Interview/amour
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This interview was conducted via email from WMG Abby to Amour (October 25, 2007)
WMG Abby: Why choose "Amour" instead of using "'Duran Harlan"?
Amour: Well I wanted to use a name that I thought would kinda tell how I feel about music. "Amour" is a word that means a love affiar. And thats kindah what I feel like I have with music because when everything is going wrong, music takes me away and even helps explain how I feel about a certain situation. Plus I didn't want people to start calling me Duran-Duran I get that alot from friends or people trying to be funny. LoL
WMG: How does the day start for an Independent, underground singer/songwriter?
Amour: Well I get up, take a quick shower (if I didn't take one the night before), get my girls up and ready to head off to daycare, get something to eat (something good but quick), and head off to my day to day 9-5, while I'm there if there's nothing that I need to be doing at the time I listen to the tracks that my producer (Jordan ~Jay) has produced for me and see if I can come up with an Idea that I like or I think my fans would like, when I get off I head back to home spend some time with my family, and sometimes I head out to the studio and get some work done on the tracks that I'm in the mist of at that time.
WMG: What's it like living in Missouri?
Amour: I Love It. Missouri is a great State. The Baseball Team here is great and thats a love of mine also.
WMG:Who are your main musical influences?
Amour: Wow that's a really good way to put that question. I'd probably have to say Brian McKnight, Smokie Robinson, Musiq Soulchild, Dave Hollister, & Stevie Wonder.
WMG: Has there been any changes in your life recently that had you
decided to pursue music?
Amour: Well I have had a change in my life recently but I've wanted to pursue music ever since the second grade. I can still remember to this day hearing on the entercom at my grade school "Anyone who wants to join the school choir report to the gymnasium for auditions" and I ran out of the room while behind me I heard my teacher (Mrs. El-Amin) yelling, "Duran get back in here I didn't dissmiss you for that yet".
WMG: How do you deal with popularity now that you have a growing fan base?
Amour: Well right now I don't have too much of a problem. I usually just thank anyone who compliments me and tell them I'm just taking this thing one day at a time. Just trying to tell my story to the world through the best outlet that I can.
WMG: What was it like releasing your first independent album: On The Corner Of Love & Happiness?
Amour: It's alot of hard work. My producer's and Friends keep saying you should be done with this by now you've had this and that much time. And to me it's not a timing thing, It's a when It feels right thing. If a song doesn't feel or sound right to me I have no problem trashing it. Some artist I feel just throw a bunch of beats and songs together and put anything out there. I take my time with every beat and every line to make sure that it comes out the way I want to say it.
WMG: How did you create the right sound for the record?
Amour: Another great question. I guess I just know what I think would sound good. I've listened to alot of music over the years since second grade and I just know that I love hearing a great slow ballad, a well places mid-tempo is always a good fit and perfect feature's help push a platinum record. I guess we as a label created the right sound for this a previous records.
WMG: I really enjoyed your song "Imagine". But its not included in your first album. So does this mean you're in the works for a second album?
Amour: Thank You I love that song to and I think that alot of other people love it also. It's not on my album because the beat we used was from Snoop Dogg's "Blue Carpet Treatment" and no it's not on the second album it is actually on a mixtape that the label (3BE Music) produced over the Thanksgiving Holiday last year. And I'm always trying to work for future projects If a song is just shelved and not completely trashed then it could potentially make the next album or the one after that. It jsut has to fit the albums sound.
WMG: Any particular favorite from all the songs you have written?
Amour: Yeah I have a couple that I like and I think my fans will enjoy also. Never Meant For Us (A mid-tempo song with a feature from O'Really {a rapper/friend on the label} about how this couple are fighting and have been all night long and it's just seems like a relationship wasn't meant for them), A Moment (a ballad that basically is a last plea for this guy to tell his significant other how he truly feels), & Oh You Know (another ballad that is just saying You Know I Love You)
WMG: How would you deal if you were criticized as another musician?
Amour: Not Everyone is gonna like me and I know that, because trust me there are some artist out right now that I'm not to fond of myself. I've always been told by my mom "You can not be everyone's cup of tea"
WMG: Any gigs going on?
Amour: Well there are a few here and there but not enough for me and that's mostly because I've been workin on putting together some solid material so that when I do get some gigs rolling I have some good music to share with the fans.
WMG: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Amour: Well in the next 10 years I'd Like to be on tour with my fifth or sixth album and be working on the next one to be out at the end of the tour.
WMG: Thanks so much for the time. Any last messages to your fans?
Amour: You already Know Abby anytime and thank you having me. And as for last words Be On the look out for On The Corner Of Love & Happiness I'm sure that it'll be a album that you won't wanna miss. O and Don't stop dreaming they'll come true some day.
Back to Amour's page
