Premiere • Amare Symoné: "Break of Mind"

Transplant Amare Symoné traded in the her life in Brooklyn to pursue school and music in Chicago, a increasingly popular reason to make the move to old Windy. The daughter of poets, Amare had a genetic predisposition for creativity growing up. A singer for as long she could speak, but Amare just recently started releasing music of her own. Her single "Break of Mind" initially caught our attention a few months back, and today we get to premiere the visuals for this love story. We also had the chance to speak with Amare about everything from her parents to aspirations as a Chicago newcomer, in a short Q&A below. Take a moment to learn about Amare Symoné, she's a name worth knowing.

You only got on our radar with the release of this single about a month ago. Where did you come from?!

It’s kind of complicated to claim one place. I moved around a lot because my parents are poets. I was born in Sacramento, California. However, I spent most of my days in other parts of California such as West Oakland and San Diego. For the most part, I was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Neighborhoods like BedStuy and Crown Heights definitely aided the development of the human being I am today.

Why did you decide to come to Chicago?

I came to Chicago for two reasons: to start my journey in higher education, and because I am a city kid. There was no other city that I could see myself growing in as an artist. Chicago was the only city besides NYC that was mad rich with music culture, fed my hunger to become ambitious, and allowed me to have free space to try different things, and still be supported. New York City doesn’t support its local artists as much as it should, everyone is for themselves. The people that control the airplay in NYC aren’t even from there, and rarely play artists from NYC unless they are mainstream pop stars. There’s a known saying about New York, “If you make it there, you can make it anywhere”. Well I made it there by default, only because I was from there. Both New York, and California were too familiar. I wanted to get away from the safety net of my daily life in New York City. There’s no place like Chicago, I love it here.

What have your experiences with the music community been like during your time here?

The experiences in the music community have been interesting, there is so much support here, yet the exclusivity of it can be quite overwhelming. But I definitely understand under circumstances because, when you have your team already, those who come after your rise into success can’t really be trusted. I have learned so much from the music community as a musician/artist in terms of professionalism. There are so many young artists that look like me here in Chicago, and it is exciting. I find myself constantly being inspired by Chicago’s music scene, both underground, and mainstream. Chicago is the city that gave me confidence to share my voice, and words with others. A year ago I didn’t think I had the power of creativity to share messages with others. I visited Young Chicago Authors’ while performing with my mother, Mahogany L. Browne, and my start of making music took off from there.

Tell us a little about "Break of Mind". It's obviously a personal record about someone special, but where does the title come from?

Break of Mind is similar to the phrase “change of heart”, or even “change of mind”. It is about someone breaking off from the mentality that real love no longer exists, and genuine people have gone extinct. It shows how one breaks the cycle of being afraid to love, and actually taking the opportunity to accept someone new into their life, and enjoy that experience. Sometimes we expect a tremendous amount of effort and love from a person within relationships, whether it is our love partners, friends, family, etc. and we grow angry when we feel we aren’t treated the way we deserve.

You have less than a handful of songs released currently. What's your plan for the future?

Currently, I am working on finishing up my new EP. I am so excited to announce that my project, Glass Windows EP will be released in the fall. I have been working really hard to make sure it is something I will be proud of years later. I hope my music reflects what I stand for and who I am as an artist. I hope to be able to tour across the world; I want to perform my music with those who cherish it. I will continue on with my educational journey for a BA in Music Business, and thereafter I will obtain a Master’s Degree in whatever I choose. Until then, I am just living and working really hard while keeping a "360 maintain" mentality. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram: @AmareSymone. Thank you so much your time and support