Few music industry executives have managed to make quite as big of an impact as Amber Grimes. With more than 15 years of experience in leadership positions at Spotify, Capitol Records, and now, LVRN, Amber has made major contributions to the current state of music. Despite the busyness of her schedule, Amber also recently launched her latest endeavor – 

Amber’s Book Club. A nonfiction book club that aims to create community, share knowledge, and unleash the power of reading, Amber is on a mission to share her love for literature while continuing to lead a noteworthy career in music. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Amber to discuss what motivated her to join the team at LVRN, what inspired her to launch her very own book club, and why authenticity is the most important characteristic of great artists.

How would you describe your current role as EVP/GM of LVRN to a kid?

Amber: I tell people what to do.

Prior to working at LVRN, you worked in Artist & Label Relations at Spotify, were SVP of Global Creative at Capitol Records, and led your own consulting and brand management agency. Throughout all of these experiences, what were three of the most valuable lessons you learned?

That’s a great question. One was learning how to communicate with everybody in each of those positions. I have to speak directly to the artist, the manager, and the label. I have to basically connect with every person that’s a part of an artist's career. I have to know how to diversify my communication style to be able to speak to everyone. I have to be able to adjust to who I’m talking to, and all of these experiences taught me that.

The second thing is being able to have empathy for everyone in their position. I’ve been everybody except the artist. I can understand everyone’s point of view because I’ve been them before.

The third thing is to know at least 50% of what everybody does. I think the only way you can properly run a company, manage a team, or manage multiple teams is to have that knowledge. I don’t need to be the smartest person in the room and I’m never trying to be more proficient in a job than the person that I hired, but I need to at least know 50% of what their job is so that I can hold them accountable. I have to know what they’re doing so I know if they’re doing it right or wrong, and I have to be able to help them.

These three things have been most valuable to me in my decade plus career.

What ultimately motivated you to join LVRN as EVP/GM?

I’ve been blessed to come from a city where I can work with my friends and people that I know, and ultimately love, to come up. I stepped out of that environment to have new experiences and step out of my comfort zone, but I always wanted to have it as an option to come back to. I don’t think everybody gets that opportunity – it’s very rare. It was a very rare opportunity where my growth was also me returning to my comfort zone. Usually growth is only found outside, so this wasn’t an opportunity that I was willing to miss out on. It’s the most fulfilling job that I’ve ever had.

LVRN is home to an abundance of talent, some of which includes Summer Walker, 6lack, and dvsn. In your opinion, what is special about the roster of artists at LVRN?

When LVRN first started it was coined an R&B label, which is beautiful because R&B can sometimes be forgotten about. We’re now able to translate our passion for R&B artists to global artists. We’re able to do the same things for Davido as we are for Summer Walker, but do it with our own spin. I think the beauty of LVRN and our roster is that we are able to translate our skills and everything that we’ve learned since being in this business to all genres and artists. We’re only just discovering this now as we continue to find success working on a bigger level and with a wider range of artists. One thing that all of our artists have in common is authenticity. They are them whether we like it or not, and we can work with that because it’s very hard to find success with artists who don’t have a vision for themselves. What we do best is help amplify an artist’s vision.

Throughout your career, you’ve held a variety of leadership positions. In your perspective, what is required of a great leader, and how are you reaching that standard every day?

I actually just read this book called ‘The Diary of a CEO’ and the author puts into words what I think it takes to be a good leader. I didn’t have the words for it before. He speaks about a great leader as someone who has to be inconsistent. When you hear that, you immediately go “What? You have to be consistent. You have to be like this, you have to be like that.” It was the most beautiful thing ever because, yes, when you’re a great leader sometimes you have to hire people, and sometimes you have to fire people. Sometimes somebody comes in crying because they may have had a loss in the family, and somebody may be struggling at home with something. There are all of these different things that you have to deal with and people you come in contact with.

To me, a great leader is someone who can rise to any occasion. You can’t be the same in every instance. It doesn’t work in my business, because it’s a people business. When you embrace being a well-rounded, confident person, you are an incredible leader.

What inspired you to create your very own book club?

I wanted to see if anybody else was reading. It was an experiment to see if I was the only nerd in my friend group or social environment that liked to read. I really started it to find my people, but also to give people a book club that speaks to them and engages younger people who want to read. I have a responsibility to be the source of things, and this was one of the things that I wanted to become a source of. If you ask me “Why isn’t this happening? Why isn’t that happening?”, my question will be “Well, why don’t you do it?”. So, I just did it and wanted to see how it would go.

What attracts you to both an artist and an author?

Authenticity. Authors have a voice, and in nonfiction, I think it can be a little harder to find a voice because it can be cheesy, gimmicky, and cliche. But when something really moves me, it’s because the author speaks in a way where either I understand or I’ve never heard it quite like that before. Some authors talk to you like a friend. Some books can be daunting and unapproachable, so I’m looking for that voice or something that connects with me.

It’s the same for artists. I need to be able to connect with their message. I have to believe in an artist the same way I believe in reading a book from page one to 300 because I know at the end we’re all going to win. It’s the same for me.

Amber’s Book Club is a nonfiction book club that specializes in “memoirs, personal growth, self-transformation, and business books”. What is it about nonfiction books, particularly the aforementioned nonfiction books, that are especially intriguing or of value to you?

I think a lot of people use books as an escape, and that’s beautiful. That’s generally what people become fiction lovers for. As someone who’s a college dropout, I use every experience in my life to learn. Nonfiction books are like free college. There’s a book out there for anything I want to learn or change. I consider my love for nonfiction books as an opportunity for higher learning, for higher education, and I want to take something away from a book that I can apply to my life the next day. Going back to my response that referenced ‘The Diary of a CEO’, if you would have asked me that question in January, I would have answered completely differently. I would have misrepresented myself because that book helped me structure my thoughts. Nonfiction books help me answer questions better, feel seen, and change my life completely. I don’t want to escape, I want to be better in my reality.

Do you remember when you first fell in love with reading? If so, when was it?

Yeah. I read a book titled ‘You Are A Badass’ by Jen Sincero. I read it because it was popular and thought that I was a badass. There was a specific part in the book where she talks about buying a car. I had just spent $1,500 on a lemon Ford Focus, which at the time, was all I had. Within the first two weeks of buying the car it broke down on me. I read this book, and Jen talked about the same scenario of buying a car. But instead, she went to the dealership and bought a car that, at that moment, she couldn’t afford. She knew she was a hard worker and would do whatever it took to make sure she could afford it. I was like “Oh my god, that is me. If I give myself a challenge, I will always rise to the occasion.” I bought a $1,500 piece of shit because I had $1,500. I don’t operate like that in my life at all – just doing what I can.

This motivated me to buy a Nissan Altima that I couldn’t afford. I immediately called a friend and asked to work in their new shop for extra cash. I was working for Def Jam at the time, and when I got done at the office I would work in the evenings for her. I was ultimately able to afford the car, and make extra money because of the extra effort I put in. I immediately changed my life, and all I had to do was read this book. I was holding myself back this whole time because I just didn’t have this information or perspective. After that, it was up.

If you could have dinner with one author and one artist, dead or alive, which author and artist would you pick?

Neale Donald Walsch. He’s the author of my favorite book – ‘Conversations with God’. If I don’t meet him before my life is over, I’m going to be very upset. I really want to talk to him. The artist I’m going to bring is Drake. That’s the answer. I don’t have too many questions for him. He should just sit and listen to Neale talk.

For many working professionals, it can be extremely difficult to find time to stay consistent with reading. What are some tips you’d share with people who are looking to stay on track with their reading regiment?

Since starting a book club, I’ve been forced to read twice as much as I used to. I realized that we all have so much time to read. Audible and audiobooks have made it so much easier to listen while you work or on your commute. There’s so much space in the middle of the day that you don’t use wisely. Now that I have to use every second, I realize how much time people waste instead of putting towards reading. Obviously, at the end of the night or whenever work ends, you have to commit to books being your solace. At the end of a long day, I read for 30 minutes before watching my favorite show.  You have to be disciplined about your time if you really want to read more.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’ve become things beyond my wildest imagination in one year, and have changed my circumstances in unbelievable ways in five. In ten years, I have no idea what will happen. I try not to think that far ahead so I don’t limit my growth. I work towards goals instead. I don’t know what will happen, but I am so excited to see what will happen.

If you could only take one book with you wherever you go, which book would you choose?

‘Conversations with God, Book One’ by Neale Donald Walsch

If you could only take one album with you wherever you go, which album would you choose?

‘The College Dropout’ by Kanye West

What does the term “big ass kid” mean to you? 

It’s someone who can still get in touch with their younger self. For the most part, our younger self is the dreamer – the person who feels as though anything is possible and doesn’t think through logistics or limitations. They dream like anything can happen because they don’t know what can happen. Once you’re an adult, it’s hard to stay there because of bills and responsibilities. As a creative, being a big ass kid is a place where you can go in your mind and career when you want to dream and think without limits.