Amber Mark (born December 29, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. Her multifaceted style implements sounds from hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul, and bossa nova.[3] She released her first album, 3:33am, in May 2017, followed by her EP Conexão in 2018; her second album, Three Dimensions Deep, was released in January 2022.

Amber Mark
Born (1993-12-29) December 29, 1993 (age 30)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • Songwriter
Years active2016–present
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
Labels
Websiteambermarkmusic.com

Mark was also a featured artist on Chromeo's Head over Heels (2018), which was nominated for "Best Engineered Album" at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[4]

Early life

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Mark was born on December 29, 1993, on a farm in Summertown, Tennessee, to a Jamaican father and a German mother from Kaiserslautern, whose name was Mia Mark.[1] Amber Mark's mother was a painter and her father was a musician.[5][6] She has an older half-brother and an older sister.[7] She and her mother lived in Miami, New York, and Munich eventually moving to a Darjeeling monastery in India so that her mother could learn Tibetan Buddhist thangka painting.[6][5][1] After spending a few years there, they moved back to her mother's home country, in the Pankow borough of Berlin.[8] It was Mia Mark who gave Amber her first guitar; Amber started to teach herself how to play music. Before she attended high school, Amber Mark and her mother moved back to New York City, where her godparents legally adopted her so that she could go to Talent Unlimited High School in The City.[1][6]

Amber Mark and her mother later moved back to Miami where her brother lived.[7] Mark attended Miami Beach Senior High.[7] She joined the high school choir and an after school rock ensemble.[7] She said during an interview that this was when she realized that she wanted to be an artist.[9] She moved back later to New York City where she interned at Roc Nation.[7] Mia Mark died in 2013 at the age of 60.

Career

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Mark released her debut single "Space" to her SoundCloud in 2016.[10] In 2017 she released her first album, 3:33am. As Mark explained, "[t]hree has been a really common number in my life. My mother was born in 1953, my brother was born in 1983 and I was born in 1993. Then my mum passed away on June 3, at 10:23pm in 2013. Since then, I'd see threes everywhere. When I was writing the EP in New York... and out of the zone, I would check the clock and I always remember it being 3:33am."[11] The album art features a photo taken by her sister, in which Mark is wearing a watch that reads 3:33.[12]

Each song on the record represents one of the six stages of grief.[13] The song "Monsoon" includes samples of her mother's voice, which she explained in an interview with Sound of Boston as "a video recording of me flying back to New York for the summer while we were living in Berlin. I wanted to make a video for my godmother from my mother. Hence why I’m telling her that they don’t speak German and that she needs to speak English. When she says she loves me that is from a more recent recording she made for me while she was in hospice."[12] Her mother, Mia, also influenced her fashion greatly and Mark elaborated on this influence in her 2017 interview with Vogue as the 3:33am album was being released.[14]

In 2018 she released the EP Conexão that included the single "Love Me Right".[15]

Discography

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Albums

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Title Details
3:33am
  • Released: May 12, 2017
  • Label: PMR/Virgin EMI
  • Format: digital download
Three Dimensions Deep

Extended Play (EP)

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Title Details
Conexão
Loosies
  • Released: November 22, 2024
  • Label: Interscope
  • Format: Streaming, digital download

Singles

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As lead artist

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Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album/EP/Single
UK
[16]
IRE
[17]
"S P A C E"[18] 2016 3:33am
"Monsoon"[19]
(featuring Mia Mark)
"Way Back"[20]
"Lose My Cool"[21] 2017
"Can You Hear Me?"[22]
"Heatwave"[23] 2018 Non-album single
"Love Me Right"[24] Conexão
"Put You On"[25]
(featuring DRAM)
Non-album singles
"High On Your Love"[26]
"Mixer"[27] 2019
"What If"[28]
"Generous"[29] 2020
"Heart Shaped Box"[30] 1894
"Waiting"[31]
"1894"[32]
"My People"[33] Non-album singles
"Thong Song"[34]
"I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City"[35]
"Heat"[36]
(with Paul Woolford)
2021 61 99
"Worth It"[38] Three Dimensions Deep
"Competition"[39]
"Foreign Things"[40]
"What It Is"[41]
"Softly"
"Comin' Around Again" 2024 TBA
"Space & Time"
"Lovely Day"
"Won't Cry" Loosies
"Sink In"
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.
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Title Year Album
"Trees On Fire"[42]
(DJDS featuring Amber Mark & Marco Mckinnis)
2017 Big Wave More Fire
"Like A Hunger"[43]
(Wilma Archer featuring Amber Mark)
Like A Hunger
"Just Friends"

(Chromeo featuring Amber Mark)

2018 Head Over Heels
"I Feel Energy"[44]
(Dirty Projectors featuring Amber Mark)
2018 Lamp Lit Prose
"You've Got To Feel"[45]
(Empress Of featuring Amber Mark)
2020 Non-album single
"Out of Luck"[46]
(Tkay Maidza featuring Lolo Zouaï and Amber Mark)
2023 Sweet Justice

Awards and nominations

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Year Awarding Body Category Nominated work Result
2019 Grammy Awards Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical[4] Head over Heels Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "From Buddhism to Berlin: An Interview with Amber Mark". January 21, 2020. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  2. ^ https://thevogue.com/artists/amber-mark/ [bare URL]
  3. ^ "Amber Mark". Interscope Records. June 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Amber Mark". Grammy.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Interview | amber mark". September 7, 2017. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Meet Amber Mark, Whose Soulful Pop Will Make You Dance and Cry at the Same Time". Pitchfork. April 5, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Amber Mark Embraces Vulnerability in Music and Life". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  8. ^ "This Rising Soul Star Finds Inspiration in the Bohemian Wardrobe Her Mother Left Behind". May 12, 2017. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  9. ^ Wilford, Carly (August 21, 2017). "Amber Mark Interview". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  10. ^ Taylor Bennett, Kim (April 25, 2016). "Who the Hell Is Amber Mark?". Vice. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Fanthorpe, Katie (July 19, 2017). "Amber Mark: a songwriter's desire for more S P A C E". Here Comes The Song. Archived from the original on December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Bedian, Knar (October 7, 2017). "Interview: Amber Mark". Sound of Boston - Boston Music Blog. Archived from the original on January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  13. ^ Evans, Steph (May 15, 2017). "Amber Mark shows prowess in life and music on debut '3:33am' EP". EARMILK. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  14. ^ Bobb, Brooke (May 12, 2017). "Interview: Amber Mark". Vogue. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  15. ^ "Amber Mark | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  16. ^ Peaks in the United Kingdom:
  17. ^ Peaks in the Ireland:
  18. ^ "Amber Mark - Space". Discogs. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  19. ^ "Amber Mark - Monsoon". Discogs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  20. ^ "Amber Mark - Way Back". Discogs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  21. ^ "Lose My Cool By Amber Mark". Spotify. March 24, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  22. ^ "Can You Hear Me (Rework) – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. October 10, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  23. ^ "Heatwave – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. August 18, 2017. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Love Me Right (Remixes) – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. April 20, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  25. ^ "Put You On – Single by Amber Mark & DRAM". iTunes Store. September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  26. ^ "High on Your Love – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. October 2, 2018. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  27. ^ "Mixer – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  28. ^ "What If – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. June 7, 2019. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  29. ^ "Generous by Amber Mark". Spotify. January 31, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  30. ^ "Heart Shaped Box - Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. April 2020. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  31. ^ "Waiting (Demo) - Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. April 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  32. ^ "1894 – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  33. ^ "My People - Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. June 19, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  34. ^ "Thong Song - Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. August 21, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  35. ^ "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City (From "Grand Army") - Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  36. ^ "HEAT - Single by Paul Woolford & Amber Mark". iTunes Store. February 19, 2021. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  37. ^ "British certifications – Amber Mark". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 22, 2022. Type Amber Mark in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  38. ^ "Worth It - Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. April 23, 2021. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  39. ^ "Competition (Single Edit) - Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. June 9, 2021. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  40. ^ "Foreign Things – Single by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  41. ^ "Three Dimensions Deep by Amber Mark". iTunes Store. January 28, 2022. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  42. ^ "Trees On Fire (feat. Amber Mark & Marco Mckinnis) – Single by DJDS". iTunes Store. June 16, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  43. ^ "This Alt Pop Tune Has The Heady Rush Of Your First Summer Crush". The Fader. April 20, 2017. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  44. ^ "I Feel Energy (feat. Amber Mark)". Spotify. July 13, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  45. ^ "You've Got To Feel (feat. Amber Mark)". Spotify. October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  46. ^ "Tkay Maidza unveils the brand new single, "Out of Luck"". the Line of Best Fit. October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
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