Amy Abdou

My first album, "Beneath the Grass" was well received by college radio, but the whole music scene was in transition around the time of it’s release and originality was suddenly a detriment to your career. I abandoned the idea of finding a record company pretty early on in my career and became very involved in the promotion of local and regional art. "The Girl Who Has Everything" my second album was released in 1999 I played a bunch of dates with this band. I toured Germany and the Netherlands in 2001 and 2002. “Strange Bird,” a collection of unreleased tracks, live radio demos and covers, was released in 2003. The same year, I toured Great Britain and Ireland 2003. I am currently, working with various players in the Netherlands performing and recording. I guess I’m an unconventional artist in some regards because I like to work with linear movement in music; letting something evolve rather than repeat. I like to keep challenging the audience to go places. When I set out to make music, I aspire to do something that sounds really original, but I can borrow from any of my musical heroes at any time. Sometimes originality comes in the form of combining unlikely styles. I'm influenced musically by my Lebanese and Irish ancestry, so at times I try to combine dark Arabic melodies with the open heartedness of Irish folk.