Amel Larrieux Biography

Amel Larrieux was destined to be the soulful R&B singer that she is. The physically stunning chanteuse was raised in the bohemian West Village neighborhood of New York where her dance critic/professor mother introduced her to an eclectic crowd that sparked her artistic interests as a young child. Larrieux wrote a song and created a demo herself at age 18 before forming duo Groove Theory with former Mantronix member Bryce Wilson (AKA Bryce Luvah). Groove Theory signed with Epic Records and released Top Ten R&B and pop hit "Tell Me" in 1995, followed by a subsequent successful Groove Theory album.Larrieux joined Sweetback, an instrumental outfit made up of former Sade backup band members, on their 1996 eponymous album before releasing her debut solo single "Get Up" three years later. An anthem for the working class, "Get Up" made the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart as well as the Hot 100. Epic/550 Music released Larrieux's first solo record, Infinite Possibilities, in February 2000 and the R&B singer paired up with Glenn Lewis to record "What's Come Over Me?" for the Barbershop soundtrack in 2002. Lewis and Larrieux reunited for a rendition of "Where Is the Love" in 2003, which appeared on Stanley Clarke's 1,2, to the Bass album and earned the duo a Grammy nomination. Larrieux switched to indie label Blisslife in 2004 for the release of Bravebird, which was followed by her third solo effort Morning in 2006. Morning is an eclectic mix of R&B, hip-hop, soul and jazz whose influences hail from her native New York as well as West Africa, India and the Middle East.Amel Larrieux has been bewitching audiences with her eclectic, soulful R&B sound and alluring beauty since she emerged in the music scene in the mid-1990s. The wife and mother of two continues to write inspiring songs that she croons with innate ability to transform her audience.