With a little psychedelia, a lot of soul and a few ghosts to lay to rest, Ambré is soundtracking her own coming-of-age story on PEYOTE, a record about finding freedom in letting go.

Although New Orleans singer-songwriter Ambré isn’t in the business of making movies, with her new record, she could easily become a director – give her a camera and a cactus, and she’d probably have a pretty good go at it. So yes, music is more her thing, but really, she’s leaning towards soundtrack and, therefore, world-building with her latest project. 

On PEYOTE, her 15-track debut album released 17th July via Roc Nation Records, she builds an acidic, Western world of psychedelic detours, dusty guitars, R&B slow-burners and digs deep into old wounds. Inspired by everything from Western films and ‘70s rock to a deeper exploration of her own Southern roots, it’s a record that deliberately blurs the line between reality and fiction. “I love using psychedelics as a storytelling device in my music,” she says. 

But beneath that cinematic world-building lies mere intimacy. The NOLA-hailing musician has previously offered her pen to the likes of H.E.R. on her self-titled album, which won Best R&B Album at the 2019 Grammys, and before that, shared the music sheet with Wonderland Spring ‘26 cover star, Kehlani, ahead of her 2015 You Should Be Here tour. She’s an artist who displays the extent of her musical expertise, allowing it to surpass merely sounding great and soulful. It’s all soul. Tender yet impactful, sultry and sensual but not overly sexual, and earnest with room to dabble in the fictional. 

So naturally, heartbreak sits comfortably alongside healing across PEYOTE, with Ambré confronting the parts of herself she’s had to forgo. On “The Art of Letting Go”, the album’s eighth track, she releases “a version of myself that was afraid to be vulnerable” – as well as a love that, while real, wasn’t good for her. It’s a sentiment that gives the album its emotional centre, grounding its more surreal moments in a feeling – or something larger – that is unmistakably human. 

Enlisting the help of fellow yearners, singers Destin Conrad, CARI and serpentwithfeet, Ambré presents a blissful series of love letters, equal parts heart-wrenching and heart-tugging; hazed by a warmth that comes in the form of jazzy chords, bluesy, rumbling riffs – both vocally and instrumentally – and an earnest expression of love that can only come from having lived through the trudges of it. In this sense, PEYOTE feels like a coming-of-age romcom set in that welcomed tension where summer beckons fall. It’s humid, not hot. Damp, not quite wet. “It’s like an itch that I can’t scratch, shit,” she sings on “Go To Hell”, one of the lead singles from the record. It’s that straight-talking nature to the singer which lends a diaristic touch to her music. 

Now, having opened for Grammy Award-winning artist Leon Thomas and sharpened her guitar chops on tour, Ambré’s taking PEYOTE from the safety net of the studio into the world, with upcoming shows in LA, New York and Chicago. If the record presents itself as a little movie, she’s entering its next scene with complete fullness, an open heart and mind.

Listen to PEYOTE…

Congratulations on PEYOTE! It feels like its own little sonicverse: some R&B, some blues, a little Western vibe, part-psychedelic road movie. Where did the idea of this “acid-western” world first come from? 

I’ve always been a huge film buff. I love using psychedelics as a storytelling device in my music because I feel like it creates opportunities to blur the lines between reality and fiction. For this album, I wrote a song called “PEYOTE”, and I kept going back to what that title sounded like. Then I did deeper research on what the cactus meant, [the] history behind the ceremonies, and it felt right to me to be the title of my little movie.

There’s a strong cinematic feel about the record. If PEYOTE were a film, what would we see in the opening scene?

The opening scene would start somewhere in the middle of the story. I love when films do that. It’d be a close up of my eyes and then cut to a trippy psychedelic visual of what I may be seeing.

Outside of music, what were your other influences that played into the visual portrayal of that?

I watched a lot of Western movies for this. My research got really deep when it comes to learning more about my roots as well, so that helped me round out the concept in a way that didn’t feel impersonal.  

Across PEYOTE, you’ve got Tracy Chapman lyricism sitting next to Khruangbin textures and Frank Ocean/Syd-style introspection. What were you listening to while making the record that people may geek over?

I was listening to a lot of 70s Rock, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, Prince and The Beatles.

“The Art of Letting Go” particularly feels like the record’s big exhale. What were you releasing when you wrote this song?

I think I was releasing a version of myself that was afraid to be vulnerable. And releasing a love that was real but not good for me.

There’s a real tension, one that’s quite confronting, between heartbreak and healing across the album. Who are some of the artists or what are some of the songs that have helped you get over heartbreak?

Frank Ocean’s Blonde album, Sza’s Ctrl, and Superwoman by Stevie Wonder.

For someone who’s not from NOLA, myself included, what’s the most New Orleans thing about PEYOTE that someone listening from the outside looking in might miss?

The most New Orleans thing on PEYOTE is me singing, “Hey pocky way”. 

You’ve written alongside artists like H.E.R., Kehlani and Lucky Daye, and even have a GRAMMY for your songwriting. How does writing for yourself change from writing for someone else?

Writing for myself, I can do whatever I want and keep going until it feels right to me. When writing for others, I have less control, but I learn so much from collaborating. 

Last year, you opened for Leon Thomas on a sold-out tour. What was that experience like, and what were your biggest takeaways from Leon as a performer and artist?

Leon has taught me a lot about performing – that tour helped me get my guitar chops up. Once I saw him ripping solos, I was like, ‘Oh no, I gotta get in the gym.’

You’re heading to LA, New York and Chicago next month. Can you let us in on what differs between you as a live performer versus you alone in the studio?

On stage, I’m thinking a lot more than when I’m in the studio Because I’m trying to remember every part, make sure I hit my cues. I’m working on being freer on stage and not so in my head though.

What song are you most looking forward to performing?

“The Art of Letting Go.”

What are you most looking forward to ahead of these new adventures? 

I’m looking forward to learning more and more about myself and meeting new people. Going to places I’ve never been.

Words – Aswan Magumbe