Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, music was never something distant for Ambriah — it was part of everyday life. As the oldest of three siblings, she was raised in a family where music, faith, and culture all played a major role in shaping who she would become. Blues music echoed throughout her upbringing, and talent ran deep on both sides of her family. Her grandfathers played multiple instruments and traveled as background singers, while her mother and aunts spent years singing in the choir. From the very beginning, music surrounded her.
As a child, Ambriah was naturally drawn to performing. Whether she was singing in talent shows, participating in school plays, or putting on imaginary concerts in the mirror at home, she always found ways to express herself creatively. She also stayed active outside of music, spending her younger years involved in praise dancing, choir, track and field, and cheerleading. Her upbringing was deeply rooted in faith as well. With a Jehovah’s Witness grandmother from Louisiana and a Baptist grandfather born in the Dominican Republic before later moving to Memphis, church became a major influence in her life and helped shape her values and identity.
By the time she was around 16 or 17 years old, Ambriah began creating music herself. At first, it was mostly writing — filling notebooks with thoughts, emotions, and ideas before stepping fully into recording. Before becoming an artist, she was simply a music lover obsessed with discovering new sounds. Armed with an iPod full of songs she jokes she “probably shouldn’t have been listening to” at that age, she spent years studying artists across every genre imaginable.
Her inspirations came from everywhere. One of her biggest influences was Aaliyah, whose confidence, effortless style, and smooth approach to music left a lasting impact on her. But her musical taste stretched far beyond one artist. Ambriah grew up listening to legends like Johnnie Taylor, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Womack, Ann Nesby, Syleena Johnson, The Gap Band, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Kirk Franklin, Jamie Foxx, and Mary Mary. She also found inspiration in hip-hop greats like Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas, Ludacris, Twista, and Scarface.
A big turning point came when her cousins introduced her to LimeWire. Once she figured out how to download music onto her iPod, she became obsessed with discovering artists from every generation and genre. At one point, her mother even erased all the music from her iPod and replaced it with gospel, blues, and Aaliyah records. But by then, the love for music had already taken over — and she downloaded everything back. That experience helped shape the artist she is today, allowing her to pull inspiration from many different sounds and eras.
Because she moved around frequently growing up, Ambriah developed what she describes as a “universal” sound. Her music blends elements of pop, 90s R&B, rap, gospel, and blues into something deeply soulful and authentic. She spent years glued to shows like 106 & Park, MTV Jams, Fuse countdowns, and On Demand music channels, soaking in everything she could. Those moments helped shape both her artistry and her creative vision.
Today, most of her music is recorded in Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, where she continues to develop her sound and grow as an artist. Her most recent release, “Love On Me,” serves as her debut single and introduces listeners to the emotion, soul, and honesty she brings into her music. With more music on the way, Ambriah is only beginning to show the world what she’s capable of.
Along her journey, she gives all credit to God for keeping her grounded and blessed through every stage of life. She also shouts out her engineers, Nate2x and whois09, for taking the time to help execute her vision and bring her sound to life exactly the way she hears it.
