More Info on Amel LarrieuxSimilar Urban/R&B MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Amel Larrieux| image = AmelLarrieuxByPhilKonstantin.JPG| caption = Amel Larrieux in San Diego on October 30, 2008| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Amel Eliza Stowellcite web|url= http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/groove_theory/464144/lyric.jhtml|title=10 Minute High by Groove Theory (Lyrics)|accessdate=2008-12-28|publisher=VH1.com| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1973|3|8|birth_place = Manhattan , New York City , New York , United States| death_date =| origin =| instrument = Singing , keyboard instrument|keyboards | genre = soul music|Soul , contemporary R& B|R& B , neo soul , jazz , folk music|folk | occupation = Singer-songwriter , keyboardist , record producer | Voice Type = Soprano | years_active = 1991present| label = Epic Records|Epic , 550 Music , Blisslife| associated_acts = Groove Theory , Bryce Wilson , Mondo Grosso , Sweetback (band)|Sweetback | website = http://www.blisslife.com www.blisslife.com Amel Larrieux (born March 8, 1973) is an American soul music|soul and contemporary R& B|R& B singer-songwriter and keyboardist . Larrieux rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a founding member of the duo Groove Theory along with Bryce Wilson . After leaving the group in 1999, she released her debut solo album Infinite Possibilities the following year on Epic Records . In late 2003, Larrieux founded her own independent record label|independent label , Blisslife Records, on which she has released three albums so far. Larrieux cites Ella Fitzgerald , Prince (musician)|Prince , Rickie Lee Jones , Stevie Wonder , Shawn Colvin , Chaka Khan , John Lennon , Patrice Rushen , Jimi Hendrix , and Joni Mitchell as her musical influences.cite web |url= http://music.barnesandnoble.com/features/interview.asp? NID=768182& z=y |title=Brave Bird Amel Larrieux Soars with Another Eclectic Set |accessdate=2006-12-06 |date=January 30, 2004 |work= Barnes & Noble
Biography
Larrieux was born and raised an only child in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village , New York City , New York . Her African American - Sub-Saharan mother, Brenda Dixon Gottschild , is a dance critic, author, and college instructor. Her father is of French people|French , English people|English , and Scottish people|Scottish descent. Larrieux was raised in a very artistic environment and was surrounded by talented and inspirational artists. Larrieux attended Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts . Some of her classmates include: members of Boyz II Men , jazz bassist Christian McBride , jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel , jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco , and The Roots member Questlove . Larrieux attended the senior prom with Questlove . Many of her influences are drawn from R& B, soul, jazz , folk music|folk , hip hop music|hip hop , and gospel music|gospel with flashes of Middle Eastern music|Middle Eastern , music of West Africa|West African , and music of India|Indian ethnic styles. She has often been documented for describing her music as "Amel's music". Larrieux currently resides in New York City with her husband, Laru, and their two daughters, Sanji Rei and Sky. Her forename Amel means "hope" in Arabic language|Arabic .
Career
Groove Theory
In 1991 Larrieux met Mantronix member Bryce Wilson at Rondor Music. Wilson, who wanted to begin his solo career as producer and musician, was looking for a vocalist to work with. Wilson and Larrieux began to produce demos together and subsequently formed R& B/ hip hop music|hip hop duo Groove Theory . Their debut release, Groove Theory (album)|Groove Theory , spawned several radio hits such as "Tell Me", "Keep Tryin'", and "Baby Luv". The duo were also featured in successful motion picture soundtracks such as 1996's Sunset Park (soundtrack)|Sunset Park and 1997's Love Jones (film)|Love Jones . Larrieux, pursuing a solo career, would not be involved in the duo's eventually-shelved second album The Answer . Makeda Davis would step in as lead singer in 1999 until Groove Theory officially disbanded in 2001. Larrieux said of leaving the group, "You have to make a bunch of compromises and .. you know, I just couldnt go on forever. We wanted different things and a combination of that and the label wanting different things from us just made me decide that it was time to move on."
Early Solo Career
In 1996, Larrieux guested on the self-titled debut album of Sade (band)|Sade 's backing band Sweetback (band)|Sweetback , yielding the top forty-five R& B entry "You Will Rise".
Larrieux co-wrote and co-produced her debut solo album Infinite Possibilities , released in early 2000 on Epic Records , along with husband Laru Larrieux; the album reached number seventy-nine on the Billboard 200| Billboard 200 and number twenty-one on the Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums , and produced the hit "Get Up", her highest charting solo hit to date. Some tracks from the album, such as the eighth track "Down", could be described as acid jazz , a musical genre which combines elements of jazz with soul and funk .
Larrieux was released from Epic Records after this CD. She says of the release "I was asked to tone it down as a solo artist, which is one of the reasons why I was really glad to leave the major label where I was signed." http://blog.nu-soulmag.com/? p=1147 Husband Laru Larrieux, who had been co-writing and producing most of Amel's material, started the independent label BlissLife Records with her to distribute her music.
In 2001, Larrieux recorded "Sophisticated Lady" with artist Clark Terry for the Red Hot Organization 's compilation album Red Hot + Indigo , a tribute to Duke Ellington , which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease.
On November 10 in 2010, Larrieux spoke about going independent, saying "This is the right time to be independent. People are more hip to the internet. People are more open to what independent means." She went on to say that Black independent artists are too under the radar. http://hellobeautiful.com/hellobeautiful-original/hellobeautifulstaff2/amel-larrieux-independent-artists-of-color-are-too-under-the-radar-exclusive-video/
Independent Releases
Bravebird
Her second album Bravebird was released under Larrieux's independent record label|indie label Blisslife Records label on January 20, 2004. While it underperformed on the Billboard 200, it peaked at number twenty-eight on the Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums and number five on Independent Albums . It spawned the midtempo radio single "For Real", which showcases her ability to utilize the whistle register and inspired Ebony (magazine)|Ebony magazine to rave about her "ethereal high-octave vocals that bring to mind Minnie Riperton .cite web |url= http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_4_59/ai_112861713 |title=Amel Larrieux's dynamic second recording, Bravebird, blends rhythm & blues, soul, hip-hop, jazz and folk music |accessdate=2006-09-25 |work= Ebony (magazine)|Ebony |month=February |year=2004 A portion of the album's seventh track, "Giving Something Up", could be heard in the commercial for Black Entertainment Television|BET 's HIV / AIDS awareness campaign Rap-It-Up, in which Larrieux participated in September 2003.cite web |url= http://www.blisslife.com/bliss_news%20archives.php |title=Bliss Life News |accessdate=2006-12-06 |work=Blisslife Records |date=September 25, 2003
Larrieux's collaboration with Stanley Clarke and Glenn Lewis , a cover version|cover of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway 's 1972 song " Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song)|Where Is the Love " from Clarke's 2003 album 1, 2, To the Bass , received a nomination for Grammy Award for Best R& B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals|Best R& B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 46th Grammy Awards|2004 Grammy Awards .
Morning
Larrieux's third effort Morning (Amel Larrieux album)|Morning was released in April 2006 and features the single "Weary", which reached number twenty-nine on the Billboard Hot Adult R& B Airplay chart in mid-2006.cite web |url= http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp? cfi=404& cfgn=Singles& cfn=Hot+Adult+R%26amp%3BB+Airplay& ci=3077552& cdi=9027075& cid=08%2F26%2F2006 |title=Hot Adult R& B Airplay |accessdate=2008-02-06 |work= Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot Morning is her highest-charting album to date, peaking at number seventy-four. Follow-up single "No One Else", written for Mike Shaunessy was featured on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry 's 2007 film Why Did I Get Married? . The song Gills and Tails also received radio airplay.
Lovely Standards
In May 2007, Larrieux released a jazz standard cover album entitled Lovely Standards . It broke into the top five of the Top Jazz Albums and sold 3,700 units in its first week on store shelves.
Larrieux was featured on Tupac Shakur|2Pac 's 2007 greatest hits album Best of 2Pac Part 1: Thug , on the previously unreleased song "Resist the Temptation".
Recent career
On February 4, 2010, SoulSummer.com announced that Larrieux is currently in the studio with Bryce Wilson working on Groove Theory 's second official album. http://www.soulsummer.com/groove-theory-back-in-the-groove The duo had their first live show together in years on Oct 7, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. http://www.culturekiosque.com/travel/item18175.htm Larrieux said of the show, "Tokyo was too fly, as usual. The audiences just got better and better." Larrieux said in a November 2010 interview that she and Wilson are currently looking for a label they feel comfortable with. http://hellobeautiful.com/hellobeautiful-original/hellobeautifulstaff2/amel-larrieux-independent-artists-of-color-are-too-under-the-radar-exclusive-video/ As of August 2011 Larrieux stated Groove Theory have not recorded any new material. http://www.j9musiclife.com/2011/08/musiclife-interview-w-amel-larrieux.html
In March 2009, Larrieux released the songs "Orange Glow" and "Don't Let Me Down" from her forthcoming album, Ice Cream Every Day , to iTunes and other online music stores.cite web |url= http://www.blisslife.com/bliss/index.php|date=June 2008|accessdate=2008-12-16|title=Blisslife News|publisher=Blisslife.comcite web |url= http://www.soulbounce.com/soul/2009/03/amel_larrieux_has_us_feeling_the_glow.php |title=Amel Larrieux Has Us Feeling The 'Glow' |date=3 March 2009 http://www.honeysoul.com/wp/? p=3019 Larrieux also contributed "Don't Let Me Down" to the Enough Project . Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congos women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo. http://raisehopeforcongomusic.org/ Larrieux said on Oct 19, 2010 that she was "dutifully" trying new things for her fifth studio album. http://www.facebook.com/note.php? note_id=490595559387 In August 2011, Larrieux confirmed through Power Player Magazine the release date for her new album to be late January 2012. When asked about the five year delay on her fifth album, Larrieux said she wanted to add and delete more songs to perfect the final product. "I stay on the road a lot," she said. "My experiences inform me as a writer, so then I come back and I have more songs to write, and I keep adding and subtracting, so the editing process made this album take a little bit longer than I expected." http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=5GDy8yP5bEc& feature=youtube_gdata_player
Discography
Albums
Year
Album
Chart positions
U.S.
U.S. R& B
U.S. jazz
U.S. indie
2000
Infinite Possibilities
79
21
2004
Bravebird
166
28
5
2006
Morning (Amel Larrieux album)
74
8
5
2007
Lovely Standards
195
32
3
22
2012
Ice Cream Every Day
-
-
-
-
Singles
Year
Single
Chart positions
Album
U.S.
U.S. R& B
1996
"You Will Rise" ( Sweetback (band)
112
42
Sweetback
1999
"Get Up"
97
37
Infinite Possibilities
2000
"Sweet Misery"
81
"I N I"
"Make Me Whole"
"Now You Know Better" ( Mondo Grosso featuring Amel Larrieux)
MG4
2001
"Glitches (The Skin You're In)" (with The Roots )
Down to Earth (2001 film)
2004
"For Real"
45
Bravebird
"We Can Be New"
2006
"Weary"
113
Morning
2007
" If I Were a Bell "
Lovely Standards
"No One Else"
Why Did I Get Married? soundtrack
2009
"Orange Glow"
Ice Cream Every Day
"Don't Let Me Down"
Raise Hope for Congo
Album appearances
Year
Song
Album
1997
"It's Luv" (Deja Gruv featuring Amel Larrieux)
Luv Jonz
1998
"Time After Time" ( Towa Tei featuring Amel Larrieux and Viv)
Sound Museum
2000
"Guidance" ( Guru (rapper)
Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Streetsoul
2001
"Believe in Love"
Epic Records: A Season of Soul and Sounds
2002
"I Don't Know" ( Soulive featuring Amel Larrieux)
Next (Soulive album)
2003
" Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song)
1, 2, To the Bass
2007
"Resist the Temptation" ( Tupac Shakur
Best of 2Pac Part 1: Thug
Soundtracks
Year
Song
Film
2001
"Glitches (The Skin You're In)" (with The Roots )
Down to Earth (2001 film)
2002
"What's Come Over Me? " (with Glenn Lewis )
Barbershop (film)
2007
"No One Else"
Why Did I Get Married?
Videos
1996: "You Will Rise" ( Sweetback (band)|Sweetback featuring Amel Larrieux) directed by Polish Brothers
1999: "Get Up" directed by Floria Sigismondi
2000: "Sweet Misery" directed by Earle Sebastian
2001: "Glitches (The Skin You're In)" ( The Roots featuring Amel Larrieux) directed by Nzingha Stewart
2004: "For Real" directed by Sanaa Hamri
2006: "Weary" directed by Jon Menefee and 8 Hertz
References
reflist
External links
http://www.blisslife.com/ Blisslife Records website
http://www.obnoxiouslisteners.com/profile/amel-larrieux/ Obnoxious Listeners review of Amel Larrieux
Persondata| NAME = Larrieux, Amel | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American singer-songwriter and keyboardist | DATE OF BIRTH = March 8, 1973 | PLACE OF BIRTH = New York City , New York , United States | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Larrieux, Amel Category:1973 births Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:American jazz keyboardists Category:American jazz singers Category:American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues keyboardists Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul keyboardists Category:American soul singers Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of French descent Category:Living people Category:Neo soul singers Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People from Manhattan Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:Female jazz musicians
