Amanda Brown’s new EP, 'From Here,' takes listeners on a healing journey

Professional backing vocalist Amanda Brown takes center stage in her multidimensional, sophomore project titled “From Here.” Photo collage by SIMRAH AHMAD, staff photographer

Everyone can relate to the want of moving on, the strain of taking the first steps and the euphoria of starting a new chapter. Singer-songwriter Amanda Brown perfectly encapsulates these feelings in her new EP, “From Here,” in which she takes listeners on a healing journey through growth and honesty while slightly mirroring the six stages of grief through six songs.

Amanda Brown performs live during her release party at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on March 30. Photo courtesy of Emily Hewitt

Brown released her EP, “From Here” on Nov. 20, 2022 while she was a backing vocalist for Adele's Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace. While the residency entered a hiatus from March 26 to June 15, Brown celebrated her new EP with a release party on March 30 at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles and released a music video for her last song on the EP, “Amazing,” featuring her skydiving in a pink jumpsuit. 

The first song on the EP, “From Here” speaks of wanting to move on from the same routine her and perhaps partner have been doing for years. However, the path ahead of her seems to be unknown as she asks “Where do we go from here?” After hearing this first song, the range in Brown’s voice is evident from the soft sounding intro to the epic belt in the chorus. 

This honest breakup anthem is naturally followed by “Can’t Let Go,” a song focusing on the annoyance of persisting thoughts about an ex partner. Naturally, the rage is eventually released as she wonders why he let her get close because now she can't let him go. With anger being the second stage of grief, this song fits perfectly into the emotional adventure of the EP. 

The enragement builds throughout the third song “Dirty Liar," in which she sings of someone who seems to have done a lot “for show,” devouring every room they walked into. This song is a good contrast to the early 2000s tone of “Can’t Let Go,” as “Dirty Liar" takes on a proper gritty undertone with a flair of pop. This allows for listeners to dive deep into the universal feeling of resentment following a split. 

Then comes the third stage of grief — the bargaining phase. Brown doesn’t talk of her bargaining in “Hindsight,” but rather the other person’s bargaining, perhaps trying to win her back. She sings of someone calling her and her friends while she puts him back in his place and says, “Boy get your story right, you wanted this life.” 

This song also reflects the acceptance part of grief, where she looks back at her relationship and sees she is better off without it, saying, “I’m good in hindsight." The magical part of this song is the fact that she seems to do her own backing vocals with echoes of “You can't stop calling” while still holding her absolute own throughout the rest of her song.
One might argue the best feeling of a breakup is when you finally like someone else. “Nervous” gives the listener butterflies as Brown sings of wanting to “get carried away” by love. The rise and fall of energy and breath in this song is absolutely perfect when she sings “I get a little nervous.” It resurrects the hope of listeners as they hear what beauty lies on the other side of a breakup. 

Finally, “Amazing” showcases exactly how life will continue after hardship. It touches on the fact that she was “too scared to face it” but she found a way to escape and now feels “so clear in the sunshine." The beat drop in this song is like none other with the pre-chorus ending soft and the chorus taking positive vibes to the next level.

As the song fades out, the listener can finally reflect on their lives through these songs and listen to it again and again on all streaming platforms. 

This EP follows Brown’s first album in 2018, “Dirty Water," and her 2012 appearance on "The Voice," in which she made it to the top six. 

Coincidentally, she sang Adele’s “Someone Like You” on the seventh week of The Voice and three years later she became Adele’s backup singer for her “Adele - Live in New York City” TV special. Brown later went on Adele’s 2016-2017 tour throughout the Americas and Europe and did backing vocals on Adele’s “30” album. She is now a backing vocalist on her 2022-2023 Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace. 

Brown was also a backup singer on The Killer’s “Wonderful Wonderful Tour” and toured as a supporting artist with them from 2018-2019. Her career as a backing vocalist has led her to collaborate with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Tori Kelly, Michael Bolton, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J, Cynthia Erivo and Tyler, The Creator.

Not only does Brown’s voice control massive stages and beautiful albums, but she can also be heard through the silver screen in "Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist" as well as a Nordstrom’s commercial.

But don’t worry. You can see Brown on stage again, dancing to “Rolling in the Deep,” during  Adele's residency, which picks back up June 16.