Amber Benson
Plano, Texas
35 Years Old
Songwriter
35 Years Old
Songwriter
writer profile >
BIOGRAPHY“Sometimes I wish my life didn’t give me so much material to work with,” says songwriter Amber Benson with a laugh. “I lived a pretty sheltered life and then one day I woke up in a country song.”
It’s a lesson in being careful what you wish for. Amber wrote her first song as a freshmen in college driving herself back home to her native Wylie, Texas from College Station. The song lamented the fact that her town was small enough that everybody would gossip about her but she never did anything worth talking about. Since then, Amber’s life has taken her from a young married girl to a single woman, from dotcom success story to digital marketing executive, and from the East Coast back to Dallas again—with enough frequent flier miles in between to launch a world tour.
“I think I give voice to a lot of real women, who got what they wanted and realized it might not be what they need.” said Amber. “One side of you wants and fights for your right to be independent and define your own destiny, while another side really just wants someone to take care of you. Those perspectives can be held simultaneously in the same woman.”
It’s her ability to reconcile the stark reality of life today with a hopeful expectation for tomorrow that makes Amber’s songs both heartbreaking and healing. Growing up with a grandmother that listened to old country radio, a Southern-gospel singing mother and her father’s 1960s era record collection—her songs give a nod to classic country, bluegrass and blues with timeless themes of love, loss, independence, family and faith.
A writer by training and trade, Amber knows the craft—but she also knows what her audience wants—to feel something. Regardless of the subject matter, an Amber Benson songs will always have one of two things: an aching vulnerability that will make you cry or a wicked sense of humor that will make you laugh. And sometimes they have both.
“It doesn’t really surprise me that my songs are a little bipolar,” said Amber. “Everyday life might be lived in the mundane middle, but our memories are made at the extremes of our emotions. I’ve been accused of being ‘too much’ in just about everything I do. And it’s probably true. It makes for a rocky road sometimes—but it makes for some really great songs.”
It’s a lesson in being careful what you wish for. Amber wrote her first song as a freshmen in college driving herself back home to her native Wylie, Texas from College Station. The song lamented the fact that her town was small enough that everybody would gossip about her but she never did anything worth talking about. Since then, Amber’s life has taken her from a young married girl to a single woman, from dotcom success story to digital marketing executive, and from the East Coast back to Dallas again—with enough frequent flier miles in between to launch a world tour.
“I think I give voice to a lot of real women, who got what they wanted and realized it might not be what they need.” said Amber. “One side of you wants and fights for your right to be independent and define your own destiny, while another side really just wants someone to take care of you. Those perspectives can be held simultaneously in the same woman.”
It’s her ability to reconcile the stark reality of life today with a hopeful expectation for tomorrow that makes Amber’s songs both heartbreaking and healing. Growing up with a grandmother that listened to old country radio, a Southern-gospel singing mother and her father’s 1960s era record collection—her songs give a nod to classic country, bluegrass and blues with timeless themes of love, loss, independence, family and faith.
A writer by training and trade, Amber knows the craft—but she also knows what her audience wants—to feel something. Regardless of the subject matter, an Amber Benson songs will always have one of two things: an aching vulnerability that will make you cry or a wicked sense of humor that will make you laugh. And sometimes they have both.
“It doesn’t really surprise me that my songs are a little bipolar,” said Amber. “Everyday life might be lived in the mundane middle, but our memories are made at the extremes of our emotions. I’ve been accused of being ‘too much’ in just about everything I do. And it’s probably true. It makes for a rocky road sometimes—but it makes for some really great songs.”
LEVELsemi-pro
GENRESCountry, Alternative Country, Traditional Country
Contact
Administrative: Amber Benson
INSTRUMENTSvocals
DAY JOBDigital Marketing
I AM INTERESTED IN
in co writing online
in co writing in person
in networking with songwriters
in pitching songs to artist
in getting a publishing deal
in co writing in person
in networking with songwriters
in pitching songs to artist
in getting a publishing deal
I WRITE:It's my second job
I Also Write:
by myself
I Prefer To Write:
lyrics
melody
I Also Write:
by myself
I Prefer To Write:
lyrics
melody
my network >
>>
As a member of The Band, Robbie Robertson changed the course or rock music history, hipping the genre to a more old-timey sound with songs like “The Weight,” “Up On Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” His latest solo album, How To Become Clairvoyant, reflects on his rock and roll past.
>>
Taylor Swift: The Garden In The Machine
“Country music is truly music for everyone,” said Tim McGraw, as he and his wife Faith Hill prepared to announce the Country Music Association’s 2009 “Entertainer of the Year” award. “And that’s never been more apparent than with the diversity of tonight’s nominees.”
>>
Jessica Lea Mayfield: Look At Miss Ohio
“Things are starting to get weird.”
Jessica Lea Mayfield, whose Nonesuch Records debut Tell Me is in stores now, is on the phone from her home in Ohio and we’re having a good laugh over her recent success. It’s beer o’clock on both ends of the phone, the last interview in a long week of talking to complete strangers for the two of us.
>>
Cadillac Sky should be a lot more tired. It’s early Saturday afternoon at MerleFest and the band–Bryan Simpson, Matt Menefree, Andrew Moritz, Ross Holmes and newest addition David Mayfield–has already logged two performances on the day....
writer's block >
American Songspace® is a registered trademark in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.