Amaria has been working towards this moment for the last four and a half years. The Tampa native launched her music career at the beginning of 2020, and since then, the young singer’s tender and velvet voice has graced and impressed ears far and wide, whether it be releases like her debut single “Morning” or her first two projects, Bittersweet and All For You. Other examples lay with collaborations alongside Mac Ayres, UMI, and Destin Conrad as proof of Amaria’s neo-soul excellence inspired the likes of Sadé and Erykah Badu.
This continues with her debut album Free Fallin’ which arrives with an added dose of maturity and youthful wisdom that arrives thanks to experience in the music world. “The main theme of the album, represented by the name, is the idea of going through different life experiences with no safety net,” Amaria said about the album in a press release. “Letting life take you whichever way it wants — essentially ‘free falling.’” Amaria achieves this while using different feelings, styles, attitudes, and auras from various R&B eras in a combination that feels truly authentic to the young and talented singer.
With Free Fallin’ out now and in rotation, we spotlight Amaria for this week’s Uproxx Music 20 column in an interview that dives into her inspirations, aspirations, and influences.
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What is your earliest memory of music?
Me jamming on the toy piano my parents got me at 3.
Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?
I was surrounded by several artist friends in Tampa who encouraged me to take the musical leap!
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
I can play most instruments enough to produce a song but I would love to be able to shred bass.
What was your first job?
I did multimedia and content creation for my college’s alumni association. It was pretty fun.
What is your most prized possession?
My 15-year-old iMac that I learned all my favorite things on.
What is your biggest fear?
Gas hitting $10 in LA.
Who is on your R&B Mt. Rushmore?
Kem, Sade, Jill Scott, and Michael Jackson.
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
Laying poolside in the south of France with a glass of prosecco.
What are your three most used emojis?
I genuinely only use the emoji of the guy saluting (
).
What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
I desperately need a guest role on Grey’s Anatomy. Just to fulfill my childhood dreams.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality and why?
I think Chappell Roan is breaking barriers with her unapologetic attitude towards inexcusable behaviors. I love it.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
That hot chocolate can never be made with water. Only milk. Always.
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life and what do you love about it?
“New Person, Same Old Mistakes” by Tame Impala opened me to a world of music I’d never explored!
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
I loved the energy at my shows in Texas and I’m very excited to perform in Paris!
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
I’d have to have Erykah Badu, Tame Impala, Yussef Dayes, Clairo, and Solange on my bill. I would host it in Nice, France.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I’d definitely be diving into the world of directing, acting, or filmmaking!
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
Definitely five years into the future so I could either relax or be super prepared.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Don’t pick the 8 AM classes you thought you could handle. Sleep! 11 am classes only!
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I’d want it to be a go-to for people that want to relax and unwind. To be an escape for anyone who needs it.
Free Fallin’ is out now via Amaria/Fashionably Early Records LLC. Find out more information here.