We were lucky to catch up with Atlanta Amado recently and have shared our conversation below.

Atlanta, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I made my way to New York in a series of steps. I grew up on the Gulf of Mexico, in an idyllic little beach town + while it is absolute perfection in many ways, I knew I wouldn’t live there forever. My stops along the way were uni in Orlando, a few years at the beach in Miami, & Cairo Egypt (yes, that one) before I finally arrived in the city.

I wasn’t just creative loafing all the way here, though. Along the way I was working corporate jobs, most in Human Resources + finding out where I belonged where performing was concerned. For the longest time, I thought I’d be content just working in an office for the security + singing backup. I quickly found out that backing vocals in a band is not for me… Nor was working in an office for the bulk of my life. So I had the opportunity to realise that one has to try a number of things before I figured it out.

Being one of the lucky ones in the building on September 11 reminded me that I didn’t come to NYC to settle into a ‘secure’ office job. Once that epiphany was rooted, I was on my way.

Atlanta, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been a performer. I worked in a Brasilian dance company at uni,+ started singing more seriously in Orlando, first at open mikes at a WONDERFUL, now shuttered place called Yab Yum. Being there gave me the confidence to truly find my voice + the space to explore the stage as both a singer + dancer. It offered me the opportunity to find a style…

Being a multilingual + multiethnic Black woman, singing in different languages has become more of an asset than I could have imagined. Around 2000, I auditioned + was accepted on the roster of performers for Cirque du Soleil. That particular feat was accomplished from being able to almost perfectly emulate their made up language in the show, La Nouba, from the soundtrack.

These days in NYC, I can be found singing lead vocals for the band Os Clavelitos, as well as doing guest vocals for Batala New York when I’m not working on my own personal projects, which include voicing audiobooks + doing voiceover work, but also coaching…

Additionally, I lend my time to NYC public schools, facilitating professional development workshops, health + wellness groups + the occasional musical performance to both kids + adults.

Being able to pivot from stage to school+ corporate to creative allowed me to help people who were in a tough spot during the pandemic. I became a certified coach. I absolutely detest the term ‘life coach’ because one never stops figuring it out, but the ability to navigate from executive to entertainment + deal with everything in between has been really useful in helping people learn what it is they are really meant to be doing + show them their answers.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

This may sound self serving, but it’s the truth… Sometimes people are moved by music in a way that can only be described as magic. They come up to talk to me after shows, not understanding the language (I sing primarily in English, Portugues + Cape Verdean Kriol) with tears in their eyes + holding their hearts. The idea that their spirits can feel the message, even when it’s a song from another artist that I chose to sing, is absolute alchemy + can shift from just a night out maybe having drinks + dinner + hearing music to something more healing + holistic.

There are those kinds of performances that have me falling into bed at night with my face hurting from smiling. If I’m able to inspire that kind of reaction in anyone, I know I’m doing exactly what I’m on earth to do

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The idea that you have to know exactly what you want from the gate is one that never worked for me. What I’ve learned, through literal trial and error, is that until you try something, you can never truly know if it is for you. Try a few things. I grew up with the thought that an office job was the way to go for security. I even worked as a civilian for the Air Force + Disney when I was at uni. Unless I’d had those experiences, I couldn’t ever really know if that was a good fit for me.

The courage to try something new will show up when you are brave enough to step into the fear of the unknown. I had to stop buying into the narrative that there is this ‘safety net’ that works for everyone. Finding my own way wasn’t easy, but it was far less tragic than staying in a place I didn’t belong.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AtlantaAmado.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/atlantaamadomusings/
• Facebook: Facebook com/falsabaiana
• Youtube: https://Youtube.com/@falsabaiana
• Soundcloud: https://Soundcloud.com/atlanta-amado

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