Amber Prothero - Final Spins
Raised on Motown, jazz and the big voices of her childhood, Amber Prothero brings a lifetime of soul, memory and meaning — the songs that stayed and the moments that shaped her.
Amber’s Final Spins starts here
1. What’s the first song you remember hearing — the one that first caught your ear as a kid?
“Sunrise by Norah Jones feels like the first song I remember from childhood. My parents loved soul and Motown music, and Norah’s deep, chocolatey, soulful voice, along with the Feels Like Home album, which features Sunrise, played a lot in our house growing up. My sister and I constantly used to dress up in all sorts of cute costumes and strut our stuff to Norah Jones, Gabrielle, S Club 7, and The Spice Girls. We’d also get all melancholy and sway with nonchalant looks when the slow, sad songs came on. So funny.”
2. Who was the artist or band that defined your teenage years — the one you were absolutely obsessed with, posters and deep dives included?
“Lady Gaga. As a teenager, I'd just gotten into playing piano and guitar. Specifically, The Fame Monster was a favourite, I loved the quirkiness of the album, but also the classic feel it had. There were songs like Alejandro that were SO fun with out of the box production elements, juxtaposed with piano ballads like Speechless. I was absolutely obsessed. “
3. What was the first album you bought with your own money?
“Gosh, that’s a hard one… I seem to remember it being a one-track CD of Baby Love by Nicole Scherzinger, as well as 2 Hearts by Kylie Minogue. Both were bought on the same day in 2008 (I was around 11!).”
4. What’s the song or artist that made you realize music would always be a central part of your life — the turning point that changed how you saw it?
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5. What song or album makes you cry the most or hits the hardest emotionally?
“The Joke by Brandi Carlile… everything about it. Her voice, her songwriting, the emotion in the way she delivers the lyrics, it’s heartbreakingly beautiful, and I could listen to it over and over again.”
6. What’s a song by an artist you love that deserved to be their biggest hit — the one that’s better than the song everyone knows them for?
“Change by JP Cooper is such a good song and isn't his most well known song or hit. It has these amazing Stevie Wonder–esque elements that I love, and his voice is just out of this world. The song deals with the struggles of depression, and I actually saw him perform it live back in 2016-ish, just after he’d written it but before it was released. It’s stuck with me ever since. The song has a great upbeat feel despite the sombre subject matter, and the combination works so beautifully. Plus it takes me back to a stunning gig of hearing JP for the first time and just being blown away.”
7. What was a big musical love early on that you just don’t find yourself listening to much anymore?
“Regina Spektor was a massive influence for me, especially when I started teaching myself to play piano on YouTube, after buying a keyboard on eBay! Her songs Fidelity and Samson were at the top of my playlist, and I think Fidelity may have been one of the first songs I learned to play on piano. She’s such a fantastic vocalist, songwriter, and musician. And yet, I don’t really listen to her much anymore… not for any particular reason. I guess it’s just one of those seasons of life, where certain artists, songs, or films play a big part in your story for a while, and then they naturally fade into the background for a bit.”
8. Who’s your biggest guilty-pleasure artist — or do you even believe in guilty pleasures?
“I don’t believe in guilty pleasures, but I genuinely think Lily Allen is seriously underrated as an artist. She’s getting a lot of attention right now with her new album West End Girl, but honestly, her 2014 release Sheezus was absolutely iconic. That album tackles so much gender roles, social media and keyboard warriors hiding behind screens, the challenges of being a woman in the music industry. It’s sharp, on-the-nose, and incredibly well-written. I just love it, and literally know all the lyrics to every song, haha! My favourite if I had to pick would be Hard Out Here. It's always my go to album on a long drive because it makes me laugh, smile, contemplate & sing along. I love it.”
9. What song, album, or artist means the most to you — not because it’s your favorite, but because of the memory around it?
“The Good Life by Tony Bennett means the most to me. It was always a staple growing up because my family constantly had Music to Watch the Girls Go By albums playing at home, featuring all the classic artists, Andy Williams, Rosemary Clooney, Nancy Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, and Louis Armstrong. The particular CD we had included The Good Life, so it’s always reminded me of sitting around the dinner table with my family; Christmas, Birthdays and special occasions. More recently, the song took on a whole new life when it accompanied my wedding video from June this year. Now, it doesn’t just take me back to childhood, it also reminds me of one of the most special days in my life: the day my husband and I got legally married. It was a beautiful, sunny day (a rare treat in typical UK weather), with not a cloud in the sky, surrounded by our family and friends.”
10. What song never fails to give you chills?
“When We Were Young by Adele.”
11. What song or album do you relate to most — the one that feels written with you in mind?
“I resonated so much with Bigger Picture by Hannah Grace, and I think it’s because she’s an artist who’s experienced things very similar to me. The album touches on themes like self-doubt, wanting to dream bigger but being afraid to, feeling let down by the music industry, and yet holding onto hope. It also captures that constant feeling in your chest that you’re destined for something bigger, while still learning to be grateful for what you have. Listening to it, I honestly felt every lyric, every emotion, every description. One of the tracks, I Grew Up All Over Again, really hit home too. It talks about moving from the countryside, which I did, and adoring her parents, which I do... All whilst dreaming big. It honestly feels like I could have written it I just wish I had, because it’s stunning!”
12. What song or album could you listen to forever without getting tired of it?
“PJ Morton & Yebba’s version of How Deep Is Your Love is absolutely incredible, the arrangement, the groove, the soul. And the vocals… the runs! I listen to it at least once a day, and honestly, I could play it over and over and over again without ever getting tired of it.”
13. What’s a song or album you wish you could experience again for the first time?
“Raye’s 21st Century Blues completely blew me away the first time I heard it. The variety of genres, her songwriting, the lyrics, the production, it’s all so impressive. There’s a rawness and realness to it that just hits. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite albums of all time.”
14. Are you a holiday-music person? If so, what’s your Mount Rushmore of holiday songs?
“I’m not sure if it counts as a holiday song, but Mambo Italiano by Rosemary Clooney is definitely one of my all-time favorite songs. It also featured on the Music To Watch The Girls Go By album, so I knew it and used to sing along growing up. In my mid-20s, I started singing it a lot at gigs, particularly at a speakeasy-style Italian-American restaurant in Manchester called Louis, because it perfectly matched the vibe of the place. Later, I even performed it at my 'real' wedding in Calabria, Italy, as a surprise for my husband, Max. It was honestly so perfect, as if the song had been designed for that day! It’s full of Italian references (hence the name) as well as Italian words and even specifically mentions the Calabrian people with the line “all you Calabrese”. Performing it for Max’s family, some of whom are Calabrian (the other half are from Bologna in the North), was so tongue-in-cheek and hilarious, and now every time I hear it, it takes me straight back to that magical day in Italy.”
15. What do you think is objectively the greatest song or album ever made?
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16. We don’t like to be negative, but we all have a song we wish we could erase from history or just hope to never have to hear again— what’s yours?
“Come On Eileen, haha! Maybe it’s because I sing at weddings, hotels, clubs, etc., but I’ve just heard it too many times.”
17. Whose voice hits you so hard it makes you feel like the Tex Avery Wolf — eyes wide, jaw dropped, completely hypnotized, ready to run away with them forever?
“Sienna Spiro has my heart at the moment... the raspiness and power behind her voice is just INSANE. and it's so sexy haha. I could sit and listen to her all day. My favourite song of hers at the moment is Die On This Hill.”
18. And finally — what album are you taking to the afterlife?
“Songs in the Key of Life… Stevie Wonder. And if I had to pick one song, it would be “I Wish.” It just makes you feel so good, so groovy, so soulful, and I love all the horn parts. He’s got one of those voices that feels nostalgic and takes me right back to being a kid again.”
Amber Prothero’s Final Spins Playlist:
Available here at Spotify and/or Apple Music
Amber Prothero’s Essentials Playlist:
Available here at Spotify and/or Apple Music