Here at Her Campus Point Park, we are all about introducing you to must-have music and female artists to admire, and Seattle-based singer/songwriter Amanda Markley is nothing short of inspirational! With such a complex story and a voice guaranteed to give you chills, it was easy to compile our list of why she is a musician to watch for:
1. She’s exclusively premiering her cover video of the beautifully haunting Joy Williams’ track, “What A Good Woman Does”, with Her Campus!
Markley teamed up with Chase Manhattan of the Washington alt/pop band Night Argent to put out this cover; the emotionally driven song showcases the singer’s delicate tone and enchanting voice, highlighting the feeling of loss that Williams’ wished to captivate with the track. The choice to cover “What A Good Woman Does” was inspired by her own recent breakup this summer, so Amanda related to the song of female empowerment, moving on, and being the better person and wanted to do her own version! Without further adieu, here’s the video’s debut:
2. She has incredible strength that’s enabled her to overcome life hardships.
Markley used to be an Olympic hopeful for horseback riding until a spinal injury shattered that dream. Following the life-altering spinal injury that caused her to pull back from her passion of horseback riding, Amanda learned to cope by writing her emotions in a journal. Her writing became inspiration for her new passion in music and the lyrics of her first songs. Now, able to ride horses again, she strives to inspire and give others courage to follow their own dreams – a passion you will find intertwined in many of her own lyrics!
3. Her soulful songwriting attracted music industry leaders early on in her career (and we can’t blame them!)
Amanda’s original song “Breathe,” was heard by acclaimed songwriter Scott Krippayne, who has penned #1 hits for Jordin Sparks, Demi Lovato, and Blake Lewis, to name a few. Krippayne was so intrigued by Amanda’s writing that he produced her first album, as well as co-wrote a song titled “You and Me” on her debut album, also titled Breathe.
4. Like many of us can relate to, her biggest celebrity crush is Chris Pratt.
5. She is a captivating performer no matter what setting she’s in.
In 2013, Amanda Markley was chosen from Ernie Ball’s Battle of the Bands to play Van’s Warped Tour on the Acoustic Basement stage in Seattle. Markley has also shared the stage with artists such as Aaron Carter, Tyler Ward, William Beckett, and more. Captivated by the local coffee house vibe of the Pacific Northwest, the singer often plays vocally rich and emotionally raw acoustic sets. When not performing in an intimate setting, Amanda commands the stage with a full band and is a regular performer El Corazon, Chop Suey, the Hard Rock Cafe and other iconic venues in the Seattle area.
6. She uses her music as a platform for animal activism.
Her 2015 single “Jealousy” was released in partnership with Cadence & Cause, so instead of Amanda making the profit, the money went directly towards finding animals forever homes and keeping them clean, fed, sheltered, and cared for. Amanda is a huge animal lover (she has a ton of them herself) and has saved 50 of them so far!
7. She’s fierce in her music career AND every day life.
Not only does she know how to drive a stick shift… she was also #1 in her fantasy football league this week!
8. We can expect exciting new releases and projects from her in 2016.
Markley is currently in the studio with Manhattan of Night Argent to collaborate on and produce her upcoming EP at Rainmaker Studios. The EP is set to release early in the new year with a slew of new tracks, videos, and more on the way, but also re-introduce older fan-favorite songs like “Cold” and “Monster” but with a new style that represents Amanda’s own transformation personally and musically. Amanda also sang guest vocals on another Seattle artist Isaiah Dominguez‘s upcoming EP The Evergreen State, which will be released in February.
This budding songwriter’s music can be heard on Spotify, Pandora, Sirius Radio Coffee Café, and more. Follow Amanda Markley on social media @amarkleymusic for future announcements and new music soon!