Amerie says she didn’t listen to music for a decade.
The singer made the confession on an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast this week. “So I went through like ten years where I didn’t listen to anything,” she said.
When Budden asked why, she said she thought it was because she was in “writing mode” and working on her upcoming novel. But then she realized that wasn’t exactly the reason.
“See, I thought that it was because now I’m writing,” she explained in the episode, which is exclusive to Patreon subscribers. “I thought it was because, you know, you’re in writing mode and you’re not [making music] right now.”
“But then I realized later, I was like, ‘You weren’t listening to music because you were trying to avoid it. You felt like it was gonna make you angsty because you know it’s gonna make you want to make music,’” she said. “So all you’re gonna do is be frustrated. And so that just made me be like, ‘I’m not listening to any music.’”
Amerie’s forthcoming novel, This is Not a Ghost Story, is set to arrive June 10. The book, which marks her literary fiction debut, tells the story of a Black man who finds himself in Los Angeles, where he becomes famous for being the first visible ghost.
Last November, Amerie announced the impending release of her fifth album in 2025, following 2009’s In Love & War. She shared the single “Mine” in March.
In 2023, Amerie released her first children’s picture book, You Will Do Great Things. She’s best known for her 2005 single “1 Thing,” which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. “1 Thing” appeared on her 2005 album, Touch.
