AMBER RYANN INTERVIEW
Los Angeles-based rapper and producer Amber Ryann isn't your average hip-hop act. With melodic vocals and poignant lyrics reminiscent of a pop-punk breakup, Ryann’s songwriting is less boisterous than many of her rap peers – her recent single “Come Over, Sober” the perfect example of the heartfelt emotion she lays bare on her tracks. As the young artist continues to come into her own, Vivid Seats sat down with Ryann to hear more about what influences her music, her songwriting process and what’s next.
Vivid Seats: Take us back to the beginning. How did you get your start in music?
Amber Ryann: I’ve been around music all of my life. My dad was a music producer that spent countless hours in the studio. I had a curiosity from the jump. I was begging him to let me accompany him to his sessions just to watch and listen. It’s such a blur because I fell into it so naturally and became obsessed with anything and everything music by like ten-years-old. I found a sense of belonging and purpose when I listened to music as a kid. It was just something I always gravitated toward the more I became influenced by my favorite artists of that time period. I didn’t have a ton of friends, I didn’t do my homework, I legitimately locked myself in a room and wrote songs.
VS: You’ve been on the scene for a few years now. How has your sound evolved since you first started?
AR: I feel like I’ve allowed my listeners to watch me learn. That’s what I describe the evolution of my sound to be, me just constantly learning about myself as an artist and what I am capable of within my music. I think in an obvious way I’m honing in on my sound sonically more than ever compared to when I started. At the beginning I was just trying to get anything and everything out into the world for people to hear.
VS: Who are some artists that you look up to or have influenced your music?
AR: I look up to Julia Michaels, Dante Jones, Drake, and J. Cole if I had to name a few. The list goes on and on and my influences have always been fluid, so I’d have to separate the two in terms of who’d I’d say I admire and who I could consider influential. I grew up listing to Franz Ferdinand, My Chemical Romance, RJA, and Linkin Park. I’m currently bumping Issues, Periphery, H.E.R., and Jack Harlow. Like my mood, what I listen to is unpredictable and it all becomes influential at one point or another.
VS: Walk us through your songwriting process.
AR: It always changes depending on the situation. Sometimes I’ll start with a melody in my head. I’m usually in the car when this happens so I’ll grab my phone and record a voice memo of a hum or whatever. Then I’ll take it to the studio and start building. Sometimes I have an entire beat produced before I get to writing but most times anything and all things are inspired by my acoustic guitar. I cannot stop laying guitar tracks in my songs, I love the feeling too much. The more collaborations I get to do with other songwriters the more the process starts to change because when I see others work in a way that’s more effective I may implement that into my process as well.
VS: You just released a new single, “Come Over, Sober”. What’s the story behind the song?
AR: “Come Over, Sober” was derived from a toxic relationship in the past that nearly ruined my life. I feel like the experience was so traumatic that I can relive it and write 100 songs about that specific relationship all at different angles. A friend and I just had a conversation about this last night actually. Sometimes when we are in relationships with people that treat us so terribly, we somehow manage to turn that back on ourselves to ask what we have done wrong in order to justified being wronged by that someone. That’s what toxicity and manipulation does, it keeps you up at night begging for answers, maybe even going around in circles arguing with them over text, or worst case trying to mend a relationship they have no regard for. “Come Over, Sober” was a song about asking for clarity, and closure in a situation where there was none. The resolve is that some people are just messed up, I had to move on, and it was as simple as that. Easier said than done for sure.
VS: Looking ahead to 2020, what can we expect from you?
AR: A lot of new music, a ton of inspirational tweets and Instagram posts, and a ton of shows. Can’t give too much away just yet though.
VS: With only two months left in the decade, what are some of your favorite music moments from the 2010s?
AR: In my opinion, the best possible thing for music has happened within the decade and that is the evolution of the Internet and streaming. Some may say it’s the downfall, but I think it’s the greatest time in the history of music to be an independent artist. The tools we have been given in this decade are powerful and creative control and freedom is at an all-time high. We have platforms that allow us to reach the entirety of this world without industry support, that’s incredibly powerful.
VS: As a performer, what makes for a great live show?
AR: Energy. Every artist has their own for sure. When any artist can hone in on their energy regardless of their surroundings they are unstoppable. That in itself is a craft that I myself am still learning, and it’s important. I want my energy and performance in front of a crowd of ten to be the same in from of a crowd of thousands. That’s the goal.
VS: Who are some artists we should be paying attention to?
AR: Hish, I discovered him yesterday and got pretty excited. I know for a fact he’s a star.