Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Fults.
Hi Amber, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Legend has it that I was born singing on a dark and stormy night… in all reality, I actually started singing because my family always seemed to have music playing and I loved it so much.
By the time I was in high school, my dad had started to play guitar and I am mega competitive and thought, “If he can do this, so can I!” So he sent me on a scavenger hunt for my first guitar at Christmas and I learned from there.
Writing songs just kind of started because I have always loved writing and I didn’t hear songs that made me relate so I started writing my own.
Years and years later, I broke my ankle and was basically bedridden for seven full months relearning how to walk so I slept with my guitar and started writing even more. I started a band while I was hobbling around on a walker. Oddly enough, people were not scared away when they saw me on the walker.
The first band led into my real full band and after we kind of had run our course, I started going out on my own to play. That’s where I am now!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My very first out-of-town encounter was in Nashville.
I was invited to play at a showcase for singer-songwriters on music row and I was so excited. I got up to play and got an amazing response, and when I got down from the stage, the guy who invited me there took me to the side and gave me a hearty dose of his reality.
He kind of stood back and moved his hand up and down, gesturing to my entire body, head to toe, and said, “Do you see all of this? This whole thing is not ready. Not ready to be on stage in front of people.” And then he pointed to the very pretty, thin, fit girl on stage and said, “Her? She’s ready!”
And then he told me that I was fitter to be in the background but not on stage. I needed to be writing for people like her… like a troll under a bridge. My feelings were so hurt and I went home, cried, and then I wrote songs about it and, you know what?
I have received nothing but support for being a plus-size woman behind a microphone. So every time I step on stage, it’s like giving that guy the finger and that’s more satisfying than almost anything.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a female singer-songwriter.
My particular style of writing is not genre-specific. I actually prefer to create projects that cross different genres so I don’t feel limited to a specific style. I am almost finished with a small three-song EP that is different than anything I’ve ever done.
I wrote and released an EP all about my terrible ex-boyfriend and I was done writing about him because he’s a dumpster person and I’m sick of him. Instead, I shifted to start writing songs about books because I love to read. Combining my two favorite things, books, and music?
It felt like a natural move for me. I like to call my personal style Librarian Chic so I guess you could call my music and the direction I’m moving in Librarian Alternative.
I think I’m most proud of the fact that, with the encouragement and help of my husband, I was able to go full-time as a musician and have been making music and being creative since.
Even though some people say negative things about me being a plus-sized woman in a fairly close-minded, male-driven industry, I don’t let it stop me from getting behind a microphone and singing my truth.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I am the biggest fan of words! Nothing in the world makes me happier than words. They’re amazing. Stringing them into a sentence can make them the most dangerous weapon or completely turn someone’s heart to mush.
Anything I can read, I try to soak up like a sponge. I’m a classic literature fan, especially anything written by females back when it was so poorly looked upon. Jane Eyre is the greatest book of all time, in my opinion. Everything Jane Austen wrote is amazing.
I get inspired when I see strong women/female-identifying people owning their power and making waves. Those books are always my go-to when I start to look for inspiration for songs if I’m running low.
I also know it’s probably not even remotely cool anymore, but Pinterest is an absolute must for me to keep inspirational quotes at my fingertips.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/ambertasticalness
- Facebook: Facebook.com/AmberFultsMusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0QHnuJnoba5EiVlBEyYtCE?si=RPrLHo8mQW6dlDQWAecIGQ
Image Credits
Amy Kenyon Photography
