Amber Lawrence

Award-winning singer, songwriter and local Maroubra girl, Amber Lawrence, will launch her upcoming album Superheroes with a live performance at The Basement.

As a city and beach girl country music didn’t stand out as the most likely career path, but one way or another Lawrence eventually fell into it after being told by her singing teacher to buy a CD from a genre she had never listened to before.

“I picked up a LeAnn Rimes album which I loved and from there my collection continued to grow. Then as time went by and I got more and more absorbed into it I started to write songs with some meaning which led to where I am now,” says Lawrence.

Superheroes is full of songs with deeply emotional meanings for Lawrence, in particular the track Lifesaver which was written as a tribute to her late father that eventually morphed into a true Aussie love story.

Lawrence describes the process of writing the song: “I wanted to write a song about a lifesaver because that’s what my Dad lived and breathed, but as I was writing all these memories came flooding back of stories I was told about when my parents met, so it eventually went more in that direction.”

It is because of songs like this that the album has gained a reputation as Lawrence’s most personal release to date, however, she is quick to point out that “while I haven’t held anything back emotionally and personally I still feel these are some of my most relatable songs because they tap into emotions we all feel.”

To get that final piece of added inspiration Lawrence travelled to the mecca of country music, Nashville, and spent three weeks there writing the album before eventually deciding to also produce it there.

“It was really inspiring being in Nashville and it was kind of a bucket-list thing to do an album in Nashville, since it is where all the really great players are based,” says Lawrence.

For the album launch performance Lawrence will be playing all of the new songs from Superheroes as well as some fan-favourites. She describes her excitement by saying, “I love these songs and think people are really going to respond to them so I can’t wait to sing them to a live crowd. They’re also really well produced, so I know the band is looking forward to playing them also.” (JA)

Sep 18, The Basement, 7 Macquarie Pl, Circular Quay, $25.80-75.80+bf, moshtix.com.au