The Real Marsha Ambrosius: Soul Seeker, Mother & Matchmaker

Masha Ambrosius exudes realness from the moment she walks into the Clive Davis Theatre at the GRAMMY Museum in downtown Los Angeles. As an artist known for her authenticity, this genuineness has always followed her, but now, not only is she an eight-time GRAMMY nominee, she's a mother. And her art and life have intertwined so inextricably that her latest album and her two-year-old daughter share a name: Nyla.

"This is my life now," she says, laughing, referring to the fanny-pack baby bag she's removing from around her waist before sitting down for the interview. "Everyone’s like, ‘What’s changed for you?' This."

The album Nyla ushered in a new phase of the multi-talented music maker's career. Boasting an impressive resume filled with dream-come-true moments like writing and vocal producing Michael Jackson's "Butterflies" and working with Alicia Keys, Kanye West and Dr. Dre, a successful career with poetic neo-soul duo Floetry, and now three albums into an explorative solo career, Ambrosius' resume continues to expand. But as she moves further away from where she started in Liverpool, England, here are a few ways how she's moving closer to herself, closer to her real.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">MY NEW ALBUM <br>"... leave it in and let go music..." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYLA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYLA</a> THE ALBUM <br>PRE-ORDER NOW <a href="https://t.co/K5di6lLWAD">https://t.co/K5di6lLWAD</a><br>AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE <br>SEPTEMBER 28TH <a href="https://t.co/MqI3BVCQhi">pic.twitter.com/MqI3BVCQhi</a></p>— MARSHA AMBROSIUS © (@MarshaAmbrosius) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarshaAmbrosius/status/1035547368953802752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2018</a></blockquote>

"I find soul in anything"

Nyla showcases a dizzying list of musical influences, including, according to her, everything from Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye to Queen and Duran Duran. The album also covers a lot of historical ground, from the intoxicating modern soundscapes of "Bottle Fulla Liquor" to throwback soul on "Today," which came naturally for Ambrosius.

"Anything in three-four [time] just sounds like the right thing to," she says of "Today." "It floods out of you because it's a natural element of soul that is in the body. It's instilled in me."

Ambrosius also talks about the need for soul in our world, and how an open mind can manifest that soul through music.

"It's feeling. Especially currently, with the social climate, we music that just makes you feel," she says, dismissing labels of her new album as simply R&B, pop or hip-hop. "Everyone's like, 'we need good soul!' I'm like, 'what's soul, ultimately?' I find soul in anything."

"I feel like I’ve been a mother forever"

As an artist who emotes, literally, for a living, becoming a mother has put Ambrosius in direct touch with the way music affects her daughter.

"Music is the soundtrack, and my daughter’s already grasping what songs evoke certain emotions," she says. "She'll know what a sad song is, and she'll know when it's time to get up and dance, or she knows when it's time to just chill. Having her learn emotions through music is a beautiful way to instill it."

This intrinsic connection between music and motherhood extends to her connection with Nyla.

"I can hear my daughter down the hallway right now. I think there's a spidey-sense or a radar that stays with you," Ambrosius says. "It feels like even though she’s two [years-old], I’ve been a mother forever."

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoW8bm9nezG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoW8bm9nezG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div></a> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoW8bm9nezG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#NYLA AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW what’s your favorite song so far?! Comment below! I’m tryna shoot a video </a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/marshaambrosius/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> marshaambrosius</a> (@marshaambrosius) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2018-09-30T17:23:22+00:00">Sep 30, 2018 at 10:23am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

"I just want everyone to be in love"

Looking for a love connection? Just grab a ticket from Ambrosius’ next show.

"I'm all for opportunity, and music does that," she says. "During my tour right now, I encourage the audiences to raise their hands... [I ask] who came here single? Who would come to a Marsha Ambrosius concert single to hear 'Your Hands,' 'Say Yes,'… 'Freak In Me'… absolutely a bundle of sexual joy, and not wanna [say to someone] 'hey, can I take your number? Can I take you out on a date?' So I'm like, 'Look around the room. There it is. I've presented you an opportunity.'"

Ambrosius speaks from experience, as she met her husband on tour. He was a roadie for the Floetry reunion tour, and she seized the moment. Not only is she passing along the opportunity as matchmaker, she feels a deeper connection to her lyrics now, having lived real love first hand.

"I feel corny, because I'm like… 'I just want everyone to be in love like I'm in love.' And now that I've found what [being in love] actually is, it's way more incredible than I could have attempted to word in any song," she explains, "because I was lending from what I thought it was until it happened to me, and now it's the most amazingly terrifyingly gratifying experience I've ever had."

"You can get rich so easily and get broke twice as fast"

After our one-on-one interview, Ambrosius speaks with a large group of high school students at the GRAMMY Museum, providing valuable insight on her career and life in general. Her parting advice for the group is as encouraging as it was cautionary, letting the young people in attendance know they should not be pursue becoming lesser versions of their heroes, but the best version of themselves—and it doesn't happen alone.

"You can get rich so easily and get broke twice as fast. To be wealthy is a whole other animal," Ambrosius says, later adding wisely, "Find your tribe and stick to it."

Diana Ross Set To Perform At The 2019 GRAMMYs