We recently had the chance to connect with Amanda Young and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: When was the last time you felt true joy?
I consider myself extremely lucky, because I experience true joy pretty much every time I sing, which thankfully, if often.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I didn’t start singing until I was 44—apparently, I was just marinating. That was 20 years ago, and I’ve been making up for lost time ever since: writing lyrics, coming up with melodies, recording, collaborating, and singing more than ever. I have had no formal training, so it’s all still quite a mystical process to me.
Since 2011, I’ve had the joy (and luck) of making music with The Strands. There’s Richard Green, a distinguished member of the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame, whose elegant and refined solos define our sound.
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Emily Ashenfelter on keys provides the perfect foundation for our music—steady, soulful, and endlessly versatile.
Our powerhouse rhythm section—Lance Tamanaha on drums, Rob Fresco on bass, and Jim McGrath on percussion—keeps the groove solid and the energy alive from start to finish. And then there’s Heather Oglivy, whose background vocals weave so seamlessly with mine that they somehow make me sound like I know exactly what I’m doing.
We play live as often as we can and it’s such a privilege to be able to do this.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
That I wasn’t good enough.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Sing, you have a beautiful voice.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Mmmh, I would like to think they’d say something like connection, that’s really important to me.
How grateful I am for my own creativity, that I have a way to express myself that aren’t just hobbies; they’re how I process life.
They would know that loyalty is important to me.
That I’m committed to personal growth and to my sobriety.
That I’ll take my music seriously, but not myself; I’d rather make people laugh than impress them.
I can’t stand pretension; I ’d rather be real, That’s what I hope they know about me.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
Oh yes, I was living the “American Dream” and was miserable, a decades long marriage, a house all paid for in a great neighborhood, a luxury car, a wardrobe to die for, vacations.
I blew it all up and I couldn’t be happier.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britishsoulsinger
Image Credits
Hillary White
Valerie Bentancor
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