Amerie has a thing for literature. The Grammy-nominated artist stopped by Power 105.1’s Way Up with Angela Yee to discuss her new children’s book, You Will Do Great Things, the story of a young boy’s fantastical journey into unexplored worlds created through family photos.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Amerie has dabbled in the library. Amerie is the editor of New York Times bestseller Because You Love to Hate Me, released in 2017, and founder of Amerie’s Book Club. The Georgetown University graduate shares this common interest with Angela Yee, who is the ambassador of the New York Public Library and founder of her own book club.
Before Amerie delved into the world of books, she entertained the masses with her sonically grandeur R&B and pop songs. She debuted in 2002 with the award-winning studio album All I Have, led by singles “Why Don’t We Fall in Love” and “Talkin’ to Me.” She followed up with 2005’s Touch and 2009’s In Love & War, giving listeners serious replay value with the gigantic hit “1 Thing” and “More Than Love,” featuring Fabolous.
It would be nearly a decade later before Amerie would release another album, that being 4am Mulholland. When Angela Yee inquiried on how Amerie used her voice throughout her career, the mother of one admits that she’s always been a woman with a clear vision for herself.
“I always knew what I wanted and didn’t want,” Amerie said. “Our strength is just leaning into what makes us different.”
The key to her success was listening to her own voice. That conviction to oneself helped Amerie navigate a career that showed her to be sensual and sexy without actually having to bare it all. In Amerie’s experience, the “1 Thing” singer has witnessed men usually at the helm of curating a woman’s sexuality for public consumption without the woman’s viewpoint.
“I was talking with someone and they were like, ‘Why is it that every time women get to a certain age or a certain point, the ‘I just want to embrace my womanhood now,’ why does that always equal nudity every time?’” Amerie said in the interview. “I was like, ‘Well, there is power in your sexuality, but you have to own it.’”
With that said, Amerie’s transition to book authorship has allowed her to escape the misogyny of women in music and take control of her own narrative, literally. Her next book, which hasn’t been officially announced, is an adult fiction novel with over 600 pages, pre-edit. Unfortunately for her music fans, it may be a while before they hear new music from the intellectual beau.
You Will Do Great Things is available for pre-order now and releases March 28, 2023.
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