Amel Larrieux
BACK IN THE GROOVE Brave Bird Amel Larrieux Soars with Another Eclectic Set
It's been four years since Amel Larrieux dropped her genre-spanning solo debut, Infinite Possibilities, but the former Groove Theory vocalist hasn't missed a beat. The New York native's equally experimental follow-up, Bravebird, won't disappoint her fans. The lyrics were inspired by women from all walks of life, including the harrowing tale of a survivor of female genital mutilation on the title track. Barnes & Noble.com's R&B and Hip-Hop editor Tracy E. Hopkins spoke with the stunning singer about the inspiration for the disc, motherhood, her musical influences, and more.
Barnes & Noble.com: What's the significance of the album title and song "Bravebird"?
Amel Larrieux: I read a story in a magazine [about a survivor of female genital mutilation] and wrote about it. I guess it was a gift to her to extol her bravery. [The album title] became appropriate also because true supporters of my music found ways to hear the song before it got on the album. It had been floating around to DJs two years ago. And I do shows and perform the song, so everybody knew it. So I started referring to [my fans] as brave birds when I write messages to them on my web site.
B&N.com: Why did it take so long for you to release a second solo album?
AL: I made a label switch. Almost up until now I've been touring and performing songs from Infinite Possibilities. I really live for the live performance aspect of this industry. If I had it my way, I'd probably just go right to the stage and sing. I was lucky to have so many offers from the last album, and we took our time.
B&N.com: What were some of the things that inspired you to write this album?
AL: Everything from my grandmother's story of raising five kids as a single mom in the '50s to being inspired by the old love songs of the late '60s and early '70s. Those pure, straight-ahead love songs. Everything -- life stories, friends' stories, things I've read, things I dream.
B&N.com: You dedicated "Even If" from Infinite Possibilities to your daughters. How has motherhood changed you as an artist?
AL: It's completely changed me, and sometimes I can tell you how. And other times I can just tell you that if it didn't change me, I'd be worried. [laughs] On a surface level, I want to write songs for them. I've always been a person who felt that if I wrote a song and couldn't share it with my mother and my family, I probably shouldn't be writing it. All artists don't have to live by that code. That's just where I'm coming from. I'm more aware of the content in music out there and what I can allow [my children] to listen to. Otherwise, I'm constantly thinking about letting them know that my love for them exists after my flesh is gone. After my body has left this earth, my love will always be. That's a line in the song "Beyond." As a mom, you constantly want to be there for them. So that's one way it's apparent in my lyrics how motherhood has changed me.
B&N.com: "All I Got" is about self-love. Has that been a struggle for you, and how did you reach the point where you can fully love and accept yourself?
AL: [laughs] I definitely have ups and downs about how I feel about myself. It's funny that you tread this line between being a role model and being human. Sometimes I want to say, I have a gut and want to work on my belly. Other times I want to say, It doesn't matter. Ultimately, I'm a woman who's been affected by all the propaganda about body consciousness. Luckily, I haven't been affected by all the age stuff. My mom was a retired professor most of my childhood, and I would watch her lecture all over at universities and museums. She had me when she was 30, and her mother had her when she was 40. So I don't mind having gray hairs. But that song is about the journey of learning how, and probably that's an underlying theme that comes up in my songs. I'm on this journey to learn to totally accept myself -- or to learn to unlearn something that's been taught to me that I don't need to believe in.
B&N.com: When you perform, you often have your eyes closed. Do you do that in an effort to deflect attention from your beauty so that the audience will be more focused on your music?
AL: You're sweet. I like to look good. [laughs] But I do make a conscious choice about my message being the main focus. I'm probably a lot more concerned with having an original message that's respected and that somehow enables someone else to feel good or feel something, rather than being another nice object to look at. There's lots of that out there. Like I said, I like to give the people some of what they like. I remember watching The Cosby Show because I wanted to see what Lisa Bonet was wearing. So there's a certain amount of that that goes into it. But that's also creative. I close my eyes [when I perform] because it's very difficult to concentrate on just singing and not being nervous and making sure I can hear myself. I want to do a good job at conveying the passion and the love behind the performance and not get caught up in the fact that I'm being watched by people and I'm not totally comfortable with that. Some people have a stage presence where they're completely comfortable with their exterior, and I'm more comfortable with what's coming from my interior. So I focus on that.
B&N.com: What records have you bought recently?
AL: For my husband's birthday, I bought this wonderful Nat King Cole box set [The Classic Singles]. It has four discs with like 25 songs on each one. I bought the new records by Rickie Lee Jones [Evening of My Best Day], OutKast [Speakerboxxx/The Love Below], Lucinda Williams [World Without Tears], and a new Sam Cooke retrospective [Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964].
B&N.com: Who are the singers and songwriters who've influenced you?
AL: I could name you ten: Ella Fitzgerald, Prince, Rickie Lee Jones, Stevie Wonder, Shawn Colvin, Chaka Khan, John Lennon, Patrice Rushen, Jimi Hendrix, and Joni Mitchell. Off the top of my head, those are people who I still go to for a little bit of that extra incentive to push myself, because I feel they all have such original style and appeal. They have voices that defy time. Whenever I listen to these artists, the same song will make me cry. [My husband] says if a song gives you goose bumps, you know it's great.
January 30, 2004
© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC