Amira Daugherty, known by her artist name Amira Unplugged, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer.

Early life and education

Daugherty was born in

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...

, where she grew up in a musical household. Her parents encouraged her to join band and orchestra in school, where she played the clarinet and violin. Daugherty earned an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

from

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the ...

at age 18. In 2019 she graduated with a B.A. in political science from

Agnes Scott College Agnes Scott College is a private women's liberal arts college in Decatur, Georgia. The college enrolls approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and is considered one of the ...

, where she became the first Muslim president of the college's

Student Government Association A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

. She initially intended to attend law school after graduating from Agnes Scott, but withdrew her application after the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

began.

Musical career

Daugherty began to post videos of her singing to

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, and YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic. She used

ASL American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is express ...

in her videos, to better connect with

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an Audiology, audiological condition. In this context it ...

viewers. Due to the online response, she was invited to audition for

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

, where she performed

Stand Up Stand Up may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Stand-up comedy, a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience Film * ''Stand Up'' (2007 film), a film featuring Modi Rosenfeld * ''Stand Up'' (2008 film), a Brit ...

Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

and a

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

piece called "Anxiety Eviction". However, despite receiving three yeses from the judges, her audition was not broadcast on the show. She was also invited to participate in

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Becoming A Popstar ''Becoming A Popstar'' is an American music competition television series produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment and Velocity, it premiered on MTV on March 24, 2022. Joe Jonas, Becky G, and Sean Bankhead serves as judges for the series. The ...

, which she ultimately placed second in. In October 2022 Daugherty took part in Pepsi's Music Lab. She released her first official single, "Work Till The Mornin'", the following month. Her second single, "Help Me Help You Out," released on February 3, 2023.

Personal life

She is also part of the

Deaf community Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

, being completely deaf in her left ear.

References

External links

* {{YouTube, channel=amiraunplugged 1990s births Year of birth uncertain Living people 21st-century African-American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century Muslims African-American Muslims Agnes Scott College alumni American spoken word artists American deaf people American TikTokers 21st-century American women rappers Deaf musicians People from Stone Mountain, Georgia Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state) Singers from Georgia (U.S. state) American musicians with disabilities Muslims from Georgia (U.S. state)