Amber Lawrence

Amber Lawrence

Amber Lawrence in 2011
Background information
Birth name Amber Louise Lawrence
Born 19 April 1978
Mascot, New South Wales
Origin Australia
Genres Australian country music
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Instruments Guitar
Years active 1995-present
Website www.amberlawrence.com.au

Amber Louise Lawrence (born 19 April 1978)[1] is an Australian country music singer-songwriter, with four albums, an EP, and a number of awards to her credit. After being nominated six times before, she won the Golden Guitar Award for Female Artist of the Year in 2015 for her fourth album, Superheroes.[2][3]

Early life

Lawrence grew up in the Sydney suburb of Mascot.[4] She attended Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Sydney where she completed the Higher School Certificate in 1995, including a place in the Order of Merit List.[5] After graduating from the University of New South Wales with a commerce degree and working for six years as a chartered accountant for Qantas, Lawrence became a full-time musician.[6]

Music career

She has released a debut EP, I've Got The Blues, and four full-length albums to date: The Mile (2007), When It All Comes Down (2009), 3 (2011) and Superheroes (2014).[7]

Lawrence was nominated for "Independent Country Album of the Year" by the Australian Independent Record Labels Association for her debut album, The Mile.[8] In 2008, she was nominated for the Golden Guitar for "Female Artist of the Year" and "New Talent".[6] In 2009, she won the Golden Guitar "People's Choice Award" for "Female Artist of the Year", as well as being nominated for "Female Artist of the Year", "APRA Song of the Year" and "Video Clip of the Year," capping it off with an APRA nomination for "Country Work of the Year" for the single "Good Girls".[9] In 2010, she won "Female Vocalist of the Year" at the Victorian National Country Music Awards, and was nominated for "Best Independent Country Album" at the Independent Music Awards; she also won the new Golden Guitar category of "Horizon Award", while her album When It All Comes Down was nominated three times.[10] In 2012[11] and 2013,[12] Lawrence was again nominated for the Golden Guitar "Female Artist of the Year". In 2014, Lawrence was nominated for "Female Artist of the Year" at the Australian Club Entertainment Awards.

In 2015 Lawrence was awarded the Golden Guitar for Best Female Artist of the Year, the Australian Bush Laureate Award for Contemporary Song Lyric of the Year[13] and was nominated for Heritage Song of the Year, both for "The Lifesaver".[14] The song is especially meaningful to her, as it deals with her family's response to her father's stroke.[15] She was also named CMC Music Video Channel's "Female Oz Artist of the Year".[16]

She has been nominated in the CMC Top 20 Artists of the Year five years running, and is the winner of six Southern Star Independent Awards, including "Independent Album of the Year" (twice), "APRA/AMCOS Independent Country Music Single of the Year" (twice), "Independent Artist of the Year", "Independent Female Artist of the Year (twice). Fourteen of her singles have either reached #1, top 5 or top 10 on the Country Music Radio Chart and CMC Video Charts.

Lawrence performs over 100 shows per year, including an extensive schools mentor performance programme, having already notched up over 200 performances around the country for kids. Lawrence has performed and is featured at many of the leading country music festivals, such as Gympie Muster, CMC Rocks The Hunter and QLD, Mildura Music Festival, Deni Ute Muster, Caboolture, Mudbulls & Music, Derwent Valley Festival, etc. She has toured with the likes of Lee Kernaghan, The McClymonts,[6] Adam Harvey, Melinda Schneider, Sunny Cowgirls, and Kaylens Rain, and event tours such as Chic Frontier.[6]

Over the years, she has also been a supporter of Australia's military, performing for the troops both abroad and at various events around the country. In 2007, she played in East Timor,[17] and in 2013, she was in the Sinai, entertaining Australian and coalition forces.[18] Her song "Man Across The Street" is about a returned veteran; it resulted in her 2013 Golden Guitar nomination for "Best Female Artist of the Year".[12]

Lawrence is an ambassador for the Special Olympics.[19]

Discography

Albums and EPs

Title Year Notes
I've Got The Blues 2006 EP
The Mile 2007 reached #4 on the ARIA charts[20]
When It All Comes Down 2009
3 2011
Superheroes 2014

Singles

Title Year Notes
"I've Got The Blues"[21]
"Things That Bring Me Down" Topped the CMC Top 30 countdown[20]
"Gonna Fly" Ranked second for at least two weeks in the Country Tracks Top 30 singles chart[22]
"Good Girls" #1 in the Country Tracks Top 50 Singles Chart for five weeks and ranked in the top 30 for 20 weeks[23]
"The Mile" From The Mile album
Dedicated to teenage apprentice jockey Sam McRae, who died in a horse racing accident[24]
"Don't Do Lonely Well" Part of "a string of number one hits," along with "Wrecking Ball" (below),[25] climbing to the top of the Country Tracks Top 30 on 7 November 2009[26]
"Wrecking Ball"
"Women Like Me (Don't Like Girls Like You)"
"Always Kiss Me Goodnight" From When It All Comes Down
Reached and held the #1 spot on the Country Tracks Top 30 singles chart in July 2011[27]
"Everybody's A Mess" Rose to #4 on the Country Tracks Top 30 at the end of February 2011[28]
*"Man Across The Street"
"Try" Named the official anthem of the Special Olympics Australia Junior Games[29]
"Pretty Little Liar From 3
Climbed to the #5 spot on the Country Tracks Top 30 in December 2013[30]
"Superhero" Debuted at #3 on the ARIA country chart in September 2014[31]
"Lifesaver" From Superheroes

References

  1. ↑ "Amber Lawrence". rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Iain Shedden (24 January 2015). "Golden Guitar for Amber Lawrence". The Australian.
  3. ↑ Rebecca Belt (26 January 2015). "Luke, Amber good as gold". Northern Daily Leader.
  4. ↑ "Interview: Amber Lawrence". countrymusicchannel.com.au. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "1995 Higher School Certificate Order of Merit List". boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Amber Lawrence". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (abc.net.au). 9 June 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "Amber Lawrence: Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "AIR Awards 2009 nominations". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "2009 APRA Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Amber Lawrence on the road". ABC Country, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation digital radio station. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Jennifer Ingall (22 January 2013). "Could it be gold for Amber Lawrence?". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "41st CMAA Award Finalists Announced". ABC Country. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Australian Bush Laureate Awards 2015 winners". Australian Bush Laureate Awards. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "2015 Golden Guitar Finalists!". Toyota Country Music Festival: Tamworth 2015. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  15. ↑ "Country singer Amber Lawrence to walk in Stride for Stroke at South Maroubra in honour of her father". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "Fans Dub Adam Brand Australian Country Artist Of The Year". themusic.com. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "From Little Pattie to the Screaming Jets a tradition continues" (PDF). Platypus Magazine (Australian Federal Police) (97): 30–31. December 2007.
  18. ↑ "Amber Lawrence is busy with music and mates". Northern Daily Leader. 22 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "Amber Lawrence's 'Try' will be official anthem of the Special Olympics Australia Junior Games". news.com.au. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Performer - Amber Lawrence". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Amber Lawrence extends some live music love to Far North Queensland, including Cairns, Innisfail and Malanda". The Cairns Post. 27 October 2014. She kicks off at Cazalys ... playing music from Superheroes plus some old favourites, including her breakthrough hit Iíve Got The Blues.
  22. ↑ "News Archives: February 2008". Country Music Bulletin (countrymusicbulletin.com.au). Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "News Archives: December 2008". Country Music Bulletin. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Sam's song hits a sad note". The Daily Telegraph. 18 September 2008.
  25. ↑ Kelly Fuller (21 September 2012). "The Journey: Amber Lawrence". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "Chart Update - Amber at Number One". Country Music Bulletin. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  27. ↑ "News Archive ... July 2011". Country Music Bulletin. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  28. ↑ "Australian Country Music News - February 2012". Country Music Bulletin. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  29. ↑ "Amber Lawrence's 'Try' will be official anthem of the Special Olympics Australia Junior Games". The Courier-Mail. 25 September 2012.
  30. ↑ "Australian Country Music News Archive December, 2013". Country Music Bulletin. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  31. ↑ "Golden Guitar award winner Amber Lawrence heads for the Hunter Valley and the Campfire Music Festival". The Daily Telegraph. 27 February 2015.

External links