What Has Singer Ameriie Been Up To?

Ameriie burst onto the music scene with her hit summer anthem, “Why Don’t We Fall In Love.” The Washington D.C. native went on to earn a Grammy nomination for her 2005’s smash “1 Thing” before she opted to take a break from music. She married her long term boyfriend and music executive, Lenny Nicholson, and gave birth to their first child, a son River, in 2018. The 39-year-old has made a triumphant return to the music scene as an independent artist but in between performing, she became a big thing in the literary world.

Ameriie started a YouTube channel dedicated to book reviews and a book club

Ameriie expanded her portfolio in an unexpected way when she began her YouTube channel, Books Beauty Ameriie. She reviews books, makeup, hair care products and more. Interestingly, her book review portion took off and introduced her to a whole new world of fans.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy2WqX46cpw?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

Her reviews become beloved for its setting and inviting feel. She sits centered around bookshelves featuring books of all genres as she enthusiastically delves into her book of choice and suggests why readers should try it for themselves. Fans love the channel mainly because no book is off-limits for the singer, though she’s particularly fond of books that feature ghost stories or have science fiction attached to its narrative.

As the popularity of her book reviews grew, she decided to start her own book club in November 2019. According to her website:

“Amerie’s Book Club will highlight diverse and unique perspectives and voices, and it is my hope that we can all come together to listen, to be heard, to embrace and celebrate our differences, and to come away somewhat changed.”

View this post on Instagram

I am so excited to announce Amerie’s Book Club! After thinking about it for years, it’s finally here, and will live right here on Instagram (and YouTube). @AmeriesBookClub will highlight diverse and unique perspectives and voices, and it is my hope that we can all come together to listen, to be heard, to embrace and celebrate our differences, and to come away somewhat changed. This November, join me in diving into #ABC’s inaugural pick, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer. I’ve made no secret how much I love and appreciate @tanehisipcoates’ nonfiction works. They are powerful and important and unflinchingly honest. In his debut novel, The Water Dancer, Coates pulls together that which made his non-fiction so eye-opening, and weaves a narrative that pulled me into a world both beautiful and terrifying, leaving me to ponder what I might have done, what my ancestors most certainly endured. More than an enslavement narrative, Coates exposes the psychological self-deception of those in power to simply maintain the structure of slavery, itself, while making human those who have become no more than statistics or faceless names in history; no easy feat, but he accomplishes it with aplomb. Pick up the book and join the conversation! I can’t wait to read and talk with you. Happy reading, @Amerie Join the conversation with hashtags #AmeriesBookClub #ABC #ReadwithAmerie #WaitingonWed

A post shared by Amerie’s Book Club (@ameriesbookclub) on Nov 6, 2019 at 1:25pm PST

Interested participants can keep up with book club selections on YouTube and Instagram. 

Ameriie became a New York Times best-selling author 

Ameriie’s knack for reading led her on the journey to become an author and editor herself. In 2017, Entertainment Weekly reported that she teamed up with two fellow BookTubers and YA giants Nicola Yoon and Marissa Meyer, to create Because You Love to Hate Me. The book was the first of an anthology celebrating all the delightfully bad guys and gals out there.

Amerie spoke to EW about why she decided to be part of the writing and editing process. 

“When I think of my favorite TV shows and stories, I find that ultimately, I’m asking myself Why? Why did this so-called villain do this terrible thing,” she said. “For me, storytelling is more about questions than answers, and it only made sense to explore the concept of villainy from as many perspectives as possible.”

Ameriie wrote the foreword as well as contributed to editing the anthology and contributing a story of her own. The book became a New York Times best-seller!

Ameriie returns to the music scene 

Ameriie didn’t let her love of literature keep her from music. In 2018, she announced her return with a double surprise album, something her fans were waiting for. On Oct. 19, she released 4AM Mulholland and After 4AM, respectively. The double-sided project gave fans a total of 13 tracks. 

Billboard described the dual album as “a deep dive of more subdued, cavernous R&B and trance-laced productions.” It marked Ameriie’s second release as an independent artist. Her first independent release was 2016’s six-song EP, Drive.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dhxqqg5eck?feature=oembed&w=500&h=375]

She told Billboard she left her recording contract because she refused to cave into their desired mold. 

“I always found it hard with the old model. Recording music, getting together with the label, putting together a marketing plan, then you shoot the videos. Everything’s so far in advance. For me, the whole reason I do this is not to be cute and sing other people’s songs. I don’t do this for the photo shoots or the parties or the red carpets — I never liked those.”

Her album was well-received by fans and critics. Ameriie is currently touring with Monica, Keri Hilson, and Ashanti as part of Live Nation’s Femme It Forward concert lineup.

Written by: CheatSheet