Neu Amber Mark talks new EP ‘Conexão’ and staying true to her emotions

The ‘3.33 AM’ follow-up is out now.

Words: Will Richards
5th November 2018

Amber Mark’s debut EP ‘3.33 AM’ remains a brilliantly bold, emotional first step. Released last year, it chronicled the death of the singer’s mother and her process in coming to terms with it.

The New York-based singer has now released her new EP ‘Conexão’, a brilliant, considered progression which just affirms her standing as one of the most exciting new singers and producers in the Big Apple.

Helmed by lead single ‘Love Me Right’, the EP tackles relationships and moving on, all while taking significant influence from Bossa Nova.

With the new EP out now, we picked up the phone and chatted to Amber about the release, moving on from ‘3.33 AM’ and inviting others into the production process.

Hi Amber! How are you at the moment?

I'm good! Just about to head off on tour around the US. It's a lot of travelling.

And your new EP ‘Conexão’ is out now - how long has it been in the works?

It's probably been finished for about a month and a half.

And it’s a relief to have it out there, we assume…

Yes, absolutely. One of the songs is really old, so it's great to have that out finally. I'm really nervous for people to hear it, but excited too.

Did everything come together quite easily in the writing process?

It was a little hard at the beginning. I put out [debut EP] '3.33 AM' and that was so meaningful, and I felt like I needed to put something out next that was even more meaningful, and more emotional, so I spent a couple of months really struggling with that, and getting frustrated with myself. Then I had this epiphany, and came to the conclusion that nothing is ever going to compare to what '3.33' meant to me, because of what the subject was, and I came to terms with that and let that all go.

I just started writing what I was feeling. I was kind of against that too though, because, as it turned out, it was about love. I don't really like to talk about that! I was quite hesitant doing that. But people have really appreciated my music because of how honest I was with my feelings, so I ended up just writing about it. I tried to make it as non-cheesy as possible though!

"People have really appreciated my music because of how honest I was with my feelings."

And [lead single] ‘Love Me Right’ is hardly a traditional love song!

Exactly! There's always ups and downs. It's just a little taste of the next chapter.

In terms of moving on from writing ‘3.33’, not many peoples’ first release would go as deep as that EP did - did it feel like it had to be your first statement as an artist?

I don't know if it had to be my first release, but I was just putting out music that was reflecting what I was going through. I always dreamt of getting to do this as a career, but didn't quite expect it to happen, so I was just putting out stuff that was honest, and so I had something to show. It was a therapy for me to write, and so I've just continued to write about my life. It helps me, and probably the most enjoyable for me to present to people, because it comes from such a deep place.

With such honest, experience-driven writing, was it ever a worry after ‘3.33’ that the well might run dry?

Oh it was definitely a worry! I'm writing about my life, and I did stop and think 'Oh, what if there's nothing interesting to write about?'. I feel like, especially when with '3.33 AM', I had a few years of processing before writing it all down, with 'Conexao' it's just been one year of writing. I had some more time to experience life. I'm kind of a dramatic person, so there's always drama in my life! I try and spin it positively though! I don't think I will ever run dry, but the fear is real.

And are you writing stuff moving forward from the EP?

Yeah, I've been writing for a few weeks now. I've been working with a bunch of different producers, which is a very new experience for me. It's been interesting, and I'm getting my bearings in a new world of working with other people. I'm still going to be doing stuff on my own, but it's slowly but surely coming together and figuring it out for an album. It's a bit intimidating but I'm slowly acclimating.

'Conexão' is out now via PMR.

Tags: Amber Mark, Features, Neu