What were you doing aged 15? If we scroll back through the old memory box, our mid-teens mostly involved heated debates over what was better: chocolate cookies with chocolate chips or plain cookies with chocolate chips (plain wins, you can have too much of a good thing), and doing fairly passable vocal impressions of an old modem connecting to dial-up Internet. Never did it cross our minds to professionally pursue artistic endeavours. It didn’t matter that the rock bands we formed couldn’t stay together for longer than a school break time, whatever we did manage to produce couldn’t have been given away let alone sold.
Dubai student Alyssa Amber’s talents obviously far outstrip anything to which we aspired. The 15-year-old Jumeirah College pupil has just released her debut track, Strangers, with WestStar Records. That’s correct, in case you were beginning to feel your best years may be ahead of you, a teenager has already fulfilled many people’s lifelong ambition. Strangers’ blend of intricate sounds however, is a worthy addition to any playlist, so swallow the envy and check it out.
British national Amber’s first commercial outing is the culmination of seven years’ dedication to her craft. At the age of eight music exams were being aced. Performances in London and L.A. followed, before a move to the Emirates as a result of her parents’ relocation plans led to an impromptu gig alongside Virgin DXB radio personality Kris Fade.
“Living in the UAE has opened up a multitude of different opportunities, even enabling me to reach audiences all over the world,” Amber said when we recently spoke. The artist also credited her Middle Eastern and Iranian heritage for the immediate affinity she felt with her new home and the ability to sense its musical predilections.
“I’m a very eclectic artist with aspects from various sources,” Amber continued. “My style of music is associated with these multiple genres as my voice has always been described as being linked to these styles: contemporary RnB, pop, soul and trap.”
Penning the tune and lyrics to any number requires a dab of inspiration and often hours of hard work, although Amber stated the Strangers process was immensely enjoyable and hopes the outcome is equal to that of her idols Lana Del Rey, Rihanna and Dua Lipa.
“It (the song) evokes emotional sentiments which I wanted to put to lyrics. It conveys a hypothetical heartfelt turmoil which I feel people will be able to relate to. I wrote it passionately regarding ideas that deeply inspired me.
“My hope for Strangers is that listeners all over the world enjoy playing the track and relating to it and I hope radio stations worldwide continue to give it airplay.”
Judging from the feedback Amber has already read, predominantly on social media, the single’s popularity dictates it should soar.
As for future ambitions the singer-songwriter hopes for a hometown gig at the next RedFest in Dubai, as the concert series is ‘close to her heart’. Given a dream collaboration involves a performance with The Weeknd – a known UAE admirer – who knows what could happen?
How Amber has been handling the COVID time off
“I have been at home in Dubai, which is of course the safest thing to do. I have used this time productively to work on new material for my upcoming EP, and I’m hoping to get out and record the next few tracks when it is safe to get back into the studio.”
