We’re looking forward to introducing you to Amanda Holley. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Amanda, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Through all the chaos of the world both in life and in the industry, it’s always the music that pulls me back to center and brings me back to myself.
When I surrender to the song, I’m lifted above all the pain, the noise, and the circumstances and somehow become a truer, more powerful version of myself — one that’s deeply connected to oneness and, from this place, I get to be there for others through each and every note.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a biracial (African American, Cherokee Native, and Italian) soul/R&B/pop singer, songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and GRAMMY® Voting Recording Academy Member. Born in Newark and now bicoastal between NYC and LA, I live and breathe for the art. Music has always been my lifeline — it’s what I’ve survived on since day one, in every sense of the word: spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Because of that, being there for others through the song truly means everything to me.
Like so many of us who come from extreme circumstances in this crazy world, I’ve overcome poverty, homelessness, and abuse since birth — even within the industry. At this point, it genuinely feels like my journey has made my life a testament to the healing and transformative power of music.
Through everything along this path, music is the thing that sustains me. It heals my soul, inspires me, and carries me to places, stages, and moments I could only dream of as a little girl back in Newark. I owe my life – my existence to the song, which is why it’s my eternal mission to be there for others the way music has been there for me — and to use my voice as a force for positive change in this world.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful had to be my first time performing for hundreds of people as a little girl. I was able to take all the pain and longing I was feeling and pour it completely into the song — on that stage, I was finally free. No one could hurt me there.
And for those 4 minutes, I could disappear into the song – it felt like I was flying – and it still does – every time I hit the stage to this day.
When the last song was over, some of the adults in the audience came to me in tears. When I asked them why, they told me the song had done something for them. In that moment, something clicked inside me — I realized that my one happy place in this world was also the purpose of my existence: to transform all the darkness I’ve known into something healing, good, and true. There’s no feeling more empowering than that.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Through every tragedy, traumatic event, & crazy painful situation, I was forced to connect with something bigger — deeper — and truer than the circumstances and trauma I’ve survived.
Without that suffering — that baptism by fire — I don’t think I’d have this unwavering will and desire to walk the path exactly as the Creator means for me to walk it. I wouldn’t have learned to say no and walk away from the things that might have “put me on top” faster, but would have diminished the messages and emotions I was born to share.
Suffering taught me compassion, discernment, and strength . . . And I’m still learning more and more each and every day.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
To the best of my ability, I live my life in dedication to love, truth, and music. I truly believe that love is the most powerful force in the universe and music can bring us together, and feel with every molecule of my being that 3 minutes of song it can lift us above this world above the pain, and transform us, help us face our deepest sometimes darkest emotions and passions, and heal us in ways no other medium can.
Walking in purpose often takes longer in an industry that tends to exploit or suppress artists — especially minority women and those who come from impoverished backgrounds. But every stumbling block, every painful or traumatic experience, only fuels my soul, my will, and my determination to keep going.
Only by continuing to push through — to create, to share, and to become what the Creator means for us to be — will this industry finally evolve into a safe haven for artists. One that empowers and uplifts the voices of those who are empathic, passionate, and walking in truth… so that we can be the instruments we were born to be.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
If I had nothing left — no name, no possessions — I would still be what I’ve always been. I would be left with the gift of music and my voice, and for that, I’m forever grateful. It’s the one thing I’ve always been able to rely on — the one place I’ve always been free. It’s what I live and breathe for, the reason I exist. As long as I have the music, I have everything.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/listentoamanda
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/listentoamanda
- Other: https://ffm.bio/listentoamanda?fbclid=PAZnRzaAN3Ib5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp6gVPIZa7wtZKJ12oMl27AIXOrLSrodPJXLsZVUL4_vVtuOENhEFgUX8O0BU_aem_Goqpj0NgDfFti_WkDezEWQ&brid=G6OFP8cmO3KtYs06BnbKig
Image Credits
1. Main portrait – YULIA SHUSHARINA
Additional PHOTOS
1. Roderick Giles – DROM NYC
2. JGC PHOTOGRAPHY at SONY HALL NYC
3. JGC PHOTOGRAPHY at SONY HALL NYC
4. Los Depressos Studios Brooklyn, NYC
5. Los Depressos Studios Brooklyn, NYC
6. CCR Pictures AT SONY HALL NYC
7. (Portrait) YULIA SHUSHARINA
8. Roderick Giles – DROM NYC
9. LA FASHION WEEK at Pacific Design Center
10. Roderick Giles – DROM NYC
11. Los Depressos Studios Brooklyn, NYC
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
