Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber (AKA: Home) Edwards. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amber (AKA: Home), thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I don’t have a most meaningful project because every project I put out comes from a very vulnerable place. Every song I write is based on my personal experiences and I use my music as a form of therapy to cope with whatever I’m feeling in the moment. For example my last release “Dear Diary” was about me recognizing the toxic habits I had formed around romantic relationships and why I was so closed off to finding and experiencing love. The song I’m planning to release next “Don’t Lose You” discusses identity crisis and getting hung up on trying to fit a label that wasn’t meant for you and breaking free of those conforming thoughts. The first song I ever released was my way of coping with a breakup and sharing the feelings I never shared in the relationship. I used to get hung up on making music that would sell or had a good commercial vibe which kept me idle for a long time; but now I just create what speaks to my soul. I make music for the voice inside of me and others that desires to be heard but is too afraid to be vulnerable.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a singer/song writer and a vocal instructor for kids. Singing is something I’ve been doing all my life from a very young age I understood the power of a good song and it’s ability to bring healing, happiness, and community. When I was 4 my mom and I moved to Denver, Co with basically nothing and my mom was coming out of a bad divorce that left her physically and emotionally drained. One day at pre-k our teacher taught us the lyrics to “Win” by Brian McKnight; and I was so excited to get home and show my mom. I sang it to her by myself first thing when I walked in the door and she just starts balling and I’m thinking in my head “was it that bad?” and I didn’t understand then; but what I realize now is my mom was pulling herself up from one of the lowest points in her life and she frequently told me that I gave her life purpose and how she prayed for me; and here I was 4 years old singing to her about how she’s gonna make it though this difficult time. She was asking God to give her the strength to push forward and her I was her reason to live singing to her about how she’s gonna make it though the storm. Like I said it didn’t hit me until many years later how impactful and life saving music can be; and that’s why I’m so adamant about creating art music that is vulnerable and authentic and relatable to the human experience. I’ve been singing ever since, and that was before I figured out I was actually good at it. I had a lot of mentors who fostered a space for me to hone in on my skills and gain confidence in my abilities and when I became an adult myself I wanted to return the favor so I took up teaching. It honestly happen by accident a colleague of mine asked if I’d be interested in teaching a few students. At first I said no because I had never taught anyone anything a day in my life, but my mom convinced me to give it a shot and I reluctantly took the offer. Teaching surprisingly came easy to me, I began to actually see my students skill growing, their musical vocabulary was expanding and they were becoming more confident. I didn’t realize how fulfilling it would be to watch someone get better at something and know I had something to do with it. Overall I find purpose in helping others find their voice, their passion, or simply just solace in my story
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn was letting go of doing things for Validation and also the fear of being myself. I studied singing in school since I was 11 years old and while I was studying I was learning new songs and concepts to ultimately get a grade for it at the end of each semester and I think that subconsciously transferred to a mind set of “things are only worth doing if it’s going to impress others”. So when I graduated from college and I wasn’t doing music for a grade any more. I was able to start exploring my creative side more, but I never released any of the music because I didn’t think it was up to the standard that I had set in my head. Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having standards for anything but sometimes it can be a hindrance and in my case it definitely was. Another part of learning how to not do things for validation was getting hung up on lack of support and equating that to my worth and skill level. When I did eventually start releasing music it took a long time before people who knew me in my adult life recognized me for my talent. I can’t tell you haw many people would come up to me after hearing my sing for the first time and say ‘I had no idea you could sing” and it used to infuriate me because I’ve basically been doing it all my life how could they not know?? Hearing stuff like that would get discouraging because I felt like I was putting in all this work going insane trying to make music that would be “popular” and it was falling on deaf ears; I was watching my peers progress and I felt like I was getting no where. I had gotten to a really low point in life and even thought about giving up. I don’t know exactly when the flip happened but I think I got so fed up with throwing things at the wall hoping it would stick and I just started making music that spoke to me and stopped focusing on what sounded the most like a hit. It was more about does this song perfectly reflect what I’m feeling and trying to convey; than will people like this. Oddly enough that’s when all the recognition and opportunity started coming in; so as cliché as it sounds being yourself is truly the best way to be Now this music that I’ve released most recently is some of my best work in my opinion because I I pull that emotion from a much more raw place and living authentically in my truth through my art has made me more confident in my worth, because now I live unapologetically me without fear of rejection. If no one listens to my music I’m still proud because it’s something I created and it’s truly how I feel.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Two books that really helped me were “You Are A Badass” by Jen Sincero, and “The Mountain Is You” by Bianna West. Part of being able to write vulnerable music is being able to hold yourself accountable for your short comings. I honestly think it’s something everyone should strive for because to be able to acknowledge the negative, dark side of yourself and still show yourself grace and understanding and actively work to dismantle those habits is the strongest form of self love I think there is. As humans we’re so quick to label ourselves and others as bad because we have a few short comings when in reality nobody is perfect which is what makes us human in the first place. When you acknowledge that fact you can begin to have more grace for yourself and others. I was constantly chasing this idea of perfection when it came to my music “I have to record in the best studio, I have to have upbeat music, I have to sound this way” yada yada yada but it wasn’t until I truly let go of the invisible expectations I had placed on myself and just decided to do what made me feel good that I finally felt purpose and pride in my art. Now I’m very confident in my ability to bring any vision I have to life and I let my art naturally flow out of me instead of trying to control what I create. The more I let things fall into place the more everything turns out exactly how I wanted it in the first place. I know this lax way of thinking might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s what works for me!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justcallmehome/
- Other: Spotify page: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CB5FEJL1kVk30NCLSvPKN
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/home/1650632736
Image Credits
Dalma Dibaz Photography https://www.instagram.com/dalmadibuzphotography/