BIO
“Ice Cream Everyday” (Blisslife Records), Amel’s fifth solo album, was released in October, 2013.
An urban chanteuse by birth, Amel Larrieux grew up in a West Village “artists building” in New York City, her parents exposing her early to a community of artists and artistic experiences that would mold her eclectic sensibilities. At the age of 18, sure that she wanted to express herself musically, Amel wrote and demoed a song, which led to her pairing with Bryce Wilson to form the duo Groove Theory. As lead vocalist and co-writer for the group, she enjoyed success with “Tell Me,” which broke the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top five on the R&B charts before being certified gold in October 1995.
Released in April, 2006, “Morning” (Blisslife Records) was Amel’s third solo album. She used it as an opportunity to explore the endless range of promise and potential—as well as the disappointments—in being human. “Weary,” the first single from this album, was inspired by a friend’s experience and was composed for independent people who long for someone with whom they can share life’s trials and tribulations.
Flying high with a Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals Grammy nomination for her work on Stanley Clarke’s “Where is The Love,” Amel Larrieux stretched her wings in “Bravebird” (Blisslife Records), her second solo work that was released in 2004, rising courageously into atmosphere untouched by her contemporaries. The ballad “For Real” pulses with the beat of early Prince, offering a classic, unabashed ode to the human heart. In “Bravebird,” Amel mourns female circumcision by describing a fearless victim who fled her native Somalia for the U.S.
In her solo debut in 2000, “Infinite Possibilities “(Epic Records), Amel fuses a range of genres – R&B, soul, hip-hop, jazz and folk, with flashes of Middle Eastern, West African, and Indian styles. Its single “Get Up” is an ode to working people that became a modern anthem and magnet for the growing legion of Amel’s fans.
Amel has contributed to film soundtracks, writing and singing in such films as Barbershop, Love Jones, Down To Earth, Sunset Park, Takers, and Why Did I Get Married .. Equal to Amel’s vocal and writing talent is her alluring beauty and eclectic style. She has been spotlighted as a style maven in Essence, Honey, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Lucky Magazine, Trace, The Fader and other magazines and was also featured in the Coach anniversary print campaign. More recently her vocal talent and beauty have been central to Coca-Cola’s “Keep It Real” campaign in television, radio and print ads. She is also a trained dancer and a dedicated yoga enthusiast.
She is happily married to manager, producer and musical collaborator Laru Larrieux and they are the proud parents of two girls, Sanji-Rei and Sky.