In a musical world of manufactured artists, Amber always keeps it remarkably real.
She has amassed an impassioned army of fans with a string of worldwide smash hits that include “This Is Your Night,” “Sexual (Li Da Di),” “Above The Clouds,” and “The Need To Be Naked” – songs that are smarter, bolder, and more infectious than your average, paint-by-numbers pop tunes. She has blazed a unique path by continually challenging the accepted boundaries of music. In short, Amber has never played it safe.With “MY KIND OF WORLD,” Amber takes her greatest risk to date by shining a light on the deepest — and sometimes the darkest — parts of her heart and soul. The result is a collection of literate, often brutally honest songs that reveal Amber’s renegade soul.
“This time, there were no limits to what I was allowed to do,” she says about her fourth studio set’s creation. “This is a reflection of my world and the different emotions that cannot be described or captured with only one genre or sound. “All of the styles that have influenced me flowed into each other and created a new sound that I can really call my own.”
As a result, “MY KIND OF WORLD” shows Amber building upon her rich dance music history, while also effectively exploring stylistic avenues that include rock, funk, and jazz.
“It goes against my natural grain to be pigeonholed,” she asserts, adding that the Wolfram Dettki produced mélange of urban rhythms, aggressive guitars, and intricate keyboards illustrate “how an album should sound.”
Lyrically, “MY KIND OF WORLD” is a confessional storyboard that traces the emotional rollercoaster of a woman ending one chapter of her life and beginning another.
“While writing these songs, I was going through a divorce,” Amber reveals. “Instead of going to a psychiatrist, I wrote about the experience. As a woman, I felt betrayed in many ways, and I tried to capture that in these songs. People have relationships, and they’re not perfect. They have dark colors. This is the reality of life.”
The reality of life is perhaps most evident on tracks like “Crucified Solitude” and “Sacrificial Lamb,” the latter of which was penned by Amber’s mother, Anne-Mieke de Vroomen.
“She came up with an incredibly emotional song that truly spoke my language,” the artist says. “She really crawled into my world and felt how upset I was about my life and my surroundings at that specific time. When I sang it, I was feeling real pain and shedding real tears. It was mymusical anger management.”
“Crucified Solitude” represents where Amber is standing now. “It’s about how everything has changed,” she says. “I know who and what I am… by myself. I don’t need to be confirmed by other people. I’m now woman enough to be confident about myself. All of the bad stuff has been crucified. It’s dead and gone.”
That rush of empowerment spills into “You Move Me,” the single that introduces “MY KIND OF WORLD.”
“Quite simply, it’s an anthem,” Amber declares with a smile. “It’s a positive song that tells people about the importance of having a fresh, direct approach to life. It’s really straight-forward and uplifting.”
Amber agrees that “You Move Me” is paradoxical to her more ebullient, club-oriented NAKED. Is she afraid of startling fans with an album with such a stark contrast? For fans who simply want to dance?
“Absolutely not,” she says. “The music industry often underestimates fans. As an artist and as a human being, I want to give the fans credit to move forward as their lives change. I’ve learned that they relate most to honesty. It’s when you treat them like they’re not smart or like they’ll keep buying the same thing over and over that you alienate them.
I trust the people who have enjoyed my music in the past to appreciate these songs. I have faith that they’ll be touched by what they hear.”
They will likely be strongly moved by “More Time For A Child,” a heartrending song about the challenges of growing up in a chaotic world. It was written by Amber’s sister, Anne-Fleur Cremers, several years ago, “but we weren’t ready to share it with people yet,” she says.
I believe that we are all products of our environments and the people that we are surrounded by growing up and it is our responsibility to make the right choices and figure out where we finally want to be and change experiences into positive ones and take them on and learn from them in order to lead a fulfilled life.
Coupled with “Sacrificial Lamb,” “More Time For A Child” sends an important message from Amber to the world – she is part of a strong family unit that will band together against the winds of an often all-too-cold world. Although she happily collaborates with a wide and impressive range of tunesmiths and producers, she is extremely comfortable working with her family. “We share an unbelievable love and trust,” she says. “We protect each other. And we support each other. There is an undeniable spiritual link, connection and talent that takes a musical creation to another level. This is what my future is about – as both a woman and as an artist.”
Amber’s bright future has been buoyed by a history that saw her rise above the crowded and competitive ranks of clubland divas. With sterling
gems like “Yes!,” “If You Could Read My Mind” (from the “Studio 54” soundtrack with Ultra Nate and Jocelyn Enriquez), and “One More Night,” she has racked up an impressive seven consecutive No. 1 dance singles. Her songs have been covered by an array of artists — she co-penned one track called “Bless you child” for Bette Midler’s album release in 2000 and most notably Cher, whose rendition of “Love One Another” earned Amber a Grammy nomination in 2004.
Additionally, the Amber tunes “Taste The Tears,” “Object Of My Desire” and “Above the clouds” have been prominently featured on the red-hot “Sex & the City.” Writing music for film and television is among the mountains that the artist is eyeing for future domination.
“We’re working on that right now,” she says with a confident smile. “We’re close to making some exciting things happen.”
Perhaps most exciting is the fact that Amber is a woman in charge of her destiny. Newly minted as an independent artist running her own show, she is forging forward with more verve and energy than she ever has in the past.
“No longer do I have to live in anyone else’s world or dance to someone else’s beat,” she says. “This is MY kind of world. It’s a world of my own design. It’s full of hard work and emotion and struggle. But it’s also a beautiful place to be.”
