*For over 5 years, singer, songwriter, and musician Amanda Holley has been heating up the internet and clubs nationwide with her searing vocals backed by her usually throwing down on the piano.
Now signed to Tommy Boy records, the 23-year-old is hoping to get major notice with her single “Feenin’” available on Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, and MTV.com. Plus, she’s on the top of the list at many internet stations and DJ charts with over 10 million listeners worldwide. You can even hear her in a more traditional way – on the radio.
“The song is definitely pop/R&B and a little bit of hip hop flavor,“ Holley recently told EURweb’s Lee Bailey over lunch in Pasadena. “What I love about it is that it allows for real, full expression through the vocals. That’s kind of hard to find right now. Not that I’m saying that there’s not so many great songs out – I listen to everything – but a lot of what I found is that in today’s R&B, there’s not a lot of wiggle room. So, it was great to create something that is still within what we consider mainstream, but is a little bit outside the box.”
While “Feenin’” has been doing its thang on the internet and beyond, it has also put Holley on an emotional rollercoaster. She remembered when she was recording a special take of it for her upcoming album, it released something in her that altered her life.
“I was literally crying when I did it,“ Holley said. “The song affected me on that level where I decided to change my life at that point. I was in a relationship and the person really didn’t understand what I was doing even though this person should have understood. I decided that I’m not going to live in pain anymore and I don’t need to accept anything that’s going to be less than my own personal truth. I’d been shutting out my own love for myself. I was also shutting out feelings I was beginning to have toward somebody and finally in the middle of that song is when I let it out.”
Moreover, Recording “Feenin,’” made her realize that, “I’ve also been the person to wear my heart on my sleeve and always trying to be there for everybody. I decided at that moment that I need to be there for myself. I need to own up to how I actually feel, what I’m feenin’ for, and what I’m passionate about in life.”
With that kind of passion, one can imagine what great things her album will bring.
“I have hundreds of songs,” said Holley. “I definitely have enough pieces that I’m excited about. I’m just making sure that the music really tells a cohesive story from beginning to end. I want my album to be a real album.”
Having said that, Holley’s not sure she wants to call it a concept album.
“I let my music happen organically, so maybe,“ said Holley. “Each song is a different aspect of what I’ve been going through. One might be more pop. One might be more urban. I’ve blurred the lines between the genres but emotionally they’re coming from the same place.”
While her album will contain her own music, she also collaborated with multi-platinum selling producer/ songwriters such as Rob Fusari (Whitney Houston/Beyonce/Lady Gaga), Dimitri Ehrlich (Moby), and Andre Merritt (Rihanna). Holley’s manager, Ralph Cooper II, who was also at our interview, told us that she has a sound that will resonate with many.
“The music at this point has become exactly what she described,“ said Cooper. “It’s an expression of different journeys, different colors, and emotions. The music is put out in a pop-rhythmic, crossover uptempo, and ballad format so that it can be put to the masses so they can enjoy the journey.”
Holley is on a whole other level when it comes to her music and that is because of her strong musical background. As a toddler, the Newark New Jersey native picked up the violin/piano and even wrote songs. She also hung out in the orchestra pit with her concert cellist mother. Her aunt, her mother’s sister, was a songwriter and arranger, who discovered R&B sensation Stephanie Mills and wrote songs for Mills including for the Broadway milestone, “The Wiz.”
Additionally, Holley was also active in musical theater throughout her young life, even performing in Off Broadway productions. Her well-heeled performance chops even led her to sing with world-renowned jazz artist Les Paul when she was a teen. Now if that was not enough, another relative’s work with one of jazz music’s most cherished artists has a special place in her heart.
“I met my father when I was seven and I discovered that he was a songwriter and had written for Sarah Vaughn,” Holley said. “Some of his works you can find on YouTube. My favorite song he wrote for Sarah is ‘I Need You More Than Ever Now.’ There’s a video with the record and my dad’s name is on it as Greg Holley-G. Holley. So, music was the guiding light and force in my life that kept me moving forward and it’s literally what I’ve survived on.”
With such a strong background in jazz, classical, and R&B, it sounds like she was ready to be the next jazz, opera, or even straight up R&B diva. However, that is not how she saw her trajectory in music at all.
“I consider myself a pop/R&B/ soul singer, artist, and writer,” said Holley. “I always was an R&B /soul/pop anthem singer. It’s been my dream since I was little. I love and respect the jazz community. I love standards and theater. I definitely want to make waves in those communities at some point in my life. But I’ve also really revered great pop songs. My favs are Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Billy Holiday.”
Look out for a new video version of Holley’s “Feenin’ single featuring additional footage. While finishing up her album (no release date yet), she is also in talks to work on music for movie soundtracks and hopes her acting chops land her a few roles. For more on Amanda Holley and her music, click here.
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