The Times Real Estate


.


Magnificently defying conventional music industry wisdom that tells artists and performers to choose and master a single path, vocalist Amanda Cole has enjoyed a stellar, multi-faceted career sharing the empowering beauty of her instrument in a great variety of genres and settings – from country and R&B to rock, classical and Tejano.

While perhaps best known for her four-year stint (1999-2003) as a touring and recording member of En Vogue, the singer – who began recording demos in high school for the group’s songwriter/producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy – has also performed in touring productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’, Anything Goes and Dreamgirls; worked as a background vocalist for Tejano singer Rebecca Valdez; sung with jazz saxophonist David Villanueva (aka DVJazz); and received rave reviews for performing and 18-song tribute to her idol, Whitney Houston, with symphony orchestras across the U.S. 

Finally embracing her destiny as a recording artist in her own right, Amanda teams up with veteran composer, keyboardist, producer and musical kindred spirit Kevin Flournoy on the new single “To the Water,” a poignant, heartrending and truly epic ballad by singer/songwriter Matt Simons sung from the perspective of a dying woman ready to cross over. The song will appear on Flournoy’s aptly titled upcoming debut album Vers•a•tility and Amanda’s future Flournoy-produced project.

“A friend of Matt’s sent me the original version of ‘To The Water,’ asking me to do a cover of it,” says Amanda. “My grandmother had just passed away from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and the song hit home for me. Like the lady in the song, my grandmother was tired of fighting and had made peace with her fate. The first time I heard it, I cried for half an hour. It was very therapeutic. Kevin is an amazing orchestrator and producer. He transforms every song into a truly beautiful thing!”

Amanda has been working with Flournoy since 2017, when, after hearing her stunning YouTube rendition of Houston’s “I Have Nothing” (current view total, 1.9M), he contacted her to record a demo of a song he was working on titled “Dream Your Dream.” The two soon began collaborating, starting with “The Greatest of All Time” – a tune intended for a movie about Muhammad Ali. They have since written and recorded a handful of songs that will be on Amanda’s debut collection.

During her incredible years as a replacement member with En Vogue, Amanda sang on their 2002 holiday album The Gift of Christmas and had the opportunity to open shows for the legendary likes of Mary J. Blige, New Edition and Donna Summer (at a festival in Holland).  When the trio toured with New Edition, Houston came around and hung out often, prompting Amanda to recall a moment in a studio many years earlier, when she was a demo singer. Houston came into a session where Amanda was demo’ing a track  the producers were hoping to submit to the superstar. Houston said, “Good voice, but I don’t like the song.”

Amanda’s career in that arena started a few years earlier when the Mississippi native was a student in the Arts Magnet Program at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual arts in Dallas. Her demo of Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” reached the ears of veteran exec Gary Reeves, who helped assemble En Vogue, and within a few years, she was commuting regularly to Los Angeles for demo and session work. She attended the prestigious school on scholarship for her junior and senior years and later attended Oklahoma University, where she received a B.A. in Musical Theatre and a minor in English. Her first gig out of college was a year on the road with gospel singer David E. Talbert.

Though Amanda performed occasionally after leaving En Vogue in 2003 to focus on her family and raising four girls, her career took off unexpectedly again when, upon the urging of one of her daughters, she began posting “Amanda-ized” versions of contemporary pop songs in the mid-2010s. Starting with Tamar Braxton’s “Love and War” and “4 AM” by Melanie Fiona, she started building massive following after posting her version of David Guetta and Sia’s “Titanium.” Among her most-viewed clips are covers of “I Will Always Love You,” “Chandelier” and Adele’s “Hello,” in addition to hits by Beyonce and Bon Jovi. She currently has 130M collective Facebook views and 10M views on YouTube.

In addition to being an artist and performer, Amanda is a well-respected vocal instructor Expanding beyond the private lessons she gave during her days as a stay-at-home mom, in September 2023 she accepted a position as a general vocal coach at the School of Rock location in her current hometown of Bentonville, AR – where she teaches people of all ages, from ages six to 84!

“It’s the most incredible job opportunity I could have asked for,” says Amanda, “especially seeing the way kids develop their love of music the way I did when I was growing up. It’s so important to share my knowledge, and this is my way of helping cultivate the next generation. I want young people to know there’s more to being an artist than having your face on a billboard and getting likes on social media. Music is what connects us, cultivates our culture and drives us forward. I grew up in a very different time, and to me, I don’t see a lot of today’s artists having images that are redemptive and inspirational to kids. As a singer, it was never my dream to be famous, but simply to produce beautiful music that can help and touch people’s lives and transcend some of the darker currents happening in popular music now.”  

@theamandacole



Metro Entertainment

Chart-Topping Smooth Jazz Musician Jesse “JT Jazz” Thompson Releases “The Reason”

JESSE THOMPSON  “The Reason”  INTERNATIONALLY-ACCLAIMED SMOOTH JAZZ RECORDING ARTIST JESSE THOMPSON (BETTER KNOWN AS “JT JAZZ”)  INVITES YOU TO EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF THE SEASON WITH.HIS LATEST CHRISTMAS EP, “THE REASON”. THIS HEARTFELT...

Music Industry Icons Ellis Hall and George Whitty Release “WHAT!!!! In The World” January 17th

WHAT!!!! In the World Amidst all the searing soul balladry, deep spirituality, insightful and impactful social consciousness and rousing funk on their infectious dual album In the World, legendary, world-wise cats George Whitty and Ellis Hall ...

Musical and Cultural Icon MELBA MOORE Releases New Single, “IMAGINE”

MELBA MOORE “Imagine”   No disrespect to John Lennon’s timeless, Grammy Hall of Fame classic, but legendary singer Melba Moore – still vibrant and impactful after half a century-plus as a musical and cultural icon – is lifting the spirits of ...

Tony Award Winner and 4-Time Grammy nominee MELBA MOORE Returns To The Stage

TONY AWARD WINNER MELBA MOORE & NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER KENNY LATTIMORE guest star in Don B. Welch’s hit comedy stage play, “HEAVENBOUND!”     Los Angeles, CA.- Acclaimed Playwright, Don B. Welch returns with, the rousing hand clapping fo...

Revered Jazz Songstress DEEANN Pivots With The Release Of Her New Pop Single “Stay Here with Me”

How was this song written? I was reminiscing about a special man in my life. The lyrics and melody easily flowed as I began writing “Stay Here with Me.” I believed this man was my soulmate, but unfortunately, the feelings were not mutual. My pro...

George Whitty and Ellis Hall aka WHAT!!!! On Finding Their Creative Flow

THAT ELUSIVE CREATIVE FLOW and how to get there Ellis and George come to the creative process from 2 very different angles, but with the same goal in mind:  getting the most inspired, unimpeded creative flow going when writing songs, finding a way...

To Know Your “Why?”

As humans, we have something to offer our communities, families, and the world.  But, not understanding what we have to offer makes it very difficult to make moves for progress toward making a difference.  Knowing your “why” or your purpose is esse...

Grammy and Tony Award Winning Legend BRENDA RUSSELL Releases New Single November 22nd

“You Know What It’s Like” With the release of her latest single, the soulful and sensualromance “You Know What It’s Like,” Brenda Russell not only continues to pave the way for her highly anticipated upcoming album Songpainter – her first colle...

How Music Affects our Daily Lives

I was sitting by a window in the hallway of the hospital waiting for a test, worrying about the results. Feeling the warmth and comfort of the sun’s rays upon my face, I felt an immediate sense of peace. I noticed something else that brought even m...

Revered Songtress DEEANN Releases “Stay Here with Me” November 12th

DeeAnn Stay Here with Me We’ve all been in that dark, despairing place that multi-talented singer/songwriter DeeAnn sings of on her soulful, deeply passionate new single “Stay Here with Me.” We thought we had met the mate of our dreams, only...

The Significance of Learning, especially as an artist or musician

As an artist, it’s extremely important to be what I like to call, “always be a student.”  What do I mean?  It simply means to always be willing to learn.  Learning facilitates adaptability, ensuring our relevance and keeping us updated. It foster...

Filmmaker, Musician, Adoptee Activist ZARA PHILLIPS Releases Autobiographical “Somebody’s Daughter’

ZARA PHILLIPS Somebody’s Daughter As she celebrates the release of her extraordinary autobiographical film Somebody’s Daughter, Zara Phillips offers up some tough love truths that fly in the face of the often cheery, sanitized way adopted c...

Jesse “JT Jazz” Thompson - Changes In The Music Industry

Changes/Adaptations in the Music Production Industry Part 2 Part 1 https://metropolitandigital.com/entertainment-news/17224-jesse-jt-jazz-thompson-on-changes-in-the-music-industry The music production industry has undergone changes or adaptation...

Darryl Evan Jones brings the flute's classic vibe, rich melodic and harmonic possibilities to a new generation

Darryl Evan Jones brings the flute's classic vibe, rich melodic and harmonic possibilities to a new generation. The musical style of Darryl Evan Jones is truly original - combining the genres of Jazz, Classical, and Gospel music...

His Name was Charlie

His name was Charlie. Uninvited, he visited my father daily in the last years of his life. Sometimes the two of them were friends. Sometimes the two were enemies. My father would tell us of how they would share drinks, or how Charlie had destroye...

Revered Recording Artist DeeAnn DiMeo on Why We Perform

I’ve never really been comfortable with eyes aimed at me. The feeling hasn’t changed, whether I was at my desk in third grade answering questions in front of the class, auditioning for Swing Choir in High School, or stepping onto a stage to perform...

Jesse “JT Jazz” Thompson on Changes In The Music Industry

The music production industry has seen significant changes and adaptations over the past 2-3 years, particularly influenced by the rise of music streaming platforms (MSPs). These platforms have brought about a shift in the way music is both created...

Grammy Winner George Whitty and “Ambassador of Soul” Ellis Hall To Release “Die Living”

WHAT!!!! In The World    When music legends George Whitty and Ellis Hall decided to turn their longtime mutual admiration society into an official partnership, they committed full throttle to recording their explosive contemporary twist on class...