“font-family: Verdana;”>“I mean, you drive down Grand all the time and you see ‘Oprah Winfrey presents’ and other big names,”
Sunday Best
“font-family: Verdana;”>winner and STL native Amber Bullock said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Never in a million years did I think – you can’t even imagine – seeing your name in lights at the Fabulous Fox Theatre as an opening artist.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>After earning top honors on the top-rated gospel singing competition on BET in September, her wildest dreams have come true – including billing on the iconic concert venue.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Kirk Franklin’s Fearless Tour with special guest Sunday Best Winner Amber Bullock” is how it reads. Her rise to getting her name up there is indeed a story that fairy tales are made of.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“This whole experience has been absolutely amazing,” Bullock said. “I’m in awe and still taking it all in – since the beginning of Sunday Best to this very day.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Millions voted from around the world to crown her champion of Sunday Best. She will be taking the stage in her hometown at the Fox today. Her EP will be released in a few weeks. Bullock’s cup of blessings is currently running over, but she was in a dark place before her star began to shine on BET.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“This whole journey was really God’s design – it was indeed a God thing,” Bullock, 25, said. “Because I was really going through a lot around the time Sunday Best happened.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Shortly after relocating to Texas for a fresh start, she was involved in a serious car accident with her daughter.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I would have to sleep on a coworker’s couch just to get to work every day,” Bullock said. “Even through my struggle, I could have been in the dumps. But I didn’t, I chose to keep smiling. In the end, God wants to provide for you, and if you allow God to provide for you he will bring you out.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Bullock was singing with gospel artist Myron Butler, but working as a call center representative when she heard that Sunday Best was coming to town. Her friends urged her to try out.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I was like, ‘If you give me a ride, I’ll go try out.’”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The decision to do so would change her life forever. Her rich and heavy classic gospel tone, matched with the control of a classically trained vocalist, made her a standout early on in the competition. Bullock said that her faith refused to let her get caught up in hype or distracted.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Before each performance, I would say ‘God, let your will be done,’” Bullock said. “I would say, ‘God, it’s me and you – let’s see what you were going to do this time,’ and he would amaze me every single time.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The season she participated was one of the most popular and suspenseful. A hurricane that downed phone lines on the East Coast forced fans to wait another week. Bullock was favored to win, and she credits the strong support of her hometown.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“If I start naming names, I will get in trouble, so thank everybody in St. Louis – period,” Bullock said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“To all of those who supported, who voted and used their work phone to call in, I really appreciate it. I feel so much pride in my heart being from St. Louis and heading to the Fox stage. I’m just really ready to do my best, show everybody what they voted for and I don’t want to let anyone down.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>‘Losing my mind’ over Kirk Franklin
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Bullock always knew if she left her dreaded 9 to 5 behind and followed the music in her heart that she would sing gospel music.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“No matter what I sing, it sounds like gospel anyway,” Bullock, said laughing.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Now the opportunity to work with her musical hero Kirk Franklin blows her away every day.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“When I was younger, I had this list of people I wanted to meet before I die and Kirk Franklin was number one,” Bullock said. “So when he said that he loved what I did, I was losing my mind.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Now that her Sunday Best run has ended with her on top, she is continuing with Franklin on the tour. Bullock is eager to point out that Franklin has exceeded every expectation she had for him as a person.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“You would think that it is our tour and not his, the way he brings ‘us’ up,” Bullock said. “Everything you see about him supporting young artists is the truth. He wants us to gain from the tour and learn from his mistakes.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>While Bullock will serve as the opening act and perform selections from her EP Thank You – which drops Dec. 6 – she will be a part of his entire set as a backup singer.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Put on your jogging pants, your tap shoes and whatever you can move around in,” Bullock said. “The whole concert is going to be amazing, and I can’t wait to come home and see y’all.”
Amber
Bullock will be a featured artist of the Kirk Franklin Fearless
tour taking place tonight at the Fox Theatre (7:30 p.m. Nov. 17).
Her debut EP will be released on Dec. 6 under World Music
Entertainment.
