We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amelia Oke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amelia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Stemming from my adolescence and learning as I’ve grown, one thing has always stayed constant for me. That one thing has always been music. I discovered my love for music and talent for singing at a very young age. I soon came to realize that not everyone is born with the talent of being able to sing; everyone is gifted with different talents. In my latest interview from ‘Voyage Michigan’ magazine I touched on the topic of singing since I was a child and knowing from a young age that I wanted to pursue music in some way. Now, at the age of 26, I’ve done a lot more growing and learning since childhood. During high school years is when figuring out a future career was really grilled into us; finding a college to apply to and all that jazz. Throughout my 4 years I definitely did do a whole lot of thinking and a whole lot of changing my mind as to what career path I wanted to pursue. I was told I needed a solid career and/or a back-up plan in case the whole music thing never worked out. But no matter what, my mind always went back to music. For me personally, besides music, I’ve always been really good with plants and animals. I love being outdoors and anything to do with nature! I first considered getting into conservation, but a trip to our local DNR station told me that it wasn’t a very job available career and that killed that idea. Towards my senior year of high school I was now more focused upon Horticulture and Landscape Design. Not only do I have a musical background but an artistic one as well! I thought I could incorporate my love for plants and art and be able to bring other people’s gardens to life! Again, I still had the dream of being a musician but that was trumped by the responsibility of choosing a stable career and going to college. My freshman year of high school I started my YouTube channel. I figured I needed to start getting my voice out there somehow and I had heard about many people being discovered through YouTube. I began uploading any cover song singing video I could, and I even created a few other videos and edited them myself. With social media on the rise, there were also other platforms I began to learn how to use. I was going to continue to sing & play music no matter what! Then 2016 happened. Personally, I think 2016 was a very pivotal year for a lot of people. For me, 2016 was the year I graduated from high school and a month later my dad lost the fight with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. My whole world was rocked; I had SO much going on, my mind was in too many places! Schooling was one of the last things I was trying to think of… I had applied to a few universities and wanted to go away for college but when my dad got sick I decided upon community college so I could be close to home. Macomb Community College was where I started that same year: 2016. They didn’t have any specific classes towards horticulture/landscaping but the closest thing I discovered was their Architecture program. I took some general courses along with the Intro to Architecture and I ended up loving it! I figured maybe this was the field of work/study I was looking for. I did my studies, but was also now trying to figure out how I could also do something further with my music. I was still searching for other avenues to get my voice out there! By 2018, my mother and I were moved and settled into a new town. On the brink of my 20th birthday I had the smallest yet impactful breakthrough. After one night at an open mic, I had got invited to come to a studio that they have above Hockeytown Café in downtown Detroit. Musictown is a studio for young adults and students pursuing music to have the opportunity to see what recording is like! My first time at a studio and in a recording booth! I had a few original songs of my own I had written and was given the opportunity to record them! Even though it was just me and my acoustic guitar, I was floored! I never thought in my life I’d be there in that moment actually in a recording booth. Being at the microphone with the headphones on just felt so natural, like home. I loved everything about the experience. I think that right there was the day I knew somehow I wanted to pursue an artistic path in music. I love everything about working on music. From songwriting and figuring out harmonies/melodies to collaborating with other artists and singing in the studio! I could for sure work on music every day of the week! And now I know I said I was taking classes in Architecture and you may be thinking why didn’t I just take music based classes instead? I could’ve but again, the stable career was still on my mind. Why couldn’t I do both? Then, if my gig with music never panned out I’d still have a back-up plan. So I checked out some other smaller studios and I even landed myself some public gigs! I kept studying and inching closer to my Associate’s Degree. After graduation I actually ended up working in the Construction/Project Coordinator job field for almost 3 years but then my health took a bad turn. But, that’s a whole other story for another time! Nowadays I’m actually trying to do music as my full time job along with a lot of other side jobs. No matter what it’s going to take, I’m going to keep climbing the ladder and taking baby steps until I can get to where I want to be one day with my music. This year already, 2024 has shown me some paths and has opened some more musical doors for me. The future’s looking brighter than I think!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For those of you out there who have never heard or read of me, I was born Amelia Oke in the year of ‘98, but you can call me oak tree if you like. I grew up an only child in the small city of St. Clair Shores and I fell in love with music at a very young age. Since I could talk I was singing! The good Lord gifted me with a talent that I couldn’t shut up about! I was in choir and I sang in every talent show at Violet Elementary; I swear I was always singing! I continued on with choir throughout my adolescence and even picked up on learning how to play guitar at the age of 11. Ever since I was young I knew I wanted to pursue music. As I got a bit older and graduated high school I started to branch out to find some local gigs. I had moved out to the Chesterfield/New Baltimore area and started to play/sing at the New Baltimore Farmers Market. From there I’ve played at some local bars/restaurants in the area, private gigs, open mic nights. I typically sing a 3-4 hour set and I sing a variety of cover songs from the genres country, folk and classic rock. I have written my own original songs but I have many that still aren’t complete yet! I can sing, play, write and perform! I’m proud to be an acoustic solo artist; I find it being a special niche to be able to play at certain places. I know that a lot of venues would rather book bands to draw the crowds in on the rowdier nights but who says one person can’t bring the same kind of energy?! Some days I do wish I could have a band to jam out with but maybe I haven’t found my people just yet. I am always in search of new music venues and other musicians to sing/play with. I would love to take my music career even further but only time will tell!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Since branching out on my own musical journey now into my 20’s I have been able to play out in public settings. From karaoke nights, open mics, dive bars, beer gardens and the farmers market. I can say that the farmers market has definitely become my favorite gig to sing/play at. The most rewarding thing for me as a singer is two things. One thing is seeing the little kids that’ll stop in front of my tent at the farmers market. Sometimes they’ll wave, smile or dance or they walk up coyly and drop a couple dollars from their parents in my tip jar. Just seeing how innocent children are and knowing that you could potentially be an influence on their life. The second thing would be when people stop me after a song and reflect with me upon a memory that I resurrected for them. Sometimes it can be a melancholy memory but sometimes it’s a joyous one. That’s one huge thing about being a singer. You can sing a song but it’s also how you sing that song. There are certain ways you can portray and make a song sound. Being able to move someone through song it’s a connection on a whole other level!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Being a creative, I think it is difficult for non-creatives to understand the struggles as an artist when you aren’t an artist yourself. As an artist you are putting your art, talent and what you create on the line for so many people out there to judge it. At the end of the day only your opinion of your art matters the most because art is subjective. One struggle I would like people to understand, especially as a solo artist, is finding venues/gigs. I know that typically there’s not very many gigs out there geared towards solo acts but there are certain settings that a solo artist is fitting for the occasion. A lot of music gigs go to people with two or more band members; a more blended sound that will really get a crowd going! Even if it’s not on a weekend night, I’d like managers and owners to understand and try to be more open about booking solo performers. Another thing to be more mindful of between musician and event coordinator is making sure both are on the same page. This past year alone I’ve had many unnecessary miscommunication as to certain nights I was scheduled. Promoting is another big thing. Social media is a very helpful platform and helps to get the word out. Some event management seem to favor posting about certain entertainment at their venue. You would think every musician that sang at a venue would be promoted that they’re going to be there. Many things for solo performers that could be more clear.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callmeoketree/profilecard/?igsh=Mm85dGwybzlmbnlo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/HFy3svxvjsBDCmUf/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ameliaoke?si=BI5teotxq8gEFdIB