Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius | |
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Ambrosius performing in London, December 2010. | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Marsha Ambrosius |
Also known as | The Songstress |
Born | 8 August 1977 |
Origin | Liverpool, England |
Genres | R&B, soul |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | J, RCA |
Marsha Ambrosius (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer-songwriter. A former member of Floetry, she released her first solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings on 1 March 2011. She currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Early career with Floetry
Original Floetry members Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart met through their love of basketball.[1][2] Both Natalie and Marsha attended the Brit School for Performing Arts & Technology where Marsha studied business and finance and Natalie majored in Performing Arts, Media and Art. For college Ambrosius planned to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia but could not due to an injury. Stewart attended Middlesex University in London and later transferred to North London University. During these years, both women continued to keep in touch. Stewart was a founding member of the performance poetry group 3 Plus 1 which was rising to critical acclaim throughout London, Birmingham, and Manchester. In 1999, Ambrosius wrote and submitted a song to her publishers Perfect Songs called "Fantasize", inviting Stewart to lend some of her poetry to the song. They debuted the piece at an open mic night in London. Combining spoken word and singing, it all seemed to make sense and Floetry was born.[3]
Group success
In 2000, the duo travelled to the United States to perform on the poetry circuit. After frequenting spoken word/poetry spots in Atlanta, GA such as Yin Yang Poets' Cafe (to rave reviews), they moved on to Philadelphia.[4] There they met Darren 'Limitless' Henson and Keith 'Keshon' Pelzer of DJ Jazzy Jeff's Touch Of Jazz studio and began recording. In 2002, they signed with DreamWorks Records and released their debut album Floetic, which featured the singles "Floetic", "Say Yes", and "Getting Late".[5] The album was also released in the UK with additional tracks, one of which features British singer/songwriter and producer Sebastian Rogers.[6]
Solo career
Ambrosius has been featured on many songs including Styles P's "I'm Black"; The Game's "Start from Scratch" and "Why You Hate The Game." (also featuring Nas); Busta Rhymes' "Get You Some" and "Cocaina"; Nas' "Hustlers" (also featuring The Game); and Hi-Tek's "Music for Life" and Jamie Foxx's "Freak'in Me". The group has also collaborated with Earth, Wind & Fire on their most recent album, Illumination, on the track "Elevated". She collaborated once again with Slum Village called "Cloud 9". In 2009, she guested on Wale's "Diary".
Aftermath Entertainment
Ambrosius was approached to sign to Dr. Dre's record label, Aftermath Entertainment, as a solo musician/song-writer/producer.[7][8] Parting ways with the offer in early 2009, Ambrosius pursued her song-writing/production career landing her placements with R&B and hip hop artists ranging from Alicia Keys, Raven-Symoné, Jamie Foxx and Mario to Fabolous, Slum Village and Wale.[9][10]
Late Nights & Early Mornings
In Summer 2009, Ambrosius was approached by numerous record labels offering her a solo deal after a long awaited performance at NYC's SOB's where a sold out crowd gathered to a show accompanied by The Roots and DJ Aktive. In December 2009, Ambrosius signed to J Records and her solo debut Late Nights & Early Mornings was released on 1 March 2011.[11] "Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)" was released as the album's first single on 13 August 2010.[12] The song charted on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at number twenty-two. "Far Away" was released as the album's second single on 7 December 2010. The album would debut at #1 on the US "Billboard" Hot R&B Charts and #2 on the US "Billboard" Hot 200 behind Adele and ahead of Mumford & Sons the first time in over 20 years that British Acts had topped the US charts.[12][13][14]
Ambrosius won the Centric Award[15] at the BET Awards of 2011. She was also nominated for Best Female R&B Artist [16] at the BET Awards 2012.
Ambrosius won the Record of The Year (Ashford & Simpson Songwriters Award) at the 2011 Soul Train Awards for the song "Far Away".
Two Grammy nominations for "Far Away" were announced the night before she performed at The White House with The President and First Family at The National Christmas Tree Lighting December 2011.
Friends & Lovers
In August 2011, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive Records. With the shutdown, Ambrosius (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on the RCA Records brand.[17][18]
Marsha Ambrosius is currently working on her second studio album titled Friends & Lovers on RCA Music Group. The lead single "Cold War" was produced by Diplo and Picard Brothers.[19]
Discography
Studio albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [20] |
US R&B [20] | |||
2011 | Late Nights & Early Mornings
|
2 | 1 |
|
Singles
- For discography of singles as a part of duo Floetry, see Floetry Discography
Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [22][23][24] |
US R&B [24][25][26] | |||
2010 | "Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)" | 88 | 22 | Late Nights & Early Mornings |
"Far Away" | 74 | 3 | ||
2011 | "Late Nights & Early Mornings" | — | 30 | |
2012 | "Cold War" | — | — | Friends & Lovers |
2013 | "Without You" (with Ne-Yo) | — | — | TBA |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Start from Scratch"[27] | 2005 | The Game | The Documentary |
"Get You Some"[28] | 2006 | Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip | The Big Bang |
"Cocaina"[28] | Busta Rhymes | ||
"Music for Life"[29] | Hi-Tek, Nas, J Dilla, Busta Rhymes, Common | Hi-Teknology²: The Chip | |
"Why You Hate the Game"[30] | The Game, Nas | Doctor's Advocate | |
"Hustlers"[31] | Nas, The Game | Hip Hop Is Dead | |
"This Can't Be Real"[32] | 2007 | Freeway | Free at Last |
"Reunion"[33] | Ya Boy | Optimus Rime | |
"Wanna Go Back"[34] | 2008 | Solange, Q-Tip | Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams |
"The Light '08 (It's Love)" | Common | N/A | |
"Freak'in Me"[35] | Jamie Foxx | Intuition | |
"If I Ruled the World '09" | 2009 | Nas | N/A |
"Yacht Music"[36] | DJ Drama, Nas, Willie the Kid, Scarface | Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2) | |
"Stay"[37] | Fabolous | Loso's Way | |
"Take Me Away (With You)"[38] | Queen Latifah | Persona | |
"Diary"[39] | Wale | Attention Deficit | |
"A's & E's" | Masta Ace, Ed O.G. | Arts & Entertainment | |
"Still Hurts"[40] | 2010 | Macy Gray | The Sellout |
"Welcome Back"[41] | Stat Quo | Statlanta | |
"All I Got to Give"[42] | John Regan | Sorry I'm Late | |
"It's Alright"[43] | 2011 | Saigon | The Greatest Story Never Told |
"Streets Gone Love Me" | 2012 | Saint Nick | N/A |
"Light Dreams"[44] | Tyga | Careless World: Rise of the Last King | |
"Take You There"[45] | Currensy | The Stoned Immaculate | |
"The One"[46] | Kanye West, Big Sean, 2 Chainz | Cruel Summer | |
"The Game Changer"[47] | Saigon | The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread and Circuses | |
"Right Back"[48] | Freeway | Diamond In the Ruff | |
"It Only Gets Better"[49] | 2013 | Talib Kweli | Prisoner of Conscious |
"Material Things" | Lee Mazin | In My Own Lane | |
"Trust" | Robert Glasper Experiment | Black Radio 2
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Writing credits
- 2001: "Butterflies" - Michael Jackson (Invincible)[50]
- 2002: "Simple Things", "Beautiful Eyes", "Lonely", "This Love", "Take You High" - Glenn Lewis (World Outside My Window)[51]
- 2004: "My Man" - Angie Stone (Stone Love)[52]
- 2006: "Circus" - Kelis (Kelis Was Here)
- 2007: "Go Ahead" - Alicia Keys (As I Am)[53]
- 2008: "Wanna Go Back" - Solange featuring Marsha Ambrosius and Q-Tip (SoL-AngeL and the Hadley St. Dreams)
- 2008: "Love Me Or Leave Me" - Raven-Symoné (Raven-Symoné)[54]
- 2008: "Do About It", "Mirror" - Girlicious (Girlicious)[55]
- 2008: "Music (All I Need)" - Jazmine Sullivan
- 2009: "Matter" - Letoya - Lady Love
- 2009: "25 To Life" - JoJo
References
- ↑ "Floetry in motion no more (From Croydon Guardian)". Croydonguardian.co.uk. 2007-07-30. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Floetry To Feat. Rap Artist Common on SupaStar". Thug Life Army. 2005-08-23. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ↑ "Floetry lives up to smooth, soulful name". Chicago Tribune. 14 Apr 2006.
- ↑ "Floetry in motion". Newsday. 5 Mar 2004.
- ↑ Baraka, Rhonda (25 June 2002). "Floetry Bring London Vibe To Philly Soul Movement". MTV. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ↑ "Music: Go with the flow". Las Vegas Mercury. 2004-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ Date: 01/30/06. "Floetry member Marsha Ambrosius signs solo deal with Dr. Dre?s Aftermath". Singersroom.com. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ Reid, Shaheem (2006-01-26). "Floetry Singer Might Have 50 On Her Dre-Produced Solo LP - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Wale - Attention Deficit (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Fabolous - Loso's Way (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Weekly US music releases: Lucinda Williams, Marsha Ambrosius and Lykke Li". The Independent. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hope She Cheats On You (With a Basketball Player)- Single by Marsha Ambrosius itune.apple.com. Apple, Inc. Retrieved 11-10-2010.
- ↑ "Connecting to the iTunes Store". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
- ↑ Gail Mitchell (2009-09-14). "Ex-Floetry Member Marsha Ambrosius Readies Solo Set". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Centric Award | BET Awards". BET. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ↑ "Best Female R&B Artist | BET Awards". BET. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ↑ "RCA's New Executive Team Named Under CEO Peter Edge Amid Layoffs (Update) | Billboard". Billboard.biz. 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ "Video: Marsha Ambrosius – ‘Cold War’". Rap-Up.com. 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Marsha Ambrosius". AllMusic. 1977-08-08. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ Langhorne, Cyrus (15 June 2011). "Tech N9ne Sticks Up Top 5, Rick Ross' MMG Detours Into Top 40, Marsha Ambrosius Gets Her Spot Back". SOHH.com. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ↑ "US Singles Top 100 (October 16, 2010) - Music Charts". Acharts.us. 2010-10-16. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Marsha Ambrosius". AllMusic. 1977-08-08. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Marsha Ambrosius Album & Song Chart History". Billboard, Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
- ↑ "Marsha Ambrosius Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
- ↑ Mitchell, Gail. "Ex-Floetry Member Marsha Ambrosius Readies Solo Set". Billboard. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "The Documentary – Game > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Kellman, Andy. "The Big Bang – Busta Rhymes > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Brown, Marisa. "Hi-Teknology 2 – DJ Hi-Tek > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "Doctor's Advocate – Game > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Brown, Marisa. "Hip Hop Is Dead – Nas > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Free at Last – Freeway > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ "Ya Boy – Optimus Rime". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. 5 January 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams – Solange > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Intuition – Jamie Foxx > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "Gangsta Grillz: The Album, Vol. 2 – Drama > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "Loso's Way – Fabolous > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Persona – Queen Latifah > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "Attention Deficit – Wale > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Bush, John. "The Sellout – Macy Gray > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ "Statlanta – Stat Quo > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ↑ "Sorry I'm Late – John Regan > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ↑ Brown, Marisa. "The Greatest Story Never Told – Saigon > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "Careless World: Rise of the Last King – Tyga > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "The Stoned Immaculate – Curren$y > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "G.O.O.D. Music: Cruel Summer – Various Artists > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "The Greatest Story Never Told, Chapter 2: Bread and Circuses – Saigon > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ↑ Lymangrover, Jason. "Diamond in the Ruff – Freeway > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ↑ Jeffries, David. "Prisoner of Conscious – Talib Kweli > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ↑ "Michael Jackson - Invincible (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2001-10-30. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Glenn Lewis - World Outside My Window (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Angie Stone - Stone Love (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2004-07-05. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Alicia Keys - As I Am (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Raven-Symoné* - Raven-Symoné (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2008-07-28. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
- ↑ "Girlicious - Girlicious (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
External links
- Official Website
- Marsha Ambrosius on Twitter
- Marsha Ambrosius on Facebook
- Interview With YouKnowIGotSoul 3/12/10
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