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Interviews
How Would Amerie Spend $66,136.95?
The R&B star’s “1 Thing” is the single of the year so far, and her
second album, Touch, just dropped. We asked her to spend the song’s iTunes
earnings to date.
I am a jeans person. I would get a whole bunch of True Religions ($2,358 for
nine pairs) because I’m addicted to those. If you like stretch jeans,
they’re extremely stretchy and very comfortable. They have lots of cute
washes. I get them anywhere I can. I just went on this wild-goose chase
looking for them. Right now, I’m also on the hunt for this Cesare Paciotti
sandal with charms all over it ($775). Usually what I do is carry tear
sheets with me. I always go in to Gucci—they make one must-have shoe a
season. I’d love the one I wore in my “1 Thing” video—it’s a gold
shoe with gold studs all up the heel and lots of hardware (Goa sandal,
$795).
I’ve been on the road now for a little over a month. I could really use a
set of those Bose headphones that block out all the sound to wear on the
plane (QuietComfort 2, $299). I have some of the Louis Vuitton luggage, but
I kind of want the whole collection. You have to special-order the shoe
trunk (Armoire Trunk, $32,700). It’s just a luxury thing. You don’t even
fit a lot of stuff in there, but I love it.
There’s this M.A.C eyeliner color I saw that I really like, but I
haven’t had a chance to buy it. It’s a blue kohl pencil called Blooz
($13). I would love a big tub of Crème de la Mer (16.5 ounces, $1,200).
I would take my whole family, my best friend, my management team, and my
“glam squad,” I call them the “A team”—my hair and makeup
people—to Mr. Chow ($799.96 for ten). And then I’d buy the girls bags.
There’s this bag called the Fendi Spy bag. It is so hot. I shouldn’t
even say the name of it or I won’t be able to get one. It’s kind of
extravagant but it’s a great everyday bag. I would get three: one dark
brown with the logo ($1,680), one that’s all white leather with red
handles ($1,950), and then the classic black ($1,980). I’m going into
sensory overload.
I would buy my dad a new set of Callaway golf clubs ($1,397) and get the
rest of the guys Hublot watches ($18,500 for five). I’d really like to buy
the black ceramic Chanel watch with ruby baguettes and diamonds ($57,500)
for myself, but I guess that’s out of the budget.
My Yorkie, Jean Pierre, is three years old. He comes from a line of show
dogs, I just have to say that. He’s perfect. Perfect size. Perfect
height—everything. I would take him to have a spa day at the New York Dog
Spa & Hotel (Day of Beauty, $150). He already has a Louis Vuitton
carrier, but I would get a new one ($1,400). Ralph Lauren has Polo shirts
for dogs with the little Polo man on the collar. I’d get four of them
($128). One in blue, one in yellow, one in red, and one in purple.
I do love to cook. I love to shop at Whole Foods, but that gets really
expensive. My favorite are those Odwalla soy drinks, the Vanilla Al’mondos
($2.99). Oh, but you know what I found in Japan? Häagen-Dazs makes a
green-tea flavor. You can’t get it here, but it tastes just like the mochi
ice cream at Nobu ($9).
Q&A with Amerie
Soulful R&B songbird Amerie on hit records, a jet-set touring schedule,
her budding acting career and when she’ll next perform in D.C.
Q: Let's set the record straight: Is it Ahh-merie or "A"-merie?
A: "A"-merie, please!
Q: You live outside of New York now. Do you miss D.C.?
A: You know, I was always traveling, always doing photo shoots in New York,
so I moved here from Washington in 2003. But I still come back to D.C. I
graduated from Georgetown University in 2000—I can't believe it's already
been five years—and I walk through campus every time I'm back. It gives me
such a nostalgic feeling. A lot has happened since then.
Q: That's an understatement. You're such a jet-setter now. Tell us about
touring with Destiny's Child.
A: It was a great time. We did 30-something dates over a couple of months,
always sold-out, some nights with 10,000 fans. It's all a blur now... life
on the road is amazing, and still I was always thinking about the next
thing. The next album, the next tour...
Q: By the time this prints, you'll have finished the European and Japanese
legs of the tour.
A: Yes, I leave at the end of November, but I'll be home for the holidays.
The fans overseas give me a lot of love. You can't help but give them back
every ounce of your being. Japan is really great. The fans there are so
sweet—they give you little presents and are so gracious. The first time I
performed there I was told to expect everyone to be really polite, as in, no
dancing, but they just went wild. They gave me incredible energy, like I'd
get here at an alternative club.
Q: When can your fans next expect to catch you performing here in D.C.?
A: Sometime next year. I want to record another album, get back into the
studio. I think I'll have some new material by the summer. I want to come
back to D.C. when I do.
Q: What are your favorite venues in Washington?
A: I love the MCI Center, and smaller clubs like Dream [now closed and
relaunched as Love] and Juste Lounge that are very intimate, very cool...
Q: How do you pamper yourself when you're on the road?
A: I live out of suitcases. When I'm going hotel to hotel, I really like the
sauna, and if there's a masseuse, a massage really revives you. Such a
treat, with health benefits, too.
Q: Your star is rising fast—you already have two hit albums plus a movie
last year with the soon-to-be Mrs. Tom Cruise [First Daughter]. With such
success, do you indulge yourself at all?
A: I don't like to be super-extravagant. I bought a house—the basic stuff.
I'm always thinking "rainy day." I like my shoes and my bags, but
I want to have something to show for it later.
Q: Do you see yourself as a double threat—singer and actress—or will
music always be your primary passion?
A: Music will always be a part of me; it's who I am. But acting is another
love. I have an acting coach now. It's different from music, but it comes
from the same place. Getting to make your living at what you love to do—I
never take it for granted. It's a blessing. I also love to write. I started
writing even before I sang. My mother would like for me to be a fiction
writer, living in the countryside somewhere, without any pressure. But I
tell her, even writers have pressure, Mom!
Q: Amen to that. Whom do you most admire, and whose success you would like
to emulate?
A: Oprah Winfrey, that's who. She is the woman!
Q: What's next for Amerie?
A: Rehearsals for the European tour, then working on the next album. And I'm
reading some scripts—too early to talk about, because I don't want to jinx
anything. But it's all good.
R&B artist Amerie
has confidence and a new album
NEW YORK — When Amerie's debut single,
"Why Don't We Fall in Love," burst on the airwaves like a
gardenia-scented breeze in summer 2002, most listeners had no problem
doing exactly what the leggy songbird proposed.
But after a winning guest vocal on LL
Cool J's 2003 single "Paradise," Amerie disappeared from the
music scene. Now the 25-year-old is coming back strong with the go-go
flavored "1 Thing," arguably the hottest song from a female
since Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" (both songs were produced by
Rich Harrison).
In between photo shoots, The Associated
Press chatted with the surprisingly petite Georgetown University
graduate about her sound and her strength.
Q: It's been a few years since your debut
album. What have you been up to?
A: I was working on a BET show called
"The Center." It got the best ratings in its time slot. The
full name is "The Student Center" and it deals with how to get
a college scholarship, how to have a great prom, etc. So we did that for
three months and after that I did a movie with Katie Holmes called
"First Daughter," which was directed by Forest Whitaker. It
was a blessing to work with such a great director. He's an actor as
well, so he knew how to get the best out of me and teach me. I worked on
the film for about three months, and after that I started working on
["Touch," her new album].
Q: Your first single, "Why Don't We
Fall in Love," introduced the Rich Harrison sound. Since then he's
worked with Beyoncé and J.Lo. How do you feel about the comparisons?
A: Rich and I started working together
five years ago in a basement. And we created the sound together. We've
both worked with other people but there is something that's different
when we get together, because it's our sound. It's like, Timbaland can
work with other artists but there's still some Aaliyah in there. Rodney
Jerkins can work with another artist, but somehow you're getting that
whole Brandy vibe.
Q: How did you and Rich meet?
A: Through a mutual acquaintance. I'd
been looking for a producer and was on a quest to get my demo together.
And he was looking for a female singer, but he hadn't found someone he
wanted to sign to his production company. So we spoke on the phone and
our first meeting was at a McDonald's. By the third song we recorded, we
found our vibe.
Q: The sound you and Rich created is very
influenced by go-go music. Does that come from growing up in D.C.?
A: Rich was in a go-go band. And I'm a military brat, so I grew up
everywhere. But I went to Georgetown University in D.C. and stayed there
for a couple years after I graduated. So that's been home for me.
Q: When did you start singing?
A: I used to sing all the time, but it
wasn't until high school that I knew this was what I wanted to do with
my life. Before then, I wanted to be an archaeologist, a lawyer or a
writer. Now, my younger sister is going to be a lawyer. [When we were
young], I was the one with the Mona Lisa [print] hanging up on my wall
and the encyclopedias lined up against the wall. And she was the one
with the messy room and posters of singers everywhere. She was the one
listening to music and on the phone constantly. I was the one playing
with the atlas.
Q: As a child, did you feel that you
weren't accepted by some of your peers because of your mixed ethnicity
[her dad is African American, her mother Korean]?
A: We grew up in a military environment
and we were around black kids, white kids, Asian kids and mixed kids. So
we didn't really feel that or get asked what we considered ourselves.
But if we did, we always said we were both Korean and black. The black
culture is a very inclusive culture and the Asian culture is the same
way. It was never a struggle. Of course, growing up you get comments
from other kids and your friends sometimes. What kid doesn't get teased?
Kids will latch on to anything that makes you different. My parents were
very strong in bringing us up as both black and Asian. So we didn't have
to question ourselves and be defined by others.
Q: How does "Touch" differ from
"All I Have"?
A: This album was a lot about growing. As
a person, I grew a lot. But it was also a struggle to get the album
finished. I worked with Rich and other producers as well. Most of that
time, with a couple of exceptions, I approached it the way rappers do
their albums. It was usually me, the engineer, and my business partner
and manager Lenny [Nicholson] in the studio. And I did what I wanted to
do. A lot of times with a female artist, you have people telling you
what to do. But I never accept that. Over the last five years, I've
learned about what I like. [Sony, her record label] has never gotten
involved creatively as far as my image, the videos or the actual music.
So I appreciate that freedom. I'm in a different headspace, so
everything feels different. There's an undercurrent of self-confidence
and strength. And I'm really proud of the album because I know how much
work it took to get it finished.
Q: What were the obstacles you faced in
finishing the album?
A: [Sony] feared the sophomore jinx. We
both wanted it to be perfect. But what I thought was right and what they
thought were two different things. What they thought was hot to me was
very wack. I did "1 Thing" last April, and the label wasn't
feeling it. They needed a sure thing — something that sounds like
what's already on the radio. "1 Thing" is a go-go track and
it's not like anything that's out there. But everyone [outside the
label] I played it for got it. So ... we leaked "1 Thing" to
radio. People started catching on and the label saw that people liked
it. I was so tired during that process. I wanted to give up and do
something completely different. But I had to make sure not to doubt
myself.
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