Those are the lyrics that kick off
Secrets I Told To A Sound Hole,
the debut studio album by
Morris County singer-songwriter
Amanda Rose Riley. It’s a fun,
quirky look at the life of a musi-
cian from the very beginning of
a career. In many ways, all of the
songs tell the same story from
different angles. The end effect
is similar to a concept album.
“When I released the album,
I did think of it as a concept al-
bum,” said Riley. “I was very care-
ful to try to order the songs so
they sort of tell the story of my
journey with music. But when I
was writing songs, I actually stum-
bled on the theme by accident. I
was just thinking a lot about mu-
sic, my relationship with it, and
my ambitions. I realized I couldn’t
write songs about anything else.
The only thing that was coming
out was stuff about music. I was
actually kind of annoyed at myself
at first, but I eventually decided
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 46
to go with it because I realized it
could be interesting.”
Her journey is definitely inter-
esting as it provides insight into
the mind of a young artist. Riley
is not your typical artist either.
She created an entire marketing
plan from scratch for this album
- spending time to create lists of
publications, radio stations, and
blogs who might be interested
in her work. While many artists
can’t wait to record their first re-
cord in a real studio, Riley spent
two months rehearsing her songs
before entering the studio for the
first time. For someone excited
to move forward as a musician,
she was also careful to take time
with each step of the road.
Riley was not merely patient;
she loves every aspect of the
business. She enjoys reaching
out to people, researching, read-
ing books and blogs, and simply
soaking up every aspect of the
music industry.
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