Amanda Brown (singer) facts for kids

Amanda Leah Brown, born on June 4, 1985, is a talented singer and dancer from New York City. Many people know her from the TV show The Voice, where she competed in its third season and reached fifth place.

Discovering Music: Amanda's Early Life

Amanda Leah Brown was born on June 4, 1985, in The Bronx, New York. She is the oldest of three children. Her family background is Puerto Rican and Jamaican.

Amanda started singing at her local church in the Bronx when she was just six years old. This is where she first fell in love with music.

When she was 12, Amanda decided to try out for a special school. This was the famous Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York. She got in! At this school, she learned about many types of music. These included classical, jazz, pop, and rock. Even though she grew up singing gospel music, Amanda started trying out new styles. She also began writing her own songs.

After high school, Amanda went to Howard University in Washington, D.C. But after her first year, she decided to go back to New York. She wanted to focus on her music career. She then transferred to Baruch College to continue her studies.

Amanda's younger sister, Samara, also appeared on The Voice. She was on the 21st season of the show. Both John Legend and Ariana Grande wanted her on their team. Samara chose John Legend as her coach.

Amanda's Music Career Begins

While in college in New York, Amanda started trying out for different singing jobs. This led to a huge opportunity in 2007. She was asked to join superstar Alicia Keys on her "As I Am Tour" as a background singer. This was a life-changing experience for Amanda.

After touring with Alicia Keys, Amanda also sang backup for other famous artists. These included Adele and Stevie Wonder.

Amanda also began performing at a popular live music spot. It was called the Village Underground in Manhattan.

In 2011, Amanda released her first song online. It was called "Dreamer" and was available on iTunes. She wrote this song with Texacal, and Z Musik produced it.

Competing on The Voice

In 2012, Amanda Brown auditioned for the third season of The Voice. She impressed the judges and earned a spot on Cee Lo Green's team.

Later, during a "battle round," she sang a duet with Trevin Hunte. They performed Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love". This performance was so good that Adam Levine "stole" Amanda for his team. This was a big deal because she was the first contestant ever to be stolen on The Voice!

One of Amanda's most memorable performances was singing Aerosmith's "Dream On". Rolling Stone magazine even praised her performance.

While on The Voice, Amanda's songs became very popular. Her versions of "Dream On", "Stars", and "Someone Like You" appeared on the Billboard charts.

She also made history on the show in another way. She was the first contestant in season three to perform alone with a major artist. She sang with Ne-Yo to open a live show on December 3, 2012.

Even with all her success, Amanda was eliminated after reaching the top six contestants. She thanked her fans for their support. She said, "This has been an extremely beautiful and amazing ride."

Amanda's The Voice Performances

     – Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes

After The Voice: New Projects

After her time on The Voice, Amanda kept busy. She recorded a cover of James Brown's song "The Payback". This song was used in the 2013 movie Identity Thief.

She also wrote articles for Parade Magazine. She shared her thoughts on episodes of The Voice: Season Four.

In May 2013, Amanda performed at a special event. It was the Ben Vereen Lifetime Achievement Gala. She sang "Magic to Do" at her old high school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

Soon after, Amanda sang two duets with Michael Bolton. They performed "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You". These performances were on the TV show Fox & Friends.

In June 2013, Amanda released a song on EMW Music Group's album "Shuffle". All the money from this album went to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. This foundation helps music education in schools.

In December 2015, Amanda sang backup for Adele again. This was for a special TV show called "Adele Live in New York City" at Radio City Music Hall. Amanda then joined Adele on her "Adele Live 2016" world tour. This tour lasted from February 2016 to June 2017. Amanda continued to sing with Adele for her later shows. These included "Adele One Night Only" and her "Weekends with Adele" shows in Las Vegas.

In February 2018, Amanda released "Believers." This was the first song from her first full album, "Dirty Water." The album came out on May 11, 2018. In April 2018, she released another song from the album, "No Good."

Amanda Brown's Music: Discography

• Dirty Water (2018)

Singles