Meet Amber (AKA Home) Edwards | Singer/Songwriter, Entertainer, & Vocal Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amber (AKA Home) Edwards and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber (AKA Home), we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Well originally I was a bystander in my own music career waiting for an opportunity and that kind of worked for a little while. Friends and colleagues would invite me to perform with them in shows around the city, while I was still in college and it gave me the chance to perform on some pretty popular local stages. Eventually though it wasn’t fulfilling enough to be apart of someone else’s vision; because I knew I had a vision of my own that I needed to see come to light. In this business (Music Business) you have to be a lot of things to yourself all wrapped in one, Manager, Talent Agent, Assistant, Producer, Fan. Not to say that eventually people won’t come along to fill those roles in your life (they will) but in the beginning people gotta see you taking yourself serious before they will want to join in which makes since. Would you want to invest in something you didn’t see the potential in? My guess is no, and that’s real. So I bet on myself and that’s how I began managing my own music career using the things I learned while pursuing my degree in Music Business; because if I don’t see the potential in myself and I’m not willing to put in the work for myself I can’t expect others to do the same.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to think of my music as a form of therapy for me and anyone who listens. Every song I’ve written is inspired by things I reflect on in my journal which makes it really personal to me. You can also really understand my thought process when working though my emotions in my music if you follow the lyrics close enough and that level of storytelling makes me really proud of my art. I work though my own emotions in every song I write and the lyrics are normally me reflecting and rationalizing about the situations I’m presented with, which I feel like we don’t get that too often with popular music today.

I got to where I am today through a lot of tears, a lot of talks with God, a lot of no’s, a lot of trial and error; so no it definitely wasn’t easy but the good things in life usually aren’t. My biggest challenge would be making a name for myself and people recognizing me for my music. For the longest I would ask God why no one was seeing me even when I showed up for myself; why I wasn’t getting offered opportunities or people wanting to collab with me like my peers. Well eventually I just decided if I want motion I’ll just have to make the waves myself. At first I was posting remixes of popular songs on my socials weekly to show people my pen work and hopefully get connected with producers but I wasn’t getting any collab’s through that; so eventually I just started buying my own beats online and recording by myself, paying for my own studio time working extra jobs to save money to get my songs mixed and mastered, booking my own shows instead of waiting to be invited. I stopped caring about who supported and just did what made me happy.

Am I fully where I want to be in my music career? Not by a long shot, but I’ve made so much progress betting on myself and I’m a strong believer in the grass will grow where you water it. So I keep advocating for myself and putting myself on which gives me that much more pride in my work because no one can take my accomplishments away from me or say I didn’t get it on my own! One thing I want people to take away from my story is that for every major accomplishment I’ve had there were MAJOR setbacks a long the way and I learned anything worth having is not given out easily; so keep chasing your dreams no matter how many times you’re told “no” just continue to tell yourself YES. “Yes I can”, “Yes I deserve this”, “Yes I’m supposed to be here”. The world will eventually catch on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well for starters I would say come to Denver mid summer; end of June beginning of July. The weather is the best and there are SO MANY festivals in the city so it would never be a dull moment on the trip (Black Arts Festival, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Pride, etc.). So lets say it’s a weekend in late June (Juneteenth to be exact) I would take them to the Juneteenth festival in Five points on Welton St. Five Points is a historical black neighborhood where back in the days of redlining (which was a term the city used to segregate Black people from White America.) Black people could only live designated areas and Five points was one of them. It’s not the most positive fact to look back on, but it is beautiful to see how black people, my people created a community with the space they were given and I think it’s important to share that story with people who may not know. Many people try to erase it’s history by calling it the “RiNo District” but I choose to respect my culture and the history that neighborhood holds by still calling it Five Points (and you should too). I would also take them to Pride because it’s the same weekend as Juneteenth its extremely fun and honestly that entire weekend is just a huge party between both festivals! While we’re in Five Points I would take them to Agave Shore for some food and drinks and fun atmosphere. Sometimes they do karaoke but overall it’s just a fun time. Now I don’t know about you but whenever I travel I LOVE TO SHOP so I would definitely take them to Colorado Mills, or Castle Rock Outlets just because I think they have the best stores lots of small local boutiques and gorgeous outdoor views. Now if they want the social butterfly vibes I would say they have to check out Vibes In The Park which happens most Sunday’s in City park, or Munchies & Mimosas. It’s always good vibes, friendly people, and the DJ’s are always on point!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shout out God first I’m not a super religious person but I do believe in a higher power and I know that I gain my strength through my connection to God. I would also like to shout out my family and friends for being a strong foundation for me to grow, love and be loved. To all the teachers in my life who saw potential in me and helped me grow as a woman. The Denver Children’s Choir for being my home away from home and giving me a space to grow into myself. Denver School of The Arts (2008-2015 Vocal Department) for holding me to a standard that keeps me accountable for the work I put out into the world. Every professor I studied with at Metropolitan State University, Santa Fe University of Art and Design, and University of Colorado Denver. Every voice teacher and choral conductor I’ve ever studied with for the technical knowledge and mentorship they gave me. Lastly, all of my peers through out the years for being extraordinarily talented and sharing their talent while we learned along side each other and unknowingly pushing me to do my best.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justcallmehome/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D

Image Credits
Vows On The Run Photography, Rose Compton, Dalma Dibuz, Mike Heat