Ambré Is the Storyteller New Orleans Needs

The New Orleans R&B singer speaks on storytelling in her music and her latest EP 3000°.

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Photo: Laiken Joy & Green Image

Everything Ambré writes in her music is intentional. It’s there for a reason.

Born India Perkins, Ambré has played in the background for much of her career, writing for a plethora of award-winning artists that include H.E.R., Chloe x Halle and Kehlani. But now, the R&B singer is ready to be the protagonist of her own story.

Unsurprisingly, Ambré is a lover of movies, and for her, every project is a new script.

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“I would describe my music as a journey. Everything I do with my music is intentional,” said Ambré. “I try to tell stories and paint pictures for people. There’s a visual aspect to my music. I’m just telling stories with whatever brush I can use to paint that picture.”

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Ironically, Ambré is not the best storyteller when it comes to just talking. But when it comes to songwriting, she is a natural. It’s no surprise considering she is a fan of some of the most talented storytellers to ever touch a mic. Just as she taught herself to play the guitar, she taught herself how to make a visual song.

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“The music I listen to subconsciously informs my choices,” said Ambré. “People like Andre 3000, Kendrick Lamer and Frank Ocean are some of my favorite storytellers. Just how they can pull you into what they’re saying and bring you to that place. While also lyrically painting a picture.”

Those hours of listening and paying attention to those artists have paid off and now Ambré knows how to write her own screenplay.

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“My music is a combination of what I’m going through and what I see people around me going through,” said Ambré. “I might make a song that’s completely true, but I’m telling the story of one of my best friends. I see them go through something and I want to write about it and try to see it from their perspective.

Ambré uniquely blends her voice with creative sounds, but all of the lyrics and subject matter come from real-life experiences she’s gone through. Just look at the album cover for her latest EP, 3000°. It’s her standing in the middle, with friends and family surrounding her. They’re a part of this story too.

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“I had a lot of things happen in my life that made me realize what was important,” said Ambré. “I’ve been chasing being an artist and doing music for some time now. I feel like I lost sight of what was important and what drives my music, and that’s family and love.”

One of those wake-up calls was almost losing her mom a year ago. Now, Ambré focuses on things that hit close to home, which are her family and the beautiful city of New Orleans.

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Image for article titled Ambré Is the Storyteller New Orleans Needs
Photo: Brooke Ashley Barone

Ambré puts a piece of “The Big Easy” in every project she makes. Using Juvenile’s 1998 album, 400 Degreez, as inspiration for the title of her latest EP. The eight-track project is a musical love letter to the city that raised her. She beautifully infuses sounds and culture while also highlighting stories and experiences that are unique to her and this generation of music listeners.

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This creative blend is highlighted the most on the tracks “ Drake and Drive” and “3 Peat.” The former is a direct reference to the term that young people use to listen to Drake while driving, but you ultimately end up at your ex’s house without knowing it.

The latter is a beautiful blend of horns you would hear someone playing walking down Bourbon street and lyrics that are relatable to a 25-year-old trying to weave their way through life.

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“I very much intentionally wanted people to know I’m from New Orleans. Like they’ll make no mistake about it. Those influences are why I am the way I am now,” said Ambré.

Now she is one of the most unique and vivid R&B artists out, and people are taking notice. This year alone she’s performed at Roots Picnic and Essence Fest and is set to make an appearance at Afropunk this September.

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“I always knew it was going to happen,” says Ambré when referring to her recent success. “I didn’t start making music by accident. I’ve been making music since I was a kid. I studied music. It was just about getting people to listen.”