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<div align="center"><font color="#efdece" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><b><font size="5"><a name="index">AMERIE</a></font></b></font><br>
<b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1" color="#efdece">All
I Have</font></b></div>
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<p><a href="#biography"><b><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">Biography</font></b></a><br>
<b><a href="#discography"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Discography</font></a></b><br>
<a href="#article"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><b>Article</b></font></a><br>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">Check
out the <a href="../lyrics/index.htm" target="_parent"><b>lyrics</b></a>
section for Amerie lyrics</font><b><br>
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<td bgcolor=#974418 align=center><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" color=#efdece size=4><b><font size=5><a name=biography>BIOGRAPHY</a></font></b></font></td>
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<div align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size=2>
<br>
Blessed with keen intelligence and stunning good looks, Amerie could
have chosen any number of career paths. Yet from an early age, the
22-year-old R&B chanteuse knew what her future held. "It
sounds like a cliché," she says, "but I always
knew I was going to sing. I always knew that music was what I was
going to do." You can hear that desire in Amerie's voice. It's
a voice that's sweet, sassy, and sultry, with a hint of bad girl
edge. Amerie's brand of soul is both infectious and intoxicating,
and it's evident throughout All I Have, her sizzling Columbia debut.
</font>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Asked
to describe All I Have, Amerie offers, "The music and the
lyrics really put you into a zone. When (producer/songwriter)
Rich Harrison and I began creating the record, we knew that fusing
beautiful melodies with hard, hip-hop beats would move people.
I think we've accomplished that." </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">The
proof can be heard in Amerie's 12-inch single, "Why Don't
We Fall In Love." Leaked to radio in the spring of 2002,
"Why Don't We Fall in Love" exploded, creating a strong
buzz and heavy anticipation for Amerie's album. It's no wonder
why the public and the programmers responded so enthusiastically.
Laced with a sultry undercurrent, fueled by an uplifting message
about finding your soulmate and being in love with your dreams,
meanwhile propelled by Amerie's rock steady vocals, "Why
Don't We Fall In Love" is more than a hot track; it's the
opening salvo from a singer who has elevated the stakes for hip-hop
soul. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">What's
remarkable about Amerie's rise is how fast it's occurred. She
and Rich (whose previous credits include Mary J. Blige) began
laying down the foundation for the album just two years ago, and
now All I Have is showing the world just how much Amerie has got
to give. "It's been pretty amazing," she admits. "We
really worked hard on those songs and just let our creativity
go. I guess this is what happens when you're focused, have good
people around you, and trust your heart and your instincts."
</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Amerie's
mother is from Korea and her dad is an African-American from North
Philly. Amerie was raised in a military family, so the family
moved often; she lived on bases from Alaska to Germany. The traveling
stopped when the family moved to Virginia, and Amerie to Washington
DC, which she has called home for several years. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Through
her mother, who is a painter, singer, and classical pianist, Amerie
was exposed to the arts. Bolstered by those influences, Amerie
began gravitating towards pop and R&B, getting into Madonna,
Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton and Whitney Houston. Along with a
healthy dose of divas and classical composers, Amerie dipped into
her father's old soul collection. As she puts it, "My taste
was pretty well-rounded." </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">With
the love of music and the desire to perform driving her, Amerie
started studying dance, and in the 3rd grade, began to enter talent
shows, which she continued to do throughout high school. After
high school graduation, Amerie's family moved from Alaska to the
East Coast, and once she had settled into her new hometown, Amerie
decided to take her dreams to the next level; she began looking
for an opportunity to get into the music business. "Being
in DC offered me more opportunities for singing and meeting other
musicians," Amerie explains. Not only was she trying to break
into the industry, but Amerie was also attending prestigious Georgetown
University, where she graduated with a degree in English and Fine
Arts. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Through
a friend, Amerie was introduced to DC native Rich, whose production
skills had already caught the ears of noted industry heavyweights
Jeff Burroughs and Darryl Williams of Rise Entertainment and Edwin
Holmes of EHM. Rich and Amerie got together, meeting for the first
time in a McDonald's parking lot. "Not too glamorous, huh?"
Amerie laughs. After Amerie heard Rich's tracks, and Rich heard
her sing, the work began. Quickly she and Rich realized that they
not only had common goals, but great creative chemistry as well.
"We would just sit and brainstorm and it just flowed from
there," she remembers. One song became two, two became three,
and three grew to five, becoming a demo. Within months, that demo
made its way to Columbia Records, where Amerie was immediately
offered a deal. Soon, she was not only recording her own album,
but also working on collaborations with labelmates Nas and Royce
da 5' 9". "Writing on those songs, along with recording
them, was a great experience for me," she says. "It
really felt good to work with such respected artists." </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">From
the moment Amerie entered the studio to record All I Have, she
knew that she wanted to unleash a sound that was gritty, yet melodic.
Pretty, yet tough. Something different, yet something familiar
enough to entice listeners. Together, they married Rich's hard-edged
beats and well-crafted melodies to Amerie's soaring vocals. You
can hear the result in songs like the single, "Talkin' To
Me." With its slinky steely guitars, an insistent groove,
and Amerie's lilting vocal style, "Talkin' To Me" is
a song that Amerie modestly describes as "'infectious.' It's
about that chemistry you have with someone without even speaking."
Then she adds, "There's a fresh feel to it; it's very cool
and laid-back." The album offers smooth and jazzy love ballads
like "Nothin' Like Loving You," while keeping the emotional
level high with tracks like the edgy "I Just Died,"
which, as Amerie tells it, "is about a passion that is like
no other." </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Through
all of this, Amerie makes sure to thank the One who made this
all possible: "I wrote the outro, 'I'm Reminded,' as a thank-you
to God for leading me to all of this. Through all the ups and
downs and uncertainties, He was always in control. I was very
passionate about my dreams, but I believe my parents' prayers
really contributed to everything." </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">It's
clear that passion is something that Amerie knows well. You can
hear the passion and commitment to singing that has lead her to
this point in her life and the making of this album. Now, she's
getting the chance to live her dreams and bring her talent to
the world. Ask Amerie what she wants fans to hear when they check
out All I Have and her response is considered and thoughtful:
"I'd like them to hear that this is real music. You can feel
it. This music has substance, and in All I Have, you get a glimpse
into Rich's life and mine as well." Amerie.</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size=2><br>
</font></p>
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<div align="center"><font color="#efdece" size="4" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black"><b><font size="5"><a name="discography">DISCOGRAPHY</a></font></b></font></div>
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<td width="92%" bgcolor="#efdece"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="4" color="#974418">ALBUMS</font></b></td>
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<td width="92%" bgcolor="#efdece"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">All
I Have</font></td>
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<div align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">2002</font></div>
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<td width="92%" bgcolor="#efdece"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="4" color="#974418">SINGLES</font></b></td>
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<td width="92%" bgcolor="#efdece"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Why
don't we fall in love</font></td>
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<div align="right"><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black">2002</font></div>
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<td bgcolor=#974418 align=center><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" color=#efdece size=4><b><font size=5><a name=article>ARTICLE</a></font></b></font></td>
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<div align="center"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2"><b>
Amerie Makes 'Em 'Fall In Love' With Debut Single, Nas Track</b>
<br>
Shaheem Reid</font> </div>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">How
fast does it take to become an addict? Two minutes and 39 seconds
is how long it's taking<br>
listeners to become hooked on "Why Don't We Fall in Love"
by newcomer Amerie.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">"We
didn't know that it was going to be big," Amerie (pronounced
A-Marie) said last week as she was getting ready to catch a flight
from New York to L.A. "It really took off. It's gotten bigger
faster than we expected."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Amerie
has what you would call a pleasant problem on her petite hands.
The 22-year-old songbird is enjoying radio spins that rival those
of airwave darling is of airwave darlings Usher and Ja Rule with
her debut single off All I Have, which is supposed to drop this
summer. Yet "Why Don't We Fall in Love" was not intended
to be her first single. It wasn't intended to be a single at all.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">"The
funny thing about it is that song was only supposed to be an intro
to the album," she explained. "We finished recording it,
and we were like, 'I'm always listening to that song. We should
just make it a song.' It's just been getting crazy love."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Amerie's
label, Columbia, had sent the cut out as a teaser 12-inch to mixshow
DJs across the country to set up another song. Go figure —
they embraced her cotton-candy-sweet, schoolgirl-reminiscent styling
over the jagged club beat of up-and-coming producer Richard Harrison,
who helmed her entire album. Needless to say, it's the official
single now.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Familiar
with traveling — her family was in the military, so she's lived
all over the world — Amerie has been playing a bit of catch-up,
jumping on flights to meet fans across the country so they can place
the face with the song. This spring, she'll have no problem being
recognized: She shoots her video on May 13 in L.A. and will perform
during Nas' set on Usher's Evolution Tour.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">"For
the most part, we're keeping it a surprise," she said of the
set. "We're going to do three songs together. I'm opening the
set up with Nas. Then I go into 'Why Don't We Fall in Love.' Then
he's gonna come back out and we're going to do something together."</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">Amerie
is no stranger to the Queens microphone strangler. Besides being
labelmates, she sings on "Rule," the likely third single
from his Stillmatic LP.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">"[Nas]
listened to some of my songs, and he really wanted to get me on
a song of his," Amerie recalled. "It was the first time
I met him. I listened to him, I saw him on TV, but I didn't know
what to expect. When I went in there [to record], he was really
down to earth. They told me the topic of the song, they let me listen
to it and I wrote. They let me be open and creative with it."
</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">For
those who can't get enough, Amerie's going back in the studio to
record a new, longer version of "Why Don't We Fall in Love"
which may include a cameo from a rapper or another verse by her.
Amerie's would-be first single, the dreamy-eyed love tale "Talkin'
to Me," is supposed to drop sometime this summer as her second
single. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif, Arial Black" size="2">FYI,
that tune checks in at three minutes, 54 seconds.</font></p>
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