Amber Brianna Lawrence-Bullock (born April 11, 1986) is an American

urban contemporary gospel Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched prima ...

artist and musician. Bullock won the gospel singing competition, ''Sunday Best'', that airs on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

, during season four. She started her music career, in 2011, with the release of the

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Thank You'', by Music World Gospel, and this charted on three '' Billboard'' charts The ''Billboard'' 200,

Top Gospel Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

, and the Independent Albums chart. She saw her first studio album, ''So in Love'', chart on two ''Billboard'' charts, the Top Gospel Albums and Independent Albums.

Early life

Bullock was born on April 11, 1986, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, as Amber Brianna Lawrence-Bullock. Before her music career blossomed, with her winning appearance on season four of ''Sunday Best'', she was living in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

at the time, but because of her mother's job promotion at work they moved to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. While in New Orleans, she got a job at a call center, and during that timespan got involved in an automobile accident that destroyed her car. This forced her to move in with a colleague from work, and send her two-year-old daughter at the time to be raised by her father. When she got the break to be on the show, she had the mentality of "'Lord let your will be done.' I had nothing to lose and everything to gain." In 2011, she graduated from

Oakwood University Oakwood University is a private, historically black Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama. It is the only HBCU owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Oakwood University is accredited by the Southern Associati ...

Music career

Her music career started on the gospel music reality singing competition television show ''Sunday Best'', in season four, that airs on

. She won the competition, and got a record deal with Music World Gospel. This allowed her to release an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Thank You'', on November 29, 2011, shortly afterward being crowned the winner on the show. The extended play charted on three '' Billboard'' charts The ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 145, No. 1 on the

chart, and No. 10 on the Independent Albums chart. It was rated three and a half stars by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

's David Jeffries, and an eight out of ten by Cross Rhythms' Lins Honeyman. This would be the precursor to her first studio album, ''So in Love'', which released on July 10, 2012, and it charted on two ''Billboard'' charts the Top Gospel albums at No. 3 and at the No. 30 position on the Independent Albums chart. The album received a nine out of ten by Cross Rhythms' Lins Honeyman, and E.J. Gaines of UP reports that "''So In Love'' is a solid collection of feel-good music, anchored in soulful melodies and accented by Bullock’s undeniable passion and impeccable vocal agility."

Personal life

Bullock resides in St. Louis, Missouri, with her daughter, and attends church at Fresh Anointing, where Michael Lampkin, a contestant on season five of ''Sunday Best'', is the pastor.

Discography

;Studio albums ;EPs

References

External links

St. Louis American article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullock, Amber 1986 births Living people African-American songwriters African-American Christians Musicians from St. Louis Songwriters from Missouri American gospel singers 21st-century African-American women singers