrics, to drum patterns to chord changes and effects to silence she is a storyteller who see's sounds and rawly shares emotion through her music. Her spunky yet intimate live shows, writings, production and leading the reigns creatively with all things within her brand, she is so excited to share “The Life of Riley” with the world in hopes that they to, will find there “life of Riley” and live it to the fullest!