SINGER AMANDA ST JOHN: HOW I LOST MY US TOUR
Co Antrim singer Amanda St John has endured a harrowing couple of years but, as she tells Stephanie Bell, she is delighted to have sung for President Trump and, amid tour cancellations due to coronavirus, is staying optimistic about the future
Asmart red suit bought for a special trip to the US where she hoped to sing for the President on St Patrick’s Day has instead put Co Antrim singing star Amanda St John on the map as a trendsetting fashionista.
The 41-year-old songstress from Glenariff, who released a new single on Friday, was amused and flattered this week to find herself featured on the website of leading high street fashion chain Topshop.
Still smiling at the idea that she could be considered a fashion queen, she admits: “It was a nice distraction from reality this week.
“Topshop’s brand is marketed to the young and trendy so when they used my photo on their website it gave me a laugh to think I could still be seen this way on my 41st birthday.
“I’ve always loved Topshop but I have got to the stage when I feel too old to be wearing it. It just goes to show that age isn’t everything and you can still be stylish over 40!”
The post certainly lifted her spirits as she was gutted to have to cancel a tour of the US this month which also included singing for dignitaries, potentially including President Donald Trump, at the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Washington. The two-piece red trouser suit she had bought for the trip instead got its first outing for her 41st birthday celebrations on March 13.
A picture posted on Instagram of the festivities was picked up by Topshop and now features on the fashion chain’s website.
After a tough couple of years when she lost her beloved dad Philip after nursing him during a nineyear bone cancer battle, and then lost her voice for five months due to stress, Amanda had been looking forward to this year to get her singing career back on track.
She poured every penny she had, and two years of work, into a new album, The Muscle Shoals Sessions, and 2020 was to see her touring widely to promote it, both in the US and throughout the UK and Ireland.
Despite the huge knockback of having to cancel her plans due to the spread of the coronavirus, she is feeling positive and upbeat as she makes the most of the current situation and is grateful to be safe at home with her daughter Sophia (12) and mum Angela Jamison (65) — who are living in isolation together.
“Last year was horrendous trying to get back on my feet after daddy dying,” she reflects.
“I suffered vocal damage for five months and thought I would never sing again.
“I cared for daddy on my own and was working three jobs to try and fund my new album and
I invested every penny I had into it — the stress took its toll. “I recorded the album in the famous FAME studio in Alabama in the US where stars like The Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin have recorded.
“It is due to launch this May and 2020 for me was going to be a chance to draw a line in the sand and I was looking forward to not just a new year but a new decade and a new start after such a run of bad luck.”
A highlight of the year was a trip to Washington to take part in the St Patrick’s Day celebrations which she was first invited to last year when she sang for President Trump at Capitol Hill.
This year she was booked for a series of charity events and was on the list to sing at the White House, after impressing President Trump last year with her soulful version of Irish classic Danny Boy.
Amanda was the first entertainer from Northern Ireland to land what is one of the most prestigious gigs in the business by being invited to perform in front of a host of dignitaries including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and more than 100 members of the US Congress at a St Patrick’s Day lunch on Capitol Hill.
And her powerful, bluesy voice did appear to blow the socks off the US President.
“It was an amazing trip and I was so honoured to get invited by the Northern Ireland Bureau which is our government official in Washington,” she smiles. “I sang at a gala ball for the Ireland Fund which is a big charity that is run by very wealthy Irish Americans who send around £40m every year to support voluntary work here.
“I did meet Donald Trump and decided to take him at face value.
“I was there as a Northern Ireland ambassador for arts, culture, music and talent and felt that I had a job to do.
“I put politics aside to take everybody I met that week at face value and I have to admit that Mr Trump was very nice. I was asked to sing Danny Boy and I did my own interpretation of it, which was a very soulful version.
“President Trump was sitting just five or six feet from me, beside Nancy Pelosi and I heard him say to her ‘I don’t usually like that song but she is very good at it’.
“I was thrilled to be invited back this year and I was waiting
to see if I was going to get the White House event.
“After Washington I had planned a two-week tour of New York and Philadelphia to promote my new album but everything had to be cancelled.
“That’s why I decided to head out on my birthday and make the most of it. Now I realise how lucky I was to have that night out as quickly after it everything changed.”
Amanda had invested a lot of money in her American tour. But, like many other artists now, her career is on hold.
After some tough years it was the last thing she needed but because of the threat of the coronavirus to all of us, she is keeping things in perspective.
“So many independent artists and businesses have been impacted and I fear many won’t survive financially, it’s a totally surreal time so our priority has to be our health and wellbeing.
“I’m just doing my best to adapt and enjoy the simpler pace of life and am trying not to stress too much.
“After two years of work and planning towards my album release though I’m going to just push ahead now to refocus my efforts on the digital side of things.
“I am really enjoying performing live on my social media and I think these home concerts are offering connection and a bit of light relief to so many who may feel isolated in their homes.”
Known for her biographical lyrics, her new single called Made Myself a Name has no doubt been inspired by the personal challenges she has faced in the last two years.
“It is about a wee girl from the country who moves to the city to try and make a name for herself but finds that everything seems to be against her — however, she keeps plugging away,” Amanda reveals.
Being able to look on the bright side despite the current gloom, Amanda is determined to remain optimistic.
“I only started my music career in my early 30s and I am happy by how much I have achieved in what is quite a short period of time,” she says.
“Never in a million years did I think I would perform in America and I have been there now five or six times.
“Like everyone, I have had to accept the situation we are all facing and I’m glad to have my mum with us. We are just trying to make the most of it.
“Sophia and I are doing things we always wanted to do but didn’t get round to.
“I put a net up at the side of the house so that I could help her practice her netball and she is also practising her camogie in the garden.
“I’m helping her to learn to play the guitar and we are baking together.
“We are also doing yoga together, all three of us, on my living room floor. It is like going back to basics as we have also got the board games out and are having family movie nights.
“We are just enjoying the simple things and we are aware that a lot of people are in the same situation.”
For details on Amanda’s new single and album release and links to her live performances on social media go to www.amandastjohnmusic. co.uk
I only started my career in my 30s and I’m happy with how much I’ve achieved