Amber is a 30-year-old singer and performer and she achieved most of her career highlights in her twenties! She performed at the Malta Eurovision Song Contest and then went on tour in the UK and Russia. She also did duets with Joseph Calleja, performed at Isle of MTV along some internationally renowned artists, and performed at Chogm in front of the Queen. Apart from her music career, she also has a career in television and radio, she is a recent Masters graduate, a primary teacher and she is also active in charity work. Scroll down to listen to the full podcast.
‘Simply put - I don’t sleep most of the time! I’m quite a busy person. I have a lot of things going but they give me great satisfaction.’
Her music career highlight was, without a doubt, her experience at the Eurovision, and Amber admits that her life changed overnight.
‘Since the age of seven, I used to watch Eurovision every single year. At the back of mind, as a child, I always thought of being on stage. However, I never gave music a priority but somehow, I always felt I was going to be a performer. All the things I did in my career, led to Eurovision.’
‘Most of the experience was positive but there are some drawbacks. Your life changes overnight completely. People start recognising you and you start to have a busier schedule. There was a lot of pressure put on me since it wasn’t Amber that was participating, I was representing Malta.’
At the time, Amber was just twenty-three years old, and she was in her last year of her Masters degree.
‘I had to juggle between lectures, radio interviews and television interviews. It was very tough. However, thankfully, three years back, I was a backing vocalist with Kurt Calleja. So, I knew what I had to do when it was my time to shine. And yes…I had to learn and do the wiggly dance and I have two left feet and terrible coordination!’
Amber touches upon the fact that women do not have it easy in the music industry.
‘Most record labels claimed that I was too old for me to get signed and I was still in my twenties. Unfortunately, the music industry is all about the image, especially internationally. Record labels are always looking for young and fresh faces.’
Amber came back to Malta, released her second album and started collaborating with various artists. She knew that she would keep making music until she dies!
‘I take my time with music. More importantly, I do not wear outfits that do not portray me as Amber. I believe that we have a responsibility of being role models and I don’t like bringing sexuality into my music. That’s just not who I am.’
Apart from her music career, Amber also heads an NGO that goes by the name of Mzungu Mission.
‘Mzungu means Western. In 2012, Xarbank went to Tanzania to raise funds and they asked me and Keith Demicoli to go with them. We were welcomed by the community, and they asked us our names. However, they refused to call us by our names. They called us Mzungu. That’s how the NGO came about. After that, we went up year after year.’
Amber explains that she experienced a different reality there. Most of the community do not have enough food, water, or money. They have never seen the sea and they live in houses that are built out of mud and water. Children are regularly killed, raped, or abducted.
‘I think you have to experience and live in their poverty to understand what they go through. We have built a halfway home in Kenya for adolescents who are travelling by night. This home serves as a space where they can rest for the night and then they continue with their travels in the morning.’
Mzungu Mission is a drop in the ocean, but it is making a difference to individuals.
‘We are making a difference in education - educating the youngsters for a better society. It’s useless giving them the fish, you need to give them the rod. We want them to understand that they need to work for what they want to help them appreciate what they have.’
Amber stresses the need to follow various NGOs’ social media to know what is going on outside of the little space that we live in.
‘Also donate! It does not have to be big. 10 euros helps save a child suffering from malaria. Most families do not even have that!’
As the podcast comes to an end, Amber gives one last parting advice to listeners.
‘Never give up. At times life can be very tough. I always say that if it was easy, anyone could do it. You have to work super hard and keep on chasing your dreams. Keep on going and keep on believing. Ultimately, you will make it, I promise you that.’
Thank you, Amber for your time! It was indeed our pleasure having you on our podcast. Keep on shining! Listen to the full podcast below.
