Amber Claire- People You Should Know

Entertainment, People You Should Know — By Buddy Sampson on July 28, 2020 at 11:23 pm

A New Butterfly Spreads Her Wings- And Flies

By Buddy Sampson

Butterflies are among the most beautiful creatures on earth. They are metaphors for the transformative qualities of life’s journey. Many spiritual leaders believe that the metamorphosis from a caterpillar to butterfly represents the actualization of potential- the representation of the pure potentiality that lies within each of us. Amber Claire, originally of Melbourne, Australia has been a caterpillar of sorts- grinding it out, learning, interviewing, and telling the stories of others-the stories of pop music’s biggest stars. But the lovely journalist, public relations expert and interviewer is now emerging as the beautiful butterfly she always was, indeed showing the world- finally- that she is as talented, if not more so, as the luminaries in which presence she often occupies.

Amber Claire is an extremely talented singer and performer that should have been a star many years ago. And she has paid her dues. A fixture of red carpets and events interviewing celebrities, recently, the stunning singer and songwriter recorded a song, “Nothing Can Break This Love,” with mega-producer Narada Walden. Walden has produced music for many of the legendary singers and performers of our time, including Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Whitney Houston, Sister Sledge, Lionel Richie, and a singer Amber has always admired, Mariah Carey.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Amber always has loved performing. While very young, her family emigrated to Rosebud, a beach town where she grew up. The youngest of four children, Amber grew up surrounded by music and creativity, often because of the influences of her mother, Lorraine, her father, Bob, her brother, Justin, a singer/guitarist/drummer and her twin sisters Greer and Sam,  who were dancers.  “My dad was in a band,” said Amber of her dad, Bob. “He was a drummer in a band, and we traveled around Australia in a big bus.” She fondly remembers hearing and listening to cassette tapes of Stevie Wonder, Christopher Cross, Linda Ronstadt, and others. “My dad would pull out the bongos and play, and my sisters were dancers. I also learned how to dance. I learned jazz ballet and calisthenics but basically my introduction to music was Madonna.” Many young ladies during that time tried to dress, act, and sing like Madonna, and Amber was no different. “Madonna made me want to be a singer,” she said. “When I heard ‘Lucky Star’ I remember singing in the back of my parents’ car and they were like ‘wow, she can really sing.” Amber listened to many singers, including Australian-British singer Kylie Minogue and Michael Jackson.

But two singers from the U.S. made a monumental impact on her. “Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey just completed changed my life,” said Amber. “As a singer, it was like ‘I want to be exactly like them.’” As a journalist/publicist, she has met and interviewed many actors and personalities, including Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie and also met the late Naya Rivera. “She was so kind and sweet,” said Amber of Naya Rivera. “She had a big future.”

As a youngster, Amber had the opportunity of seeing one of her idols, Mariah Carey at a concert and prepared a special gift for her. “I prepared a baby koala bear for her,” she reflected about the toy and note she prepared for Mariah.  But security would not allow her to get the gift to Mariah, so she sneakily threw it on the stage. “I just threw it, I had no idea where it landed,” she laughed. “So, when the lights came on, she was literally asking about koala bears. And she said, ‘oh wow,’ look at this.” Mariah Carey saw the bear and note. Suddenly Amber was at the center of attention. “I put a butterfly on the little card, and she asked, ‘Where are you Amber?” The spotlight was suddenly on Amber and Mariah dedicated her hit record “Without You,” to her. But Amber, an amazing singer and songwriter will see many more spotlights in her career.

Amber always knew, as many of the people that have heard her sing, that she had the chops to be a successful singer in America. So, after soul searching, she decided to emigrate to the United States, landing in Charleston, South Carolina. But why Charleston? Charleston does not have a reputation as an entertainment capital of the United States. “I had some friends from Australia there and that’s where I first started,” said Amber Claire. “I ended working as a nanny for a couple of different families and I basically just found my own way.” The flight of the lovely butterfly found its way to Atlanta, where she became a live-in nanny. “It was great for me, being in my 20’s because I was still learning my way around, and I was wanting to pursue a career in entertainment but not knowing exactly how to do it, so having that grounding really helped,” she reflected. She was able to find some success in Atlanta, signing a record deal. But as with many record deals, some record companies promote their bigger artists, leaving newer talent to languish. She was put on the shelf.

The flight of the lovely butterfly brought her to Los Angeles.

She answered an ad for a radio show looking for guests, and her distinct Australian accent landed her a spot as co-host for “The Jeffrey Henderson Show.” From there, she began to get her footing in Hollywood- meeting publicists, learning how to interview on the red carpet and she eventually started her own publicity company. She eventually had the pleasure of interviewing, well Mariah Carey. “I finally got to meet her and tell her that I was the one she dedicated her first song to at her first Australian concert,” she laughs. “And she still remembers it to this day.”

Via Instagram, she caught the attention of Narada Walden. Walden heard her voice and eventually, they decided to work on some music together. “It was intimidating at first,” said Amber of meeting Narada. “This is the guy that produced stuff for my favorite artists. It was unbelievable, it was surreal.” But Narada knows a superstar when he hears one.

See her video above, “Nothing Can Break This Love,” which features Narada Michael Walden as Producer and on drums.  Katie Walden, Nate Soul Sanger, and Cornell Carter are the background vocalists.  She also wrote another track with Narada, “Get Back Up,” which has received rave reviews from several music outlets, including mega-music site PopBulb.com, which called her song “an inspirational bop” that “will have you dancing all night long.” Additionally, she participated in a virtual collaboration of “Heal the World,” which raised money for No Kid Hungry.

Those of us that have known Amber have waited for her to fly. And now, the flight of the lovely butterfly is now circling the air-the metamorphosis of a journey of a caterpillar that finally is spreading its wings as a butterfly. “I think butterflies are good luck,” said Amber, who has a butterfly tattoo on her foot. “They’re beautiful. For me they represent a free world and a free spirit.”

Yes, Amber Claire’s free-spirited journey as the amazing singer and beautiful butterfly she is, is now flying for all to see. It is undeniably why Amber Bollard is one of the People You Should know. For more information visit her Instagram @amberclaire1. Also visit www.Amberbollard.contently.com/.

Amber wishes her heartfelt condolences to the fans, friends, and family of Naya Rivera, who died recently in a tragic accident.