We had the chance to sit down with Mark Ambor in Zurich this week and chat with him about his new album “Rockwood” and other things. Keep reading to find out which song is dear to his heart and what he thinks about AI music.
We met up with Mark early Monday morning before his big promo run through Switzerland.
Hi Mark! Thanks you so much for doing this, this early. Have you been able to see anything in Switzerland yet? Is there something in particular you’d want to see while you’re here?
Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. I mean, just like flying over it, it looks incredible. I feel like I would just want to go to all of the parts of… Hmmm wait, actually, that’s a really good question. I would want to go to places that like people recommend, not like the touristy places, but like “Oh, this is like the cool part of town” or “ this is where the cool coffee shops” are.
Yeah might be difficult to explore while on tour, but maybe you’ll have some free time at some point.
Maybe I’ll have time to explore a little the day of the show. I remember last time when we were in Europe on tour in April, I met a lot of people from Switzerland who have had to come to other countries.
I’d say my music is nostalgic, warm, and comfortable.
So for someone who doesn’t know your music or doesn’t know you, how would you describe the vibe or the music that you put out? Or how do you want people to perceive your music?
It’s a really good question because I think for a lot of people on the surface level, it’s like feel good, which is fair, but I think there’s a lot more depth to it in terms of like the album I just put out, it’s called Rockwood. And Rockwood, yeah, it has like songs that are upbeat and feel good, but there’s also a lot of songs that are more like self-reflective and about insecurities and about things that can bring you down. And I think overall I just like, I’ve always looked at music and artists and bands that make me feel good, but also make me feel heard and like not alone and part of something bigger.
I think that’s what I aim to do. I just try to be myself and authentic, whether it’s a good feeling or a bad one. And I try to put it into music that sounds good and is catchy. And yeah, I think that’s how I want people to perceive my music. It’s not really a straightforward answer. If you need a straightforward answer, or like 3 words, I’d say my music is nostalgic, warm, and comfortable.
Ok, yeah, I can agree with that, it fits well. So talking about insecurities. When listening to “Second Best”… Everyone has insecurities. But I think many don’t think people like you (celebrities, stars etc) have them too. But songs like this show, that you are just like everyone else in that sense. How do you deal with that? Especially like being like in the spotlight.
I don’t know… That’s a good question. I guess just in general, in life, whenever there are things that bother me or things that can bring me down, I try to just focus on the positive thing.
Growing up, my mom always told me, that in everything you don’t like, whether it’s like a class, there’s like one subject within that subject that you like. Maybe you don’t like the subject, but you like the teacher. But if you focus on the thing you do, like, it makes everything around it way less bad. I could sit here and like sulk in them and just like feel bad about myself. But I think there are a lot of, exciting things going on and so many good things that I like about myself that I can focus on. I think that’s how I feel.
On your album Rockwood, is there a particular song that you like or that you would want to bring more attention to and have people actually hear and “feel it” more than others? I mean, obviously, the album is like your baby, so it’s hard to pick your favorite…
Yeah. That’s a good question. I feel like… Bruises and Stains feels like a song that not a lot of people would expect me to write or sing, I think. But I really like that song and I like the build of it, how it ends really big, and just the meaning behind it. I think I would appreciate if people listened to that song. If they found Good To Be, or Belong Together and then they listen to Bruises and Stains, I think it shows a whole different side of me.
Nice, thank you for sharing that.
Has you blowing up on TikTok changed your songwriting approach?
Like about three years ago, I put out an EP called “Hello World”. And at that time, I saw TikTok as like the best vehicle to like ever put eyes on me. I’ve never had the opportunity to get that many people looking at me and my music and stuff. And I think that period was when I was writing kind of like for an algorithm, it felt like. Which felt not good.
I don’t think about TikTok or Social anymore when I’m writing songs
But basically last summer, I took like a month or two away from music to just like refresh everything. Because it had been like three years of just TikTok, TikTok, TikTok. So it was nice to take a little step back. When I came back, I wasn’t thinking about writing for a social media platform. I was thinking about just writing things that felt good to write. And that’s when I wrote like Good To Be and Belong Together and all these songs.
And I think that one of the coolest parts about it is how authentic they are to me and then how well they’ve done. It gave me hope. Honestly, it’s cool that people still relate to the most genuine, authentic thing in today’s world. When everything can be so fake online. You know what I mean?
Absolutely. Okay, so you really just went away from the whole like social media thing and then just tried to like regroup, recharge and refresh – and that really helped?
Yeah and sure, obviously the parts of the songs you pick for TikTok to like push the song matter. But I in terms of writing, I don’t think about TikTok or Social anymore when I’m writing songs. It’s more about, does it feel good in the moment? Is it fun writing? Do I feel something when I’m singing it?
Okay, cool. But yeah, I can see you still do appreciate TikTok. That’s good, because it did create a big fan base for you. Have there been any special interactions with fans that you think about a lot? Could be creepy or could be very nice too. I’m sure there’s both.
Yeah. There’s been a couple that were really emotional. In New York in February, there was a girl that was dancing around the whole time. Pretty close to the front of the stage. And like she had a sign, but it was like facing the other way the whole time so I didn’t see it. She didn’t have hair. I didn’t think anything of it. The last song comes, and she turns the sign around. And she’s like smiling, having fun. The sign said: I have terminal cancer, but dammit, it’s so good to be alive or something like that. And then I found her after the show and we were just talking. She was like saying all these very nice things to me.
She basically had two weeks to go and do anything she wanted. And she chose to come to my show. And we were just talking for a while…
I make these songs alone in my room pretty much. Because I’m enjoying myself. And they go out in the world and they take on a whole new life and a whole new meaning for whoever listens to them. And I’ll never know what good to be means to her. Which is such a crazy thought to me. And I think that’s something that’s really changed the way I look at, like, making music.
And then there’s one girl who was creepy in LA. Who came to the VIP and she was just like, I don’t know any songs. I just want to ask you out.
Woah, really? That’s bold.
Yeah, and I looked at my tour manager and he was like: Neeext?
I was like, oh uhm yeah, thanks for coming.
Fan Questions for Mark Ambor
Awesome, so that was the more serious part of the interview… We always have followers send in some questions to ask:
Jenny: When you write songs, what comes first, lyrics or music? Or does it change?
It’s usually music first. And then lyrics. I’ll, like, strum chords or I’ll play chords over and over. And then I’ll write over those chords. Occasionally I’ll think of a lyric first. There’s a song called I Hope It All Works Out. So me and this girl I’ve been with for a year, we were breaking up. And she had been there in the beginning when the music kind of started to do well. I’ve been through that up and down with this person. And then it ended. She, texted me “ I hope everything works out” and for some reason that just felt like the saddest text to receive. You spend so much time celebrating success with someone that then goes away. So I was, like, I’m writing a song about this. But I don’t usually do that, to be honest. Usually I do the music first.
Nina: What do you think about AI songs?
Oh, they’re kind of funny sometimes. I mean, I wouldn’t want someone to do it to me. I wouldn’t like that.
Right? But would you want to try it out yourself?
When it comes up, when I’m online, I stop and listen to it. Like when “Harry Styles” is singing, I don’t know, Coldplay song or something – I’ll listen to it. But it’s definitely creepy. It’s, like, I don’t know, I don’t know how to feel about it. How do you feel about it?
Well, I’m not sure myself. I mean, I like how there’s new ways to create music. But at the same time, it’s very creepy. Yeah, it’s weird. You could use it for a lot of bad stuff. So, I don’t know. Like, the creative thought of it is kind of fun, because it’s just something new…
Yeah yeah, that’s kind of how I feel too.
Irina: Is there’s any other kind of genre that you would like to try out? Maybe like metal or something like that.
I don’t really incorporate too much, electric guitar and stuff. I think I want to start doing that more. So, I guess, kind of more elements of rock. But like, when you hear the word rock, it’s like intense. But it’s not going to be headbanging rock. Yeah, it’s not going to be crazy. I’m trying to think if there’s anything else. I just love, like, The Strokes and the Kooks, even. I guess they’re rock bands, but it’s not, like, crazy rock. It’s, like, more alternative. I think that genre is really cool.
All right. So, now we just have a couple, quickfire questions. Let’s go!
When getting off stage, the first thing I do is?
I go and, like, lay down. Yeah, just, like, calm down. It’s not exhausting. I’m just, like, oh, this was fun. I go on, like, autopilot on stage, if that makes sense. Like, I’m not blacking out because I remember what happens, but it’s just, like, there’s no time to think. So it’s nice to just sit down after and be like, okay, what just happened? Like, just take it all in. And I drink tea.
My guilty pleasure song or artist is?
I feel like there’s a group of music that is like my guilty pleasure. It’s, like, the One Direction, early Justin Bieber boy band-ish pop thing. Like, some of the songs are really good. Yeah, they’re catchy, good songs. So I feel like tapping into that sometimes.
When going to a concert as a fan, I always like to stand…
I’ll try to go to the front.
Switzerland makes me feel like?
I haven’t spent enough time to fully answer this, but… It feels like everything’s really, like… I’m trying to think of a more, like, romanticized way of saying this. Comfortable. Everything feels very, like, quality. It feels very, good. I don’t know. Everything’s well-made. You think It might be, cliche or something. But when you’re here it’s like, eh, no, not just a cliché.
Yeah, it seems pretty amazing here, to be honest. Even, like, the small things. Like, you go to all these places, whether it’s in the U.S. or, I don’t know, some other countries in Europe, and, like, for example, the showers suck. Here, the shower was, like, actually one of the best showers I’ve ever taken in my life.
So, there’s one more thing that I really want to know. Everyone’s talking about your golden retriever energy. Is that something you actually like to hear about you, or has it become old by now.
I like the golden retriever energy. Okay. I feel like when you think of dogs, everyone knows what a golden retriever is. So, like, that’s… I like it.
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