Amel Larrieux
| Amel Larrieux | |
|---|---|
Larrieux in San Diego on October 30, 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amel Eliza Stowell |
| Born |
March 8, 1973 New York City, New York, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Groove Theory |
| Website | amellarrieux |
Amel Larrieux (née Eliza Stowell; born March 8, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Larrieux rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a founding member of the duo Groove Theory along with Bryce Wilson. After leaving the group in 1999, she released her debut solo album, Infinite Possibilities, the following year on Epic Records.
In late 2003, Larrieux and her husband, producer Laru Larrieux, founded the independent label Blisslife Records, on which she has released four albums so far. Larrieux cites Ella Fitzgerald, Prince, Sade, Rickie Lee Jones, Stevie Wonder, Shawn Colvin, Chaka Khan, John Lennon, Patrice Rushen, Jimi Hendrix, and Joni Mitchell as her musical influences. The Japanese star vocalist Utada Hikaru cites Larrieux as her musical influence.
Larrieux was born Amel Eliza Stowell on March 8, 1973 in New York City. She was raised an only child in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village. Her African-American mother, Brenda Dixon Gottschild, is a dance critic, author, and college instructor. Her father is of French, English, and Scottish descent. Larrieux was raised in an artistic environment and was surrounded by talented and inspirational artists. Larrieux attended Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. She attended the senior prom with Questlove. Many of her influences are drawn from rhythm and blues, soul, jazz, folk, hip hop, and gospel with flashes of Middle Eastern, West African, and Indian ethnic styles. She has often been documented for describing her music as "Amel's music". Larrieux currently resides in New York City with her husband, Laru, and their two daughters, Sanji Rei and Sky. Her forename Amel means "hope" in Arabic.
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