Amelia Oke shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Amelia , thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Within these last 9 years of building my music career, in the last year alone I’ve had many a proud moment for myself. One of many was in April of 2025. After many years of people asking if I’d go, I took my first completely solo trip down south to the music city: Nashville Tennessee. I felt so proud of branching out and finally doing something I’ve wanted to for a long while. Because of that trip I was able to make some new friends with other musicians and see what the city was all about. I got up and sang in front of even more people; attended every open mic available that week. I even got the full Broadway street experience, totally mesmerized by music flooding out of every bar! I don’t think I could’ve picked a better trip for myself and a week spent down south that may have changed the future of my musical journey. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance and make things happen, you may just surprise yourself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Well hey y’all! My name is Amelia Oke (oak like the tree!) I was born in Michigan and still call it my home. I grew up in a small house in a boating town about 20 minutes north of Detroit. My childhood was filled with playing amongst the trees, using my imagination and a lot of music. Music has always been a big part of my life and has grown as I’ve gotten older. I started off in the school choir and attended the school talent shows. At the age of 11 I took guitar lessons. In high school I started to branch out to pave my own way; writing my own songs, playing more guitar, attending open mics and creating singing videos for my YouTube channel. Once graduated, the music world really started to open up for me. I landed my first music gig, had my first interview and made it into a recording studio for the first time! Every year since I’ve been getting booked more places: the farmers market, breweries and various restaurants. 2024 was a pivotal year for me. After being down on my luck I took an impromptu trip down south to get away and found myself singing at my first open mic in Nashville Tennessee! I wanted to see how well my singing would go over in the big city. You might be wondering why I didn’t take my stab at any downtown Detroit, but the genre I reside with the most is country music. The community welcomed me with open arms and I was already anticipating my trip back! Towards the end of that year I had found another recording studio close to my home. I worked with the producer and was able to have 2 of my songs recorded and released out to the world on all music platforms! A huge step for me in my music career! 2025 things really started to take off. Getting booked every weekend to sing somewhere, I sang in my first music festival and I went to Nashville 3 times. So much more music and much more songwriting! Within my music I’m trying to bring back more of the storytelling aspect of a song; songs that will vividly paint a picture in your mind. Songs with meaning! A lot more to come this year including another new single and possibly an album!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The world is an extraordinary yet scary place. We all have different views or some the same. A lot happens that can shape a person. Not to get all morbid right away but you don’t know when your last day on this earth will be, it could happen at any time. We’re aware of death but it tends to be not something a lot of people will dwell on. We don’t ponder on the days we may lose our loved ones, no. But there’s always that chance when that day arrives and I don’t think anyone is really ready for when they lose a close family member. It is something that I’ve had to experience at a young age and many times after. A time in my life that changed my view of the world was when my father passed away. It very much so altered my path in life. It was my junior year of high school, the year you start planning for which colleges to apply to. That fall my father was diagnosed with Leu Gehrig’s disease (ALS). I really wanted to go off to a university but in my heart I wanted to stay close to home for him. Senior year rolls around, I graduate. A month later and my father passes away. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. The world that I knew was shattered. I slipped into the stages of grief and anger overtook me the most. I looked, trying to pin the blame on someone, something. I felt so robbed of a future with my father and all the things we would’ve got to share. I felt like the world was against me, like my God was against me. After some time in therapy and a whole lot of self care, a new light shone upon my world. I came to realize that I wasn’t alone, I wasn’t betrayed. Many a people have lost their parents at a young age or didn’t even get to meet their parents! And even though my dad was gone, that didn’t mean I had to stop living because frankly we each still have our own individual life to live! I know too that my dad would’ve not wanted me to give up on my future; that he’d always be with me dead or alive. So I’ve continued on my journey of grief and have had a more positive outlook on life. I feel like since losing a parent I’ve become more empathetic and have connected with a lot more people who have also lost someone close.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In my life so far, I will admit that I have had many a moment where I’ve wanted to give up. Everything that the world throws at you can sometimes be quite overwhelming. It also really didn’t help being diagnosed with anxiety and depression at a young age but the body works in mysterious ways. As I mentioned previous, losing my father at 18 was a big setback for me. I dealt with a lot of emotions and giving up was on my mind. But I continued to persevere and still made my way to college. I attended community college and got myself involved in their architecture program. Man, was there many a time I wanted to quit school and give up but I got through it! Having support not just from friends and family but having professors that actually gave a damn really did make a difference for me. After college I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to continue with my program at a university level so decided to take a crack at the working world. I spent tireless efforts trying to find an architecture firm that would hire me as an intern but with no luck! I was for sure going to give up completely on my possible career but I received a phone call that changed my course. I got hired in at an architectural glass company working in the office at first but got to work out in the construction field as well! It turned out to be one of the best jobs I had yet! From almost giving up to loving my job! Almost 2 years into the job, I started having some health complications that forced me to quit and focus on my wellbeing. Yet another moment where I wanted to give up so bad! I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired and just wanted to figure out what the hell was wrong with me! A lot of doctor visits, different tests and many tears shed. I lost my way in life and had to start from the bottom again. On top of all that were shitty friendships and bad relationships I was going through. But I slowly started getting better and stronger each day. It took my body another 2 years to heal from what I went through. From then I worked some various jobs but nothing brought me more joy than being hired to sing and play live music. After not working in construction anymore I finally had some more time to book myself for music gigs. There were many a gig when I was just starting out as a solo musician that discouraged me; I wanted to give up some nights. Playing to an empty room and the bartender?! Where were the people? What was the point? For a paycheck?
I started comparing myself to other musicians thinking if there’s already so many other people out there doing the music thing then why should I bother?
But no man that’s not what music is about! I did some reflecting and realized it was all just a part of the music business. I was going out there and singing no matter what just because I love to sing! All of the different cities and places I’d get to see was a bonus. And you just never know who may be out there among the crowd. So yes even with my music too I’ve wanted to give up many a time but I too have a God given talent and my own stories to share! If I gave up I’d never know where my musical journey would take me and look at me now!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Being a musician, one of the things to keep in mind is your image or your brand. In my opinion I think a lot of people get lost between over expressing themselves and actually putting in the work towards their brand. When it comes to me, who I am publicly is the real me. Ever since I got ahold of using social media I’ve been able to tell stories of my life and share moments I’ve got to experience in real time. Telling stories of trips I’ve got to go on, people I’ve met, adventures I’ve been on and all kinds of music updates including many singing videos. I don’t think I’ve ever posted something that doesn’t show who I really am! Looking back on my high school days and all of us kids figuring out who we were, I never wavered. I was the country kid stuck in the city; loving country music and wearing camo before it was ever a fashion statement. I was labeled the stupid hick, the dumb redneck and other obscene name calling. But I was proud of who I was and still am! And ever since I’ve continued my self discovery journey of being completely comfortable in my own skin. It sure took a while but feeling confident in who I am, what I do and what I stand for has really made a difference in my life.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Often times as human beings we seek praise from loved ones and peers. Typically through work and the jobs we do, it feels good to know that you’re doing a good job. But who really is validated to say that you are or not? In my opinion, feeling proud of yourself means a lot more than receiving praise from others. It definitely makes you feel good that’s for sure, but for me I’ll always continue to work even without praise. No matter the job I’ve worked I try to do the best work I possibly can. Taking pride in your work can really show at the end result. When it comes to the music business you want to hear from people if they like your sound and your songs. Even if they don’t (not everyone will) it matters most if you like your songs: if you’re proud of the product you put out. Having released a couple songs myself, even if no one listened to them I’m still happy with what I created. To me it was a huge milestone to finally be able to record and have my very own songs produced! Some musicians aren’t even capable of writing their own songs so in that alone I take a lot of self pride in. If you can’t love what you create why bother putting it out there, but then again some people still do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callmeoketree?igsh=Mm85dGwybzlmbnlo&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AUrfgMZwG/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ameliaoke?si=lE5vzEmKg8pyY-mh
