Amanda Brown (singer)
Amanda Leah Brown (born June 4, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer and actress from New York City. She was a contestant on the third season of NBC’s The Voice and finished in fifth place.[1]
Amanda Brown | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Amanda Leah Brown |
| Born | June 4, 1985 The Bronx, New York, United States |
| Genres | Pop, alternative, rock, R&B, soul, gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, dancer, actress |
| Instruments | Vocals, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Associated acts | Alicia Keys, Adele, Adam Levine, The Killers |
| Website | amandabrownmusic |
Early life
Amanda Leah Brown was born on June 4, in the Bronx, New York, the oldest of three children. She began singing at her local church in the Bronx at the age of six. At the age of 12, Brown decided to audition for the prestigious New York performing arts school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. There she was introduced to a world of music: classical, jazz, pop, and rock. With a background in gospel music, Brown began to explore other music genres and experiment with her own singing/songwriting style.[2]
At the age of 18, Brown attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. After her first year of college, she decided to return to New York to pursue a career in music and transferred to Baruch College.
Music career
While attending college in New York, Amanda began auditioning for various singing opportunities, which eventually led her to a life-changing offer to join Alicia Keys on her worldwide As I Am Tour in 2007 as a background singer.[3] Brown went on to sing background for world-renowned artists such as Adele, Stevie Wonder, Cee-Lo Green and The Killers.
In conjunction with her diverse background work, Brown began singing at the popular live-music venue, the Village Underground, located in the lower west side of Manhattan. It was there that she began to hone her solo performance chops singing and performing with some of New York City's finest musicians.[4]
In 2011, Amanda digitally released her first single on iTunes entitled "Dreamer", which was co-written by Texacal, and produced by Z Musik.[5]
The Voice
In 2012, Brown auditioned for the third season of The Voice.[6] She won a spot on Cee Lo Green's team,[7] and was later stolen by Adam Levine after a duet performance with Trevin Hunte of Mariah Carey’s "Vision of Love", which was considered one of the best battles in the history of The Voice. She had also become the first stolen contestant in the history of The Voice.[8]
Amanda's biggest moment came during her performance of Aerosmith's "Dream On", which was met with astonishing praise across all media outlets including Rolling Stone magazine, which stated, "You could say the stakes were very high last night, but they lowered considerably after the final performance of the night because, uh, how to put this delicately: Amanda Brown has this thing locked down."[9]
During her appearance on The Voice, Brown appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Digital Songs with her singles of "Dream On", "Stars" and "Someone Like You".[10]
She was also the first contestant on season three to perform by herself alongside another major artist (Ne-Yo) for a performance that opened the live show on December 3, 2012.[11]
Despite her success on the show, Brown was eliminated after making it to the top six contestants. During her exit interview, Brown stated, "This has been an extremely beautiful and amazing ride, and I owe my existence on this show for as long as I was here to [the fans]. So from the bottom of my heart – thank you."[12]
Performances and results
- – Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes
| Stage | Song | Original Artist | Date | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind Audition | "Valerie" | The Zutons | September 25, 2012 | N/A | One Chair Turned Joined Team Cee Lo |
| Battle Rounds | "Vision of Love" (vs. Trevin Hunte) | Mariah Carey | October 8, 2012 | N/A | Defeated Stolen by Adam Levine |
| Knockout Rounds | "Paris (Ooh La La)" (vs. Michelle Brooks-Thompson) | Grace Potter and the Nocturnals | October 29, 2012 | 16.3 | Saved by Coach |
| Live Playoffs | "Dream On" | Aerosmith | November 5, 2012 | 18.10 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 12 | "Spectrum" | Florence and the Machine | November 12, 2012 | 21.5 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 10 | "Stars" | Grace Potter and the Nocturnals | November 19, 2012 | 23.6 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 8 | "Someone Like You" | Adele | November 26, 2012 | 25.1 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 6 | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | Aretha Franklin | December 3, 2012 | 27.3 | Eliminated |
| "Here I Go Again" | Whitesnake | 27.9 | |||
After The Voice
After appearing on The Voice, Brown recorded a cover of the James Brown funk track "The Payback" for the soundtrack to the 2013 film Identity Thief.[13][14]
She was also a contributing writer for Parade Magazine, publishing episode reviews of The Voice: Season Four.[15]
In May 2013, Amanda performed Magic to Do at the Ben Vereen Lifetime Achievement Gala at her former High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.[16]
Within a week of her Ben Vereen feature, Brown also performed both Ain't No Mountain High Enough and How Am I Supposed to Live Without You in two duets with Michael Bolton on Fox & Friends[17]
In June 2013, Amanda Brown released a song on EMW Music Group's album "Shuffle". All the proceeds from the album went to VH1 Save The Music Foundation.[18]
In December 2015, Amanda performed backing vocals for Adele in the NBC special, "Adele Live in New York City" at Radio City Music Hall.[19] Brown then went on to tour with Adele for her Adele Live 2016 world tour from February 29, 2016 to July 2, 2017.
In February 2018, Brown dropped "Believers", the first single of her first full-length project "Dirty Water", released on May 11, 2018.[20]
In April 2018, Amanda released "No Good", the second single of her debut album "Dirty Water".[21]
Listen also to Brass Against and their fantastic re – production of Audioslaves´ "Gasoline" feat. Amanda Brown.
Philanthropic work
Brown maintains a passion for philanthropy and has been active in volunteering for children's programs such as Free Arts in New York. In 2013, Brown donated a signed copy of the Identity Thief soundtrack to the Suicide Prevention Hotline's auction to raise money for the organization.
Discography
- Dirty Water (2018)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Sales | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | ||||
| 2011 | "Dreamer" | — | — | — | Single release |
| 2012 | "Dream On" | 113 | 94 |
|
Non-album releases by The Voice |
| "Stars" | 97 | 69 |
| ||
| "Someone Like You" | — | — |
| ||
| 2018 | "Believers" | — | — | — | Dirty Water |
| "No Good" | — | — | — | ||
References
- Hopper, Jessica (December 5, 2012). "'The Voice' Cuts Amanda Brown, Melanie Martinez". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- Davis, Maia (April 11, 2013). "Noteworthy graduates: Amanda Brown from 'The Voice'". United Federation of Teachers NY Teacher Issue. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- "VYV: Alicia Keys – As I Am World Tour 2008". VYV. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- On the Spot: Amanda Brown, The Girl Spot Blog, September 1, 2015, archived from the original on August 6, 2017, retrieved August 5, 2017
- Dreamer, iTunes, January 2011, retrieved July 25, 2017
- Sacks, Ethan (October 7, 2012). "Five New Yorkers get their shot at the big time on NBC show 'The Voice'". NY Daily News. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- Vespa, Gina (September 25, 2012). "Amanda Brown Brings 'Valerie' to Team Cee Lo on 'The Voice'". PopCrush.com. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
- Maerz, Melissa. "The Voice recap: The Art of the Steal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- Hopper, Jessica (November 6, 2012). "The Voice Contender Amanda Brown Drops Jaws with Aerosmiths Dream On". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- "Amanda Brown Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- Whitney, Alyse. "The Voice Watch Ne-Yo and Amanda Brown Sing Let Me Love You on The Voice". Wetpaint.com. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- Brown, Amanda. "Amanda Brown After Her Elimination". NBC. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- McRady, Rachel. "The Voice Season 3's Amanda Brown Releases Single on Identity Thief Soundtrack". Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- Identity Thief Soundtrack, iTunes, February 5, 2013, retrieved July 25, 2017
- Brown, Amanda. "AMANDA HAS A NEW BLOG IN PARADE MAGAZINE!". Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- Hetrick, Adam. "Stephen Schwartz, Norm Lewis, Julia Murney, Leslie Uggams and More Honor Ben Vereen at LaGuardia High May 20". Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- "Fox & Friends Kicks Off Summer Concert Series With Michael Bolton". May 24, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- Shuffle, iTunes, June 4, 2013, retrieved July 25, 2017
- Blistein, Jon (December 15, 2015). "Watch Adele's Full Radio City Music Hall Show". Rolling Stone NBC. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- http://bigtakeover.com/news/song-premiere-believers-by-amanda-brown
- https://www.popmatters.com/amanda-brown-no-good-2559495781.amp.html
