Amber Coffman
{{Short description|American singer-songwriter}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image = Dirty Projectors 2008.05.31 011.jpg
| caption = Coffman in 2008
| birth_name = Amber Dawn Coffman
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|6|15}}
| birth_place = Austin, Texas, U.S.
| genre = Indie rock, art pop, R&B,{{cite web |last1=Connor |first1=Reed |title=Amber Coffman: City of No Reply |url=https://spectrumculture.com/2017/06/05/amber-coffman-city-no-reply/ |website=spectrumculture.com |publisher=Spectrum Culture |access-date=9 August 2022 |date=5 June 2017 |quote=“Dark Night” grafts a smooth R&B rhythm over growling, sinister synths that threaten derailment at any moment.}} experimental
| occupation = Singer-songwriter
| instrument = Vocals, guitar
| label = Columbia Records
| years_active = 2005–present
| past_member_of = Dirty Projectors, Sleeping People
}}
Amber Dawn Coffman (born June 15, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, formerly based in Brooklyn, New York. She was formerly a guitarist for Sleeping People, and was later a guitarist and vocalist for the indie rock band Dirty Projectors. She released her debut studio album as a solo artist, City of No Reply in June 2017.{{cite web|last1=Blisten|first1=Jon|title=Hear Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman Make Ethereal Solo Debut|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-dirty-projectors-amber-coffmans-ethereal-solo-debut-w443745|website=Rolling Stone|accessdate=21 November 2016}}
Early life
Coffman grew up in Ohio, Texas, and California and attended 11 different schools.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/02/amber-coffman-dirty-projectors-city-of-no-reply-interview|title=Amber Coffman on life after Dirty Projectors: ‘Being on my own was pretty heavy’|last=Snapes|first=Laura|date=2017-06-02|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-06-02|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} She had an early love of the women in R&B in the 1990s, and became interested in rock as a teenager.
Music career
As a teenager living in San Diego, Coffman worked at a grocery store as a day job and was a guitarist in an instrumental math rock band called Sleeping People.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-timing-fortuitous-for-dirty-projectors8217-coffman-2009oct30-htmlstory.html|title=Timing fortuitous for Dirty Projectors’ Coffman|last=Varga|first=George|date=October 30, 2009|work=San Diego Union Tribune|access-date=2017-06-04|language=en-US}}
= Dirty Projectors =
Coffman moved to New York at 22 and joined Dirty Projectors on guitar and vocals, beginning with the band's 2006 tour for Rise Above.{{Cite news|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2012/07/interview-amber-coffman-of-dirty-projectors/|title=Interview: Amber Coffman (of Dirty Projectors)|last=Comaratta|first=Len|date=2012-07-09|work=Consequence of Sound|access-date=2017-06-04|language=en-US}} She continued with the band through Bitte Orca (2009), the Björk collaboration Mount Wittenberg Orca (2010, inspired by Coffman sighting a family of Orcas off the coast of California),{{Cite news|url=http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/bjork-dirty-projectors/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705140923/http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/bjork-dirty-projectors|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 5, 2010|title=Björk and Dirty Projectors Release Mount Wittenberg Orca -- National Geographic|last=Society|first=National Geographic|work=National Geographic|access-date=2017-06-07|language=en}} Swing Lo Magellan (2012) and the EP About to Die (2012).
Dee Lockett, in New York Magazine, said Coffman's "soft, silky voice stood out on the band’s biggest songs, like 'Stillness Is the Move'" from Bitte Orca.{{cite news|url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/dirty-projectors-amber-coffman-interview.html|title=Amber Coffman on Her Debut Solo Album and Life After Dirty Projectors|date=June 2, 2017|work=Vulture|publisher=New York Magazine|language=en|last1=Lockett|first1=Dee|accessdate=6 June 2017}} Describing Coffman's influence on the band's sound, Erik Adams wrote in the A.V. Club:
Amber Coffman made the avant-garde almost mistakable for Top 40. Coffman’s melismatic lead on "Stillness Is The Move" was a breakout moment for the Brooklyn band, and in harmony with Angel Deradoorian and Haley Dekle, she formed a vocal powerhouse that could either provide a radio-friendly counterpoint to David Longstreth's Arthur Russell-esque bleats or urge songs like "Useful Chamber" and "Gun Has No Trigger" deeper into alien territory.{{Cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/live/amber-coffman-gucci-mane-and-more-weeks-music-revi-256096/entry/961|title=Amber Coffman, Gucci Mane, and more in this week’s music reviews|last=Adams|first=Erik|date=2017-06-02|work=A.V. Club|access-date=2017-06-04}}
= Solo work =
{{Main|City of No Reply}}
While in the band, Coffman also continued to create her own demos. She began writing an album in 2011{{Cite news|url=http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1501-amber-coffman-on-why-her-solo-debut-is-more-than-a-breakup-album/|title=Amber Coffman on Why Her Solo Debut Is More Than a Breakup Album|last=Anderson|first=Stacey|date=May 1, 2017|work=Pitchfork|access-date=June 5, 2017}} and released City of No Reply, her first solo album, on June 2, 2017.
= Other collaborations =
Coffman has also collaborated with electronic artist Rusko on the 2010 track "Hold On"{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/14226-hold-on-ft-amber-coffman/ |title=Rusko: "Hold On" [ft. Amber Coffman] |last1=Larry |first1=Fitzmaurice |date=26 April 2010 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |accessdate=13 December 2013}} and with Diplo of Major Lazer on the 2012 track "Get Free".{{cite web |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/46030-download-major-lazers-collaboration-with-amber-coffman-of-dirty-projectors-get-free/ |title=Download Major Lazer's Collaboration With Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors: "Get Free" |last1=Laura |first1=Snapes |date=15 April 2012 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |accessdate=13 December 2013}} In 2013, she was featured on hip hop artist J. Cole's song "She Knows" from his album Born Sinner.{{cite web |url=http://hiphopwired.com/2013/11/13/j-cole-ft-amber-coffman-knows-listen/ |title=J. Cole ft. Amber Coffman – "She Knows" |last1=Blanco |first1=Alvin Aqua |date=13 November 2013 |publisher=Hip Hop Wired |accessdate=13 December 2013}} In 2012, she collaborated on "No Regrets" with Snoop Lion and T.I.{{cite web |url=http://www.stereogum.com/1334222/snoop-lion-no-regrets-feat-ti-amber-coffman/mp3s/ |title=Snoop Lion – "No Regrets" (Feat. T.I. & Amber Coffman) |last1=Singh |first1=Amrit |date=26 April 2013 |publisher=Stereogum |accessdate=6 February 2014}}
She also collaborated with rapper Riff Raff on a song called "Cool It Down" on his Neon Icon album. She sang on Frank Ocean's song "Nikes", the lead single from his album Blonde.{{Cite news|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2016/08/frank-ocean-shares-new-single-nikes-and-lavish-nudity-filled-video-watch/|title=Frank Ocean shares new single "Nikes" and lavish, nudity-filled video — watch|last=Young|first=Alex|date=2016-08-20|work=Consequence of Sound|access-date=2017-06-04|language=en-US}}
Discography
=[[Sleeping People]]=
- Growing (2007)
=[[Dirty Projectors]]=
- Rise Above (2007)
- Bitte Orca (2009)
- Mount Wittenberg Orca featuring Björk (2010)
- Swing Lo Magellan (2012)
- About to Die EP (2012)
=Solo=
==Album==
- City of No Reply (2017)
==Singles==
- "All to Myself" (2016)
- "No Coffee" (2017)
- "Nobody Knows" (2017)
=As featured artist=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="6"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| BEL (Vl) {{cite web|url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Amber+Coffman|title=Amber Coffman - Belgium (Flanders) Charts|publisher=ultratop.be/nl/ Hung Medien}} ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| BEL (Wa) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| DEN ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| FRA ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| NL ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| UK
|
| scope="row"| "Hold On" (Rusko featuring Amber Coffman) | 2010 | 71 || 88 || — || — || — || 96 | | O.M.G.! |
| scope="row"| "Get Free" (Major Lazer featuring Amber Coffman) | 2012 | 3 || 17 || 29 || 59 || 7 || 56 | |
| scope="row"| "No Regrets" (Snoop Lion featuring T.I. & Amber Coffman) | 2012 | — || — || — || — || — || — | |
| scope="row"| "She Knows" (J. Cole featuring Amber Coffman & Cults) | 2013 | — || — || — || — || — || 68 | |
| colspan="14" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Amber Coffman}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120407203842/http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/04/03/diplo-opens-up-about-new-book-and-the-future-of-major-lazer Diplo talks about collaboration with Amber Coffman and Major Lazer on MTV.com]
- [http://stereogum.com/983602/hear-a-preview-of-a-new-major-lazer-song-featuring-amber-coffman/video/ Stereogum's preview of "Get Free"] with Major Lazer[https://web.archive.org/web/20100705140923/http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/bjork-dirty-projectors]
- [http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11189-stillness-is-the-move/ Pitchfork review of "Stillness is the Move"]
- [http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/sleeping-people/ San Diego Reader] on Sleeping People
{{Dirty Projectors}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffman, Amber}}
Category:Musicians from Austin, Texas
Category:American women guitarists