Amara is an alphabet kind of person. She does it all from A to Z. She loves to compose the music, write the lyrics, arrange the score, perform and record the songs, and mix and master to produce her unique sound.
Amara’s music rises from her life experiences. Fibrolamellar is an ultra-rare cancer, and being that Amara is one in 5 million, she gives voice to the raw and honest cancer experiences. The chapters in Amara’s cancer journey have been both brutal and beautiful. She is a teacher of both/and. Life is neither all positive nor is it all negative. Taking in and expressing the both/and of life enriches her music and speaks to the very definition of what it means to be human.
Amara’s music is deeply influenced by the music of James Taylor and Taylor Swift, along with other great storytellers of life: Jim Croche and Don McLean. Her music vocation began with classical training in piano at the age of 7 and voice training at 13. A high school band and a metro youth choir provided fertile soil for Amara’s musical imagination. Amara’s involvement in Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs exposed her to the power of choral music: Eric Whitacre, Jake Runestad, and Christopher Tin. Improvising came naturally to Amara, as did the love of sharing music for others to enjoy.
Cancer is a life-altering experience. It made it incredibly difficult for Amara to sing, but following each significant form of treatment, Amara would learn to sing again. Singing with the Angelica Cantanti Youth Choir provided Amara with the friendships and camaraderie of others equally inspired by music.
The “Play it Back” program came into her life just as music production caught her curiosity. Her mentor, Kenli, helped Amara to develop new perspectives on music, from the very sound to the creative music process. Amara grew from an appreciator of music to a well-informed critic. It was a magical moment when singing her song; fellow ‘Play It Back’ artist J.C. on violin and Kenli on drums made her song come to life. Thanks to the program, she expresses her music holistically. “While my classical training helps me to create scores, music production skills empower me to record and pull it together from A to Z.”