Amanda Marshall

Biography

Amanda Meta Marshall (born August 29, 1972) is a Canadian Juno award winning pop-rock singer and songwriter. She has released four studio albums; the first was certified diamond in Canada, with the second and third certified 3× platinum and platinum respectively. She is best known for her 1996 single, "Birmingham×Birmingham1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Birmingham5:222Let's Get Lost4:14", which reached number 3 in Canada and was her only song to reach the US charts.

Early life

Marshall was born in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
She grew up an only child, in her own words, "the product of an interracial marriage": her Trinidadian mother is black, her Canadian father is white. In several of her songs, Marshall has reflected on her racial identity "as a woman who looks white but is actually black".
Marshall studied music extensively during her childhood, including at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. While performing on the Queen Street West bar scene in her teens, she met guitarist Jeff Healey, who was struck by her powerful voice and took her on tour for a long time.

Debut album and critical success

Marshall signed a recording contract with Metalblade Records in 1991; however, both parties agreed that they were not a good fit and went their separate ways. In 1994, Marshall signed to Epic Records, and contributed to the Neil Young tribute album Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young the same year. Her debut album Amanda Marshall was released the following year in 1995. The album was a major success in Canada, generating a great deal of airplay and spawning six Top 40 hits—"Let It Rain×Let It Rain1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Let It Rain4:332Sitting on Top of the World4:19", "Beautiful Goodbye×Beautiful Goodbye1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Beautiful Goodbye (radio edit)4:462Birmingham5:223Trust Me (This Is Love) (acoustic version)4:56", "Dark Horse×Dark Horse21 July 1997 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Dark Horse (edit)4:322Let It Rain (live)6:123Birmingham (live)7:404This Could Take All Night3:08", "Fall From Grace", "Sitting on Top of the World", and "Birmingham×Birmingham1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Birmingham5:222Let's Get Lost4:14", her most successful hit in Canada and the only song to reach the US charts, charting at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1996, Marshall's song "This Could Take All Night" was included in the original soundtrack of Tin Cup. In 1997, Marshall's song "I'll Be Okay" was included in the original soundtrack of My Best Friend's Wedding.
Marshall's career got a huge boost when Elton John named her as an artist he was then-currently listening to when he appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

1999–2000: Tuesday's Child and further success

In 1999, she released a successful follow-up album, Tuesday's Child. It followed in the same vein as her debut, with a mix of soulful pop songs and ballads, characterizing her powerful voice. Her song "Ride" from that album was featured in the film The Replacements and on its soundtrack. In autumn 1999, she supported Whitney Houston on the European leg of her My Love Is Your Love World Tour. Another single from that album, "Believe In You×Believe in You7 May 1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Believe in You4:312Too Little Too Late4:383Just Love Me3:30", a differently composed variant remix the second Atlantis level music from the video game Glover, was featured on one episode of Touched by an Angel and on its soundtrack as well as the 2002 direct-to-video film Kermit's Swamp Years, while Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi was the guest guitarist on the track "Why Don't You Love Me". She also co wrote a song "Right Here All Along" with Carole King, who also performed background vocals on the track. She was nominated as best songwriter at the 2000 Juno Awards.

2001–2023: Everybody's Got a Story and further releases

In 2001, Marshall released her third album, Everybody's Got a Story. It marked a change in style and sound for Marshall, with a noticeable R&B influence. Her singles "Everybody's Got a Story" and "Sunday Morning After×Sunday Morning After2002 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Sunday Morning After (international edit)3:572Dizzy (live version)5:313Red Magic Marker (live version)4:00" received some Canadian airplay, and for the album, Marshall worked with the likes of Peter Asher and Billy Mann.
Marshall's absence from the music scene was due to legal battles with her record label after she fired her management in 2002. Those fights were not resolved for about 12 years.
In 2003, she released a greatest hits album entitled Intermission: The Singles Collection×Intermission: The Singles Collection25 November 2003 · Album · CompilationSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Let It Rain4:332Birmingham5:213Dark Horse5:374Beautiful Goodbye5:185Fall From Grace4:206Sitting on Top of the World4:207Believe in You4:288Love Lift Me3:499If I Didn't Have You5:3310Shades of Grey5:0311Everybody's Got a Story4:1212Sunday Morning After4:4513Double Agent4:4414Marry Me3:5215Cross My Heart6:0516Until We Fall In3:23, which was followed by another greatest hits album, Collections×Collections31 January 2006 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Everybody's Got a Story4:132Dark Horse5:393Fall From Grace4:214Let It Rain4:345Double Agent4:446Birmingham5:237Sunday Morning After4:468Sitting on Top of the World4:209Believe in You4:2910Beautiful Goodbye5:16, in 2006. In 2008, yet another greatest hits album, The Steel Box Collection, was released.
In a 2012 radio interview, Marshall announced that she was working on a new album. In the interview, she explained to the radio host that "a new CD is in the works", and that she was "hopeful" of its release in 2013; however, the album never materialized. In an article, she said that the record was "70% done".

2023–present: Heavy Lifting

On March 27, 2023, Marshall announced her new album, Heavy Lifting×Heavy Lifting9 June 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1I Hope She Cheats3:552Dawgcatcher3:563I’m Not Drunk5:044I Built This House3:565Rainbows in Gasoline4:236God Forbid3:137Not a Love Song3:328Halfway Love4:269Serves You Right3:1910Special3:5611Honest2:59, which was released on June 9, 2023, with "Rainbows in Gasoline" as the focus track, along with a Canada-wide tour. She released the first single from that album, "I Hope She Cheats", a cover of Marsha Ambrosius's "Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)", on March 31, 2023. She then released her second single from that album, "Dawgcatcher", on May 18, 2023. On June 16, 2023, during her tour, Marshall performed 2 nights at Massey Hall in Toronto.
The album won the Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024.