Amanda Cole | Voices of Change and Music with a Mission [EP 21]

Episode Transcription

• Amanda Cole | Voices of Change and Music with a Mission - Mick Unplugged [EP 21]

  Intro: Are you ready to change your habits, sculpt your destiny, and light up your path to greatness? Welcome to the epicenter of transformation. This is Mick Unplugged. We'll help you identify your because so you can create a routine that's not just productive, but powerful. You'll embrace the art of evolution, adapt strategies to stay ahead of the game, and take a a step toward the extraordinary.

  So let's unleash your potential. Now here's Mick.

  Mick Hunt: Ladies and gentlemen, to a special episode of Mick Unplugged where we dive into your why to get you fueled by your because. And today, we have the extraordinary honor of speaking with the true powerhouse of talent. Her voice transcends genres. Her journey defines the conventional paths. And her story is one of resilience, passion, unwavering dedication.

  From her iconic stint with Envogue to her soul stirring tribute to Whitney Houston, she is leaving an incredible mark on the music world. It is with admiration that I welcome the phenomenal, the inspiring, the mesmerizing, miss Amanda Cole. Amanda, how are you doing

  Amanda Cole: today, dear? You. My goodness. I need you to write my bio for me. That's incredible.

  Thank you so much. It's an awesome It

  Mick Hunt: is all you.

  Amanda Cole: Thank

  Mick Hunt: you. It's all true.
  
  Amanda Cole: Thank you.

  Mick Hunt: It's all true.

  Amanda Cole: Thank you. It is an honor.

  Mick Hunt: You know, Amanda, your career span multiple genres and roles within the industry. What's been the most fulfilling aspect of this diverse journey for you?

  Amanda Cole: The most fulfilling, I think making the decision to not be conventional, to not conform to the industry and what they expect, but to want to try to transform that, to change that into something that is more redemptive, something that's more positive. I know that images are so important in music and in our culture. And I think that having images that are positive and beautiful, it's important and I feel very responsible as an artist and as a singer to show that aspect because, unfortunately, now, the images aren't as diverse. They're very, one dimensional. And I all I've always felt that there's room for all types of music, you know?

  There's room for everyone in music. All types of creativity. I just feel like for me, I can only speak from my experience as a black woman in music That those avenues aren't afforded to me in ways that they are for other artists and I wanna change that. I really do. I see people that I admire and I think are are doing a really great job but they can't be seen, they aren't being seen.

  And I think that it takes a lot of courage to step outside of what's expected, to step outside of what is offered and to say this is who I am deciding to be as an artist. And whether that makes me famous or rich or gets me a lot of followers, that's inconsequential. I know that there's a mission for me, that my gift was given to me for a reason and I want that reason to be a positive force in music. I think it's the most important thing. I've always felt that way and I and I will die feeling that way is the most important thing.

  The way that we see ourselves reflected in media, reflected in our culture is so important to our future and I wanna be the aspect that is positive, that is a light. That's what I'm proud of. That I can sit here and say that I've been consistent in that. I'm I'm proud of that.

  Mick Hunt: As you should be. And that's one of the the many reasons that I respect you the most is because you do things like care about your representation. You put your family first. And and and I actually wanna go there because you had an amazing stint with Envogue, and it's like, you know what? I got these babies I'm trying to raise now.

  Right? Walk us through that decision, that thought process, that choice.

  Amanda Cole: Well, I did have a daughter. At the time I was married, I had a daughter and I was traveling. Being in En Vogue was transformative for me. It was the most extraordinary experience of my life really because I sat and watched these women as a kid and, you know, I bought the hold on dress, I was singing the songs, you know, in the mirror with the hairbrush, that was me. Right?

  And to be invited into such a phenomenal brand was it was overwhelming and I was honored to be there. They're very protective of their brand and they're very protective of how they're represented so to be asked to be a part of that was it was just beyond anything I could have imagined. But then getting into the industry and seeing how it works, seeing how things actually were, being on the inside, I had a lot of decisions to make. The group was incredible. The people that I worked with were phenomenal.

  I learned a lot about music, I learned a lot about business, and at the end of the day, I just had to decide what was I willing to sacrifice to get the things that this industry offered me and I just decided that it wasn't worth what I was being asked to give up. I did have a daughter and she was missing out on a lot of what I had to offer her as a mom. And traveling and her being so proud of me and seeing me on stages and you know those things were good. That was good but it took me away from things that I felt were more important and that's watching her develop fundamentally and being there just personally as her mom. I felt like that was the most important thing.

  And also it wasn't just the parenting thing, it was also the business aspect of the industry. The aspects I was being asked to reflect didn't reflect who I was as a person. And I was very young at the time but I did have a very strong sense of my identity. I knew how I wanted to be identified and how I wanted to be seen. And I just saw things changing in a way that was very uncomfortable and it didn't reflect who I was as a person.

  So I stepped away for that reason as well, for my own protection and for the protection of my future for what I have now. It's just very important to know what you want and who you wanna be. How you wanna show up in the world when you get into that industry because you will be offered everything that you want, you know? I watch people on television, right? I was there and I actually met these people but then I also knew that the illusion that the industry is not reality.

  I saw the reality of it and I just was not prepared to sacrifice for that reality. I just wasn't. I wasn't gonna hold up the illusion and pretend that something was the way that it was and it really is not that way. There was no benefit for me. So I stepped away and I completely stepped away.

  I stopped singing completely because I just didn't see a future in it. I felt like if I wasn't gonna do it that way, then there was no avenue for me to do it. We didn't have streaming. It was this is like 2003. Right?

  I didn't even know about YouTube at that time. So I just didn't feel that there was any avenue for me outside of conforming to the industry. So I just said, you know, I'd rather just not do it than have to compromise my music in the way that I wanna be seen to do it. I'm glad I waited. I go I'm glad.

  It took a long time. It did take a long time, but, you know, I created a beautiful family. I have beautiful children. I have 2 daughters in college now. I have one more to go.

  Adult daughter. So I have a beautiful family and I'm very glad that I invested that time in them. But I really feel like now is the time for me to just reevaluate where I wanna be in music and where I wanna take my career now. So that's where I am.

  Mick Hunt: No. That's awesome. And I appreciate, respect, and love the fact that you didn't compromise who you were and your values for the perception of stardom and fame.

  Amanda Cole: And it is a perception. You know? In that group, I met so many people that I admired and loved. And I watched on television receive awards, and I watched their videos. To actually meet them in person and to see and to see how their lives actually were.

  Not the glitz and the glamour but the actual work that you have to do and the sacrifices you have to make. And also the illusion of the monetary gain. Fame is not an illusion. You can garner fame if that's what you want. If you wanna be famous, you can be famous.

  But the money aspect, if you're an artist and you think that signing a record deal is gonna make you rich, No. This is not gonna happen. You can absolutely be famous because I've known very famous people who slept on their mother's couches and were 2 records in with number one record. That's the reality of the industry and that's not something a lot of people wanna talk about. You know the how humbling it is to have people think that you have $20,000,000 and you're living with your mom, right?

  It's what directed me away from wanting to be seen and just needing to be heard. And that's why I started my YouTube channel, I didn't start it for followers, I didn't start it for you know the likes and subscribers. I didn't I didn't start it for that. I needed my voice to be heard and I was also grieving my father and singing was a way for me to get that out. But I really wanted to experiment with different types of music and I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that being signed to a company or or having to represent someone who was, you know, their thing is the bottom line.

  If it's not gonna sell, we're not gonna do it. So I was able to experiment with a lot of different music on my YouTube channel and I was just very fortunate to have people respond to that. Everything that was on that channel I did by myself all alone. No help. I've never bought a follower.

  I've never bought a subscriber. I've never done that. So I feel very proud of the grassroots effort that I made. I worked really hard to be different. And it takes courage to do that.

  It's not an easy path. But I did work hard and I feel very proud of the platform that I've built. Yeah.

  Mick Hunt: As you should, because this YouTube channel, you know, you and I were talking offline. Oh, 6 years ago, I found it, and I'm on there daily. And and I love the facts. Number 1, for the listeners and viewers, go to Amanda Cole's YouTube channel. You're gonna be blown away.

  Promise. Number 2, Amanda's so real. Right? Like, you are so real, and you're not covering songs. Like, you're making songs your own, which for a lot of people, it's hard.

  Right? Like, it's kinda easy to just sing the song that you hear. You give a song and experience, your experience, and you can feel it. Right? That's why I said the soul stirring Amanda Cole.

  Amanda Cole: Yeah. That's my story. It's just taking the Whitney Houston song, for example. Whitney's life experience is not my life experience and when she was given that song, she put her heart into that. She put her experience into that interpretation of that song.

  So when I listen to it, I try to hear how does this song make me feel and how would I like to translate this story to people so they can feel what I'm feeling, experience what I'm feeling from my perspective. That's what I do with every cover that I do. I always tell it from my perspective. The song becomes mine when I start to do it. And some people don't really like that.

  I've had people say, why don't you just sing it the way? You know, it's written. And I say, well, if you want that, then you can listen to the original because you'll never get back from me. I'll always infuse myself into everything that I say, into everything. So

  Mick Hunt: And it's amazing. I mean, I love how at the end of I have nothing and you leave it on the recording. Right? Yes. Oh, that was hard.

  Amanda Cole: It was. And you kinda, I'll be honest with you. That was the, probably, 20th take. I started and I did several takes after that and that was just the best one that I had. And actually, I wasn't gonna post that one because I was acting kinda crazy.

  I was very relaxed So I think that's why it came off as well as it did because I was relaxed. The other ones were I couldn't get through without, you know, making a mistake, and I try to get through all of my songs without, you know, making serious mistakes. I mean, the one that I posted was a little bitchy but it was the best one that I had. So that was a hard song to do and it's important that people know that I'm not in there using auto tune, I'm not in there, you know, I'm singing it. I'm singing these songs and they're No.

  Mick Hunt: You're not singing. You know you know where we're from. You was singing.

  Amanda Cole: I was driving, man. I was giving it I was giving it my best, you know. Chandelier was another one that was really tough. That was a hard song too. I tend to pick songs that typically they're not they're not super easy and it's challenging for me, I do it for myself most times.

  So I'm just very glad that my interpretations were accepted Because, you know, people get very emotional about the songs that they love and care about and I understand that. So I'm just glad that people have embraced my interpretations.

  Mick Hunt: So Embraced it and loving it. Like, I promise you, you know I'm a huge fan. My my sister, Rochelle, loves you as well. Like and and you 2 kinda sound alike to me, and I think that's why I resonate with you a lot, but, like, just amazing stuff amazing stuff. Let's talk about some newness now, though.

  Amanda Cole: K. Right? Yeah.

  Mick Hunt: Let's talk about To the Water.

  Amanda Cole: Yes.

  Mick Hunt: And and let me tell you this, and I told Kevin the same thing. It is my favorite song. Oh. I don't listen to new music, and I'm sure you know why. Right?

  I don't listen to new music because I don't think it's music to the water. I listen to it every single day.

  Amanda Cole: Oh, wow.

  Mick Hunt: I start my day with that song.

  Amanda Cole: Oh, wow.

  Mick Hunt: When I hear the words coming from your voice and your tone, it takes me places.

  Amanda Cole: Oh, I'm so glad. I was I was almost talked out of doing that song. So many people were like, oh, it's not radio friendly. Oh, you know, it's very depressing. But I'm like, you know, stories our stories have to be told.

  Death is a part of life, you know, and that's a story that should be told. And I don't think that it's a popular take, but I do think it's a necessary take. I think that we we will all face it one way or another. Either through our families, our friends and even ourselves. We'll be faced with that ultimately.

  So I think that it's important to relay that through music and to connect us through music. Connect that subject through music especially. Being that music is so spiritual, regardless of what type of music it is, it really is a very, you know, spiritual experience. And singing to the water was tough, hearing it for the first time was tougher because I had a family member going through a terminal and those words were said to me, you know, those very words. So when I heard the song it took me out.

  I have to be honest, it was just very moving. I knew I had to sing it. And when I gave it to Kevin, he made it into something that was just beyond what I could have imagined. It was just so beautiful. And now to have it released and to have this feedback, even your feedback, so many people.

  Just just recently I've had someone post on my channel that they played the song at their mother's funeral and I've gotten so many messages on Facebook and YouTube saying that they played this song at their loved ones' funerals, that it's helped them to grieve. A mother her child said that she was not able to grieve her her baby until she heard that song and she was able to cry for the first time for her baby. Death is so hard, painted in a in a beautiful way the way that Matt wrote that Matt Simmons is the writer of this song and the way that he wrote this song, it paints death in a way that is respectful and beautiful and it honors the courage it takes to say I'm I'm ready. You know? I've done the work and I'm ready to and I'm just very I'm proud of that song.

  I'm it's my favorite too. I listen to it all the time and I feel kinda like, ugh. But I just love it. I do. I listen to it all the time too.

  So I'm with you.

  Mick Hunt: Yeah. And so selfishly for me, right, this song connects me to my grandparents, and I was really, really close to my grandparents. So I feel like my grandparents are talking to me through that song and through your voice. It's giving me that feeling of they're right here. And so I thank you for that.

  Amanda Cole: Oh, yeah.

  Mick Hunt: Thank you for that.

  Amanda Cole: That's what I'm hoping all I

  Mick Hunt: just had to fight through getting emotional with you, America.

  Amanda Cole: Well, you know what? I'm hoping that we can take music back to being that. Not just with this type of music but with all of our music. I mean I grew up with Luther and Whitney and Anita and Peabo and I mean, Regina Bell, Anita Baker, that music was like, you could really feel that. That was real music to me, a Roberta Flack, you know.

  And today, I just don't think we're cultivating that type of music and I want us to start to reflect on why. Why aren't we using that same type of love and energy to create music? I want it to come back. I'm ready for it to come

  Mick Hunt: It better. I I promise you. I don't listen to this new stuff.

  Amanda Cole: It's tough. It's hard. And, you know, I've had offers. I've had deal offers. And, honestly, I've been told, Mike, that, you know, the way that I sing is not relevant.

  The subject matter is not relevant. I'm an R and B pop ballad singer. That's what I love. I love pop ballads, right? And to be told by someone just flat out, I mean, nobody wants to listen to that.

  That's not relevant music. And I'm sitting here thinking, well, I see a lot of people doing it, they just don't look like me. So I sat and watched Whitney Houston and I looked and I saw myself in her. That image of that beautiful woman even with Envogue was the same way. I saw the possibility of what I could become in those images and I just want our kids to have that now.

  There's room for everyone, you know, you could have the Cardi B's and the Megan Thee Stallion, you would have all those, there's room. But to have it just be that, I think is disingenuous and I don't think it's right. I think that there should be other representation. There should be other reflections of our experience and I think those should be reflected in the images you see in our media and it's just not. And the reason why I have not signed is because my image does not promote what, I don't wanna get too deep now, but it doesn't promote the agenda that, you know, pays the bills for them.

  And I respect that, you know? You do music for whatever reason you want. I know the reasons that I do it and I know that I'm not gonna be famous. I'm not gonna be, you know, Beyonce. But I know that when someone writes to me and tells me that my songs save their life, that's the reason I do music, you know?

  And you don't have to be famous to do that, to change a person's life. And I think that's what music is here for, I really do. And it's it's real and if people start to compromise and say well I would rather pay my rent than be, you know alight in this place then it starts to deteriorate and then you start to get what we have. You start to do it for money and not music. It becomes a business and I'm trying so hard to stay away from making my art into something that is monetized or that's a monetary.

  I don't I don't make money doing this. Honest to God, my me and my YouTube channel, I might make $4.

  Mick Hunt: Stop it.

  Amanda Cole: Honestly, I will show you. It's not they've changed YouTube so much from when I first started to now, you could hardly make money doing it. So I do it because I love it. Then I'll continue to do it the way that I do it because I love it and because I love people and I want people to connect to my music in a way that is positive and uplifting and that reflects love and unity and the positive stuff. I know that doesn't sell, you know, that's not sexy but that's how I live my life.

  I want positivity, you know. I want love in my music and in my life. So that's why I choose the music that I choose, and I've chosen the road that I've chosen because that's what I want.

  Mick Hunt: And you go get it. That's what I'm talking about.

  Amanda Cole: That's what I love.

  Mick Hunt: You have to. What I love.

  Amanda Cole: Yeah.

  Mick Hunt: So for our listeners that are out there, and for me, it doesn't matter what industry you're in, what walk of life you're in, I always say stay true to yourself, and and you are the epitome of that, staying true to yourself. For the listeners and viewers, what are some things that they can do or stay reminded of to to stay true to themselves?

  Amanda Cole: Well, you have to know why you're doing it. What's your motivation? What's motivating you to make music? If it's money then you'll do certain things to make money while you're making music. If you make a beautiful song and you think it's the best song in the world and someone says well that's not really gonna be you know radio friendly and you put it in a box and start doing things.

  If you're willing to compromise you will. I just know that if you want to be an artist, you have to be honest. And if you want to make money then do what it takes to make money. Do that. But if you want to make music then you have to say, you know, it doesn't really matter whether this is gonna play well on the radio.

  Doesn't really matter whether I'm gonna get a 1000000 followers if I do this. I'm doing it because my heart is saying this is what I need to share and this is what I'm gonna do. And I promise you I promise you someone's gonna connect with it. I promise. Because it's happening to me.

  I'm telling you, I don't have a record I don't have a record deal, I'm a manager. I mean all this is me, I'm talking to you now with none of those things. But I have a song out, It's not great, big, you know, huge on the charts. It's not that. But it's a song that is connecting with people and that is helping people to to mourn and grieve the people that they love and that they've loved.

  That is the most important thing to me. And it is only because I chose to give my heart and not, you know, choose another song that could've made me money. And that's what you have to sit down with yourself and say how do I wanna show up? Do I wanna show up as myself and be honest and give the world what is truly me or do I wanna give the world what the industry says is acceptable? You have to decide who you wanna be and then stick with it.

  You can't be swayed by a $1,000,000 baby. Trust you, It's hard to look away from a $1,000,000 check. You have to understand that like my mother would always say it. I know your mother's probably said this too. Baby, all money ain't good money, you know.

  You have to be very careful because it's expensive, you know. The price you pay for that money is very, very high. It you may have a $1,000,000 but you pay that back plus interest plus your entire life. So it's a choice. You have to decide what you wanna be and if you wanna be famous, you'll do what it takes to be famous.

  If you wanna have money, you'll do what it takes. But if you wanna make music, that is the hardest road that you're gonna you're gonna go. And not a lot of people are gonna do it because it's hard. But I appreciate you the reward is going to be the biggest because you will change people's lives. And I think that's what music's supposed to do anyway.

  Mick Hunt: That's it. Amanda, I appreciate you so much for taking some time with me today. This has been a highlight of my day. I mean that. Where can people follow you, find you?

  What do you want people to know? What do you have coming up? The floor is yours.

  Amanda Cole: I am on Facebook, Amanda Cole on Facebook, Amanda Cole Music on YouTube, at the Amanda Cole on Instagram and TikTok. We're working on a show now that includes To the Water. I also do, Whitney tributes and I have one scheduled on this 22nd June here in my hometown at this Majestic Theater. So I'm excited about that. Mostly I'm just recording trying to get music out.

  The next song that Kevin and I have is called Hold On and I think it speaks to our time. It speaks to what we're going through right now and I'm excited about releasing that one too, so.

  Mick Hunt: Alright. Well, I'm gonna need you and Kevin to give me a little sneak

  Amanda Cole: Oh, yeah. We will.

  Mick Hunt: To preview that one. Alright. We will. Well, Amanda, again, I appreciate you more than you know.

  Amanda Cole: Thank you. This has been inspiring.

  Mick Hunt: You are the greatest. You are a legend, and please keep making music. I

  Amanda Cole: need it. Thank you. I will. And thank you so much for inviting me. This has been so fun.

  Thank you.

  Mick Hunt: Absolutely. And for all the listeners, remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.

  Intro: Thanks for listening to Mick Unplugged. We hope this episode helps you take the next step toward the extraordinary and launches a revolution in your life. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast, and be sure to check us out on YouTube at Mick Unplugged. Remember, stay empowered, stay inspired, and stay unplugged.