Amanda Page Cornett’s “Someone To Miss Me”
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Singing with church, school, and community groups. Can you share a favorite family memory growing up in Spartanburg, South Carolina that included music?
I loved performing in groups like Sunshine Generation as a kid in Florida, and in school and church groups there and in Spartanburg. Between music groups, gymnastics, and theatre, I tried to hone my performance skills! One of the best memories would be when I played in my first band with the youth group at St. James UMC (United Methodist Church). It was a great experience first learning to play along with others.
Southern rock and soul sound. Graduated from the University of Florida. What influenced your decision to pursue a career in music?
Music chose me. I think I was making up songs before I could talk and rhyming before I could speak in sentences! Though music was always the goal, going to college I didn’t want to lose my passion for music. I’ve always been blessed and cursed with well roundedness, so I majored in sports medicine. It’s nice to have different interests to allow my creative brain to rest, so my creativity can be at its best when I’m writing and performing.
First original song written at age 13 left you knowing this was what you wanted to do. In terms of the overall composition, what is your favorite song from another artist and why?
I actually wrote my first song down at age nine but performed my first original song at 13. Performing a song I wrote for the first time solidified that music was my ultimate calling. Music can speak to people, lyrically and melodically, in a very deep way. Whether they are the same or different, music allows people’s individual experiences to relate and connect!
“Smile” by Nat King Cole is one of my fave songs of all times. The melody and myriad of emotions portrayed are classic…people will always be able to relate to this beautiful song!
From your 2018 album, Front Porch Rebel, to your latest single, “Someone To Miss Me,” how do you keep evolving as a musician?
I believe writing with different cowriters and musicians, in different genres and cities, helps expand and solidify my southern rock n soul sound. I don’t feel the need to box myself into one single genre, because music is universal! I love mixing passionate styles! If I ever stop wanting to evolve, I should change careers! Ha.
What’s the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
My first guitar teacher, Mr. Joe Bennett, of Joe Bennett and the Sparkletones, gave me the best advice! He encouraged me to start writing songs on demand, not just when they ‘hit me,’ so I could make songwriting a skill, not just a talent. That advice is still invaluable!
Giving back, volunteering with Salkehatchie Summer Service, and participating in fundraisers for Cystic Fibrosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Salkehatchie Summer Service and Camp One Fifty One are both construction ministries that help make low income homes become more safe, warm, and dry! Participating in these service camps not only keeps me humble, but the other campers and homeowners are true witnesses and blessings to me of love.
A few songs have been inspired by these ministries, including when I helped coproduce the documentary “On The Road To Salkehatchie.”
Cystic fibrosis has become a really really big platform for my band! My guitar player and coproducer, Randall Scott Peterson, has two young boys with CF, so we desperately want to be a part of finding a cure!
“My mission is to create and execute authentic musical experiences that people can deeply feel!” Has a fan shared a story of how your music has helped them through difficult times?
The most humbling compliment I have received about a song is when I had a lady reach out on Facebook. Her brother-in-law had recently been killed in action and she asked to use “Soldier’s Girl” for his funeral/memorial service. For a military family to feel we got the message and emotion correct enough to use for a celebration of life is truly amazing.
What’s ahead for 2023?
New music and hopefully more touring! Never let the ball stop rolling!
