Back when I was growing up, musical groups were as ever-present as your run-of-the-mill solo singers. Not sure what caused them to become a rarity in today’s soundscape. Nevertheless, when they do appear now, they ultimately stand out and when they sound as great as LA’s Ahmore, they not only stand out – they shine bright. We started this back and forth discussing how they came to be, and from there talked about their sultry video “Rioja,” and so much more!

Kendra: It seems like the music landscape is overflowing with solo acts and run-of-the-mill rock bands, but duos and trios – something we don’t see as much as we did say back in the ‘90s. How did the three of you come together?

Ahmore: So, we all went to high school together! And we were all also in band. In 2019, we technically got together for the first time at Patrick’s home studio and wrote the first version of “Lost” in two nights. There was a lot of wine and emotions flowing to make that song as angsty as it is. After that, we kind of fell off for the rest of the year because y’know, life…And then got back together in September 2020. It was pretty random and not planned at all for us to come together as a group. Ahmore just kind of fell into our laps and then almost half a year later, we had ‘Sonder.’

Kendra: Speaking of, ‘Sonder,’ reminds me of the clubs many could only wish to be let into on the Sunset Strip, but if you had to compare this record to a place in LA, where would it be and why?

Ahmore: Thank you, that’s such an amazing compliment for us! We actually wouldn’t describe ‘Sonder’ as an actual “place” in LA, not a building at least. We would say ‘Sonder’ is like a tour of LA. It isn’t one sound, so it’s hard to pin it to one particular place. The EP goes through different emotions and genre bends. When you listen to it, you hear different parts of LA, like being in the arts district at 9pm in your feelings or walking along Santa Monica beach at sunset…also in your feelings.

Kendra: Perhaps Gold Diggers because that’s where you shot “Rioja (Next To You)?” Speaking of, what a beautifully done video. Was it trickier to film with COVID safety protocols in place?

Ahmore: Thank you again!! Filming the music video was truly an amazing experience and we couldn’t have created such a beautiful world for “Rioja” without the whole team. Our wonderful crew and our director made sure all COVID safety protocols were in place, so we didn’t really have too much of a hand in it. Everyone on the set was wearing a mask when not filming.

Kendra: It’s very apparent within seconds that your music sits on a solid foundation of sensuality. Which is something that’s pretty much a commonality in R&B music. It’s not the “baby-making” music for nothing! Do you feel creating R&B allows artists to explore not only their sensual side more often than not, but their sexuality as well?

Ahmore: That’s a fair question, seeing that a lot of R&B music over time has become more explicitly sensual. With pop becoming more R&B and hip-hop based, we definitely feel like sensuality is much more present in the music industry in general, not just solely R&B. So, it wasn’t particularly R&B that allowed us to be sensual in our music. It was just what ended up being created when we were making the EP and expressing the relationships that the EP was based on.

Kendra: Another layer of your music is the Spanish influences. Does that come from a personal place, or more geographically being based in Los Angeles?

Ahmore: The Spanish influences actually come from a familial place! Patrick’s mom, a strong independent Latina woman, practically named “Rioja” for us. However, being based in SoCal, in general, and being around the beautiful Latin culture that is so prevalent here, the influence just found its way into our music naturally. We also listen to Spanish-influenced music, so it was only fair that it would show up in what we were creating.

Kendra: Lastly, you have ‘Sonder’ and “Rioja (Next To You)” out now, but what else do you have planned as we head into fall?

Ahmore: As we head into fall, you can expect solo releases from the group. We loved creating ‘Sonder’ together, but we all also individually have such unique writing styles and sounds that we are so excited to share. You’ll hear all of the different elements of ‘Sonder,’ but individualized. And who knows, you might even get a fall single from Ahmore too!