HER FULL STORY

Born down under, and raised in the states, AmberLee has been a dual citizen of countries and music from the day she was born. Having foreign friends and an Australian dad and an American mom, there was never the same genre nor a dull moment in the music she was surrounded by.

Amber’s childhood was not like most, frequently moving back and forth in and out of America and Australia until she was 14. Losing and gaining friends, packing bags, and hopping on the next plane to an unforeseeable future, she found comfort and company in music- the only constant in her life. As she navigated new territories, she also navigated her newfound love for singing and covering artists like Adele and Guy Sebastian to Sam Smith, Bruno Mars and Carrie Underwood, quickly developing a passion for pop, soul, blues, country, and R&B in her younger years.  

Any time and any place, Amber could be found singing. Often annoying her older brother around the house, filming youtube videos, and participating in all the school talent shows and plays. Joining troupes and ensembles, the School of Rock, and making it the highschool choir and being selected for the encore select choir group, travelling to New York to sing in the Carnegie Hall, Amber’s love for singing and performing was slowly evolving… but never once did she really think the music industry was a realistic career. So as college approached,  she shifted her focus to what careers seemed to be more obtainable, something that would make her parents proud.

Aimlessly wandering around in the thoughts of her false ambitions outside of music, she wavered between what she would do for the rest of her life. Contemplating the idea of being in the FBI or being a veterinarian, considering being a doctor, and finally settling on the idea of becoming a nurse, she blindly followed this (awfully short lived) vision to the University of Central Arkansas. But deep down this path never felt like home in her heart, and the universe was determined to lead her back to her calling in music. 

Stumbling across incredible artists, producers and musicians around every corner, she found herself spending more time writing songs and in the studio than she did in class. 

This was the beginning of an end to college, and the exciting baby steps into what could be. And before she knew it, she was working with a talent agent in Little Rock, shifting her focus from scrubs and science to modeling and acting and preparing for a Model and Talent EXPO in Dallas. In 2019, Amber’s world went from bleak and gray to suddenly revealing the sunlight, a beautiful glimmer of possibilities and a potential future in the entertainment industry. 

At this point in Amber’s life, she had a very conflicted relationship with Christ. She struggled to believe in her future, hardly making it through each day, and she was incredibly guarded to the idea of a “God”. Borderline atheist, blasphemy was common in her vocabulary. She was foolish in her habits, doing things she shouldn’t have, consumed in partying and bad behaviors, training for the EXPO was the first act of discipline she had ever truly entertained. Until this point, she didn’t realize how badly her lack of discipline was, affecting her physically and mentally and severing any ounce of hope for spiritual growth. 

Blind to the truth of her circumstances, she confidently entered the EXPO, her first ever model and talent competition, full of excitement and hope of being signed or scouted. Amber optimistically participated in the categories of modeling, acting, and singing, only to be instantly humbled, and blatantly crushed by reality. Not even making it past the first of the three rounds of the singing bracket, and receiving her callbacks list with only one interest, a startup acting agency who gave everyone in the competition a callback, this was without a doubt the most devastating punch in the gut- a turning point in her life she didn’t realize how desperately she needed. The very moment she felt her world crumbling apart was truly the moment she began her transformation to becoming a better individual, she was finally being saved within. 

Amber vividly recalls a memory towards the end of the EXPO when the founder was congratulating everyone who received callbacks and advising everyone else who didn’t to “consider a different career, this path isn’t for everyone”. He wasn’t speaking this to the crowd of people around her, he was speaking to her, and it bled right into her soul. 

From this point on, she was determined to come back in one year. And when she did, she would be a changed woman- in better shape, with a better voice, better songs, and a mission to advocate for the outcasts. 

In 2020, she dropped out of college, moved back in with her parents, and started her transformation. Finally reading the personal growth books her dad gifted her, attending church with her best friend, running and working out more consistently, journaling and opening the bible for the first time, as she bettered herself, she bettered her soul. She let God into her heart for the first time, and let him work within her, even if she was still on edge and uncomfortable in her faith, this was the beginning of something beautiful shaping within her. This was the birth of AmberLee.

After one year of consistency and self evaluating, growth, and determination, she returned to the Model and talent EXPO a different person. Looking back, she can confidently say God was right beside her the whole time. Through her introduction speech advocating for inclusion, something no talent had ever done before, and then her mother agent dropping her due to speaking out, Amber stayed strong, determined to prove to herself and everyone who didn’t believe in her, that she is worthy. She made it past the first, and the second, and then the third round of singing for both her original and cover song. She was selected to be in the final showcase and asked to sing not one but both of her songs, and this time when she received her callbacks sheet, she didn’t have one callback, but rather, 16! Affirmations were flooding in from every angle. At this point, Amber was beyond grateful, her work had paid off, one year ago she was told she wasn’t good enough for this industry, and she made a statement returning and doing so well. And then the reward ceremony came.. A simple medal of participation would have been a blessing, but God had something more in store for her. A foreshadow of her future, a nudge of assurance she is exactly where she needs to be and on the right path. In 2020, Amber was named “Entertainer of the Year”.

With this newfound high and relationship with God, the world became her oyster. She moved to Austin in 2021, and began her musical journey. Falling back into old, bad, habits, no matter the songs recorded or the opportunities received, Amber hardly made progress. Slipping into a toxic relationship, music became the least of her focuses, but thankfully God remained a constant. Three years into living in Austin, and hardly having made any progress, doubt stirred in her mind, and she put music on the back burner. But her imagination only began running wild. As she prayed more and more for clarity, in 2023, she began hearing God tell her a command that put her on edge. A command to move to Nashville. Her parents had been supportive to this point but her dad encouraged to take business classes. Amber was incredibly opposed to going back to school, but she entertained the small idea of taking music business instead, and stumbled upon Dark Horse Institute, in Franklin, TN. At this point, her parents had moved to TN, and Nashville was another great music city, so her mind started contemplating and day dreaming the thought of moving. After much prayer, she pulled the trigger and moved. 

Nashville became a safe haven, an answered prayer. It became a place where Amber began discovering who AmberLee is. What once was a passion for ballads, blues and soul from her childhood roots, she began finding the magic in Americana, country and rock, but the soul will never leave her. AmberLee is determined to curate the perfect blend of all of these genres to find the sound God blesses her to receive. And the more she co-writes, and experiments with these genres and styles, she is one step closer to identifying who AmberLee is and what she will do in the lives of others. AmberLee is a work of progress, she is somebody with impact, influence, and a purpose. She is an imperfect perfect work of God, and God continues to use his paint brush as he crafts her story. This is just the beginning, and we have a good feeling about it.