Brooke Amor is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter and producer from the Bay Area, now residing in sunny LA, and a student of Herb Albert School of Music. Even though her early releases were mostly Pop, Brooke is fallen hard for Hip Hop influenced music, a style she has always loved writing, writing that not only conveys a story but does so in a captivating and bold way.
As we dive into "Mannish Girl" the instrumental grabs our attention while Brooke's voice sweeps us away immediately. Throughout "Mannish Girl" Brooke takes us back to her childhood and fondly remembers how her dad would always pick her up when she was down and cheer her up. Now, all grown up, she's able to stand tall and fend for herself, and even though she doesn't quite fit in with her surrounding environment, it doesn't matter; she has the love and strength installed by her father.
Unafraid to speak her mind, "Mannish Girl" reveals all the things that set Brooke apart from the rest, and while feeling as if she's on the outside she demonstrates to her audience how she continues to persevere and ensure she ends up on top. Brooke's talent at crafting impactful lyrics are matched by the complementary instrumentals, and the two elements mesh and play off each other perfectly.
Mannish Girl" proves to us once again that Brooke's love for music and creating unique and impactful pieces is stronger than ever and serves as an anthem for anyone else feeling like they are somehow on the sidelines. "Mannish Girl" is available on all major platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Brooke. We are so pleased to have you here today! We love the tone you set on "Mannish Girl" and we were hoping you'd shed some light on the record itself. What was the process like when you created the record, and what inspired the lyrics?
Thank you for having me! The process was definitely not linear for this song. I just was listening to the original “Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters and thought it was just so fire. I had heard the sample of that guitar riff on “Bad to the Bone '' before of course, but the original version just caught my attention so much more with the swing and Muddy’s vocals. At first, I thought that just writing over that famous guitar riff would be cool cause it's just so simple but so good, so I did that. And the first eight bars I played off of his opening lines and then I just went my own direction. Then, kind of on a separate train of thought, I thought it would be cool to sample the song, so I did that and wrote to that also. Neither of the versions was complete and I did not really know where to go next with them except that I wasn’t feeling the traditional verse/chorus layout. So I just had the idea of combining them and I thought that was the best way to complete both of them. Lyric-wise, I feel like it’s one of the songs that resonates closest with my actual life and feelings. To me, this song is very lyric-heavy as opposed to relying on melody, so I understand if people don’t like it in that way. I just hope if anything people listen to the lyrics. It is not a crazy, obviously fictional story as some of my previous songs are. I feel like it's way more just me talking about how I feel. And “Mannish Girl” was a perfect title to me because not only does it play off the original title, but it’s kind of how the lyrics allude to how I feel. Not necessarily “mannish”, but not very feminine and I don’t feel the urge to be very feminine. And the urge to just be very hard on the outside, causes people to piss me off lol. Like I really meant it, I don’t like wearing bras so can you just get over my nipples and move on. Like the four bars that mention scars on my knees, I feel like are the hardest and most truthful lyrics I have written in a minute haha.
As a female creating a title such as "Mannish Girl," what do you want people, especially your fans to take away from the record?
I really just hope people think it is as cool as I think it is. I mean I guess a part of me hopes it is “relatable” to use the corny word; like I hope some people can listen and be like, “Yeah f*ck em”, cause I feel like that's kind of the broader message behind the story lol. But if it isn’t relatable, I just hope people appreciate the artistry and lyrics of it.
You've created Pop songs prior to "Mannish Girl," what made you try something new, and will you continue on in the Hip Hop lane?
I’ve never wanted to just be a Pop artist, I don't want to limit myself in that way. I feel like I am still finding my lane and what I like to make and what feels good. I’m trying to not limit myself in what I make. I feel like with this song I just put so much of myself into it, both the lyrics and the beat and it was something I was proud of and wanted to share regardless and I did not really care if it fits a certain genre or crowd. And I know the song is so long for the attention span of music listeners today lol. I tried to cut it down but I really couldn't find a line that I felt could be taken out. Every line I felt was important. And I have always gravitated towards Hip Hop both in what I listen to and make so it is definitely the genre I would like to continue to improve in.
You have great potential and your talent is off the charts! What are 3 things you'd like to achieve this year, big or small?
Thank you. I appreciate that a lot. One thing I want to do for sure is put out a music video, cause I know visuals are important and I have not put one out in a minute. I want to continue to just write and explore and get all the terrible songs out of my system lol. And also I just want to be open to more opportunities and put myself out there. I feel like when I reflect on years past, it was really my own fears or doubts that stood in my way the most, so I am just trying to be more aware of those thoughts and just do the things that scare me. Because usually, the worst thing that can come out of a situation is someone saying “no '' or “you suck”. They can't really hurt me any other way, so I just gotta get over it.
What's next for you?
Next is most likely another single along with that music video I mentioned earlier. This next one will definitely be a more just vibey kind of song and not as heavy and intricate as my last couple lol. I also just did a feature on my friend's song so that should be coming out soon. And I want to get back on my producer grind too so I definitely want to post more beats and release some loop kits.