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Photo by Nate Guenther

Sunk in on r&b rhythms, with a voice that both warms the heart and chills the spine, Ambré has that rare gift to deliver staccato bars, then soaring harmonies all within one verse. On her latest album PEYOTE Ambré goes deep into a dream state, coming to terms with grief, betrayal, love and emotional recompense. Always know for her unique ability to sound original in a genre struggling for novel delivery, what stands out for this AOTY candidate is the rugged honesty, a source material of lived experiences filled with grit & eye opening acknowledgement. We were blessed to have Ambré in office with us and got to go on a mental trip wont her, deep diving on the album, good eats and much more: 

OnesToWatch: Who are you? 

Ambre: I am Ambre. 

How have you been? 

I have been wonderful. I've been busy, my new album dropped, and I'm already thinking about the next one. 

When you finish an album, and you've had one out, are you speaking to the next album with that project or do they live alone? 

Not usually, not usually. But this time, I don't want to think as much about it as I usually do. I'm an overthinker. I'm trying not to do that. 

Death by introspection. Tell me about this album. First of all, obviously a pretty potent title. So what's the sort of origin of that? 

The origin of the title is that first I made a song called "Peyote". The title just kept popping up in my head and I wanted to do more research on historical facts about it and the ceremony itself and what it means to its people. I built a world around that idea and tied it into my own history and culture. I also just like psychedelics as a storytelling tool because you can kind of do whatever you want and it makes sense because it's psychedelic. 

They say that psychedelics are one of the best ways for us to heal ourselves. What did you take from your deep dive into into peyote? An appreciation for it's cultural weight and how it allows people to speak to their past, their future? 

I feel like I mostly took away the purging part of it. The getting everything out, and growing and healing from that point. But you gotta get everything out first. You gotta expunge. 

Is the next album ayahuasca? 

I think I might be done with the psychedelics for a second. 

When you write songs, how do you know they fit into an album? 

At first it's just me throwing paint. And then after a while, once you're doing something every day, it just kind of comes together for me at least. Once I have a title or a concept, it guides me into making those decisions. 

How do you stitch it together? How do you figure out the cadence, the tempo between all the songs? 

We played it over and over and over and over and over again. I do this thing – it’s kind of weird – I’ll make a fort, put a blanket over my head, go into my own safe space, and replay everything in different orders until I feel what’s right. 

When you release something, is there something specific you want yourself or your audience to take from it? Or are you just happy to release it in the world? 

A little bit of both. Being good is a big thing for me – I want quality. But I guess that's more so within myself of feeling like I tried my best. Of course, you want people to like it, but I'm satisfied with me being okay with it. 

I'll take that. Let's talk about your upcoming single. How did that come together? What's the inspiration? 

It’s a collab between Leon Bridges and I. Me and Leon have been friends for some years and we work every now and then, so when we made this song, I just pulled up on him at a studio he was working at. We didn't know what was gonna come of it, but I think he specifically wanted to make something for my album. He had more of a vision than I did. But that's how the song came about. 

And what is it about? 

It's about a relationship. It's about the feeling of someone accepting your flaws.

Let’s pivot to some more fun questions. If Live Nation gave you an unlimited budget to put together a festival. Who do you book? 

Outkast. Tame Impala. Can I bring people back from the dead? 

100%. 

Nirvana. Maybe a little Ariana Grande, D'Angelo. Stevie Wonder. And then, of course, I gotta be on it. 

Obviously. If you were to go anywhere in space and time, would you use that power? 

I would go back maybe 10 years before I was born and experience life in that era as an artist. 

Is there is there a nostalgia for that era from your family or something? 

I just don't like social media in my living. So if I could start my career earlier than I was able to, I would do that. 

That's a great answer. love that. If your friends ambush you at your place with what you have in the fridge right now, can you whip up a meal? If so, what would it be? 

Probably a breakfast sandwich. I got eggs. I got bread. 

When you’re at your most peaceful, where are you? What are you doing? 

Sleep. 

Do you do something that makes you fall asleep or do you just get into your fort, pull the covers over you and then that's it? 

Yeah, pretty much. The fort thing. It's hard for me to fall asleep. 

If you could perform anywhere, is there a dream venue? 

Hollywood Bowl. 

I would love a non-music recommendation. Just something you'd put a friend onto. 

If you go to New Orleans, you gotta go to this restaurant called Surreys, and get the shrimp and grits. It's the best. 

I’d also love a music rec.

This guy named Khalil, who's opening for me. Lizzy McAlpine, Orit, her EP is really good. 

Lastly, we want to end on anything you want to end on. 

Don't get drunk before you have an interview. 

Listen to PEYOTE below: