Amy Kuney
Encyclopedia
Amy Kathryn Kuney is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist from Tulsa, Oklahoma
.
to live as missionaries after he saw a video highlighting the destruction of Hurricane Mitch
.
In March 2003, while on a Guatemala
sightseeing trip at the age of 17, Kuney and her friends were kidnapped by a group of rebels who eventually let them go. Kuney used this experience to focus her songwriting efforts and wrote the song "How the Wind Must Feel" about the experience.
Kuney wrote her first song at the age of twelve.
She started playing guitar when she taught herself guitar chords off of a poster her dad bought from Wal-Mart
after a trip to the United States
at the age of 16.
in 2005, which released her self-titled EP.
Kuney acted and sang her songs in two episodes of Gilmore Girls
in 2005 and 2006. In Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out, Kuney sang Tom Dooley
in a club scene and in Partings she sang one of her own songs, "Relationship Wrecked."
Passions
played Kuney's song "So Help Me God" twice in February 2006, "How the Wind Must Feel" three times in one show, and "In the Dark" three times.
, "All Downhill From Here" opened the season 5 finale of One Tree Hill (TV series)
on May 19, 2008.
Kuney opened for Kate Voegele
along with The Veronicas
on three dates in Summer 2008.
After he heard her cover of his song, The Blower's Daughter, on YouTube, Damien Rice
invited Kuney to play shows with him in Iceland in July 2008.
Spin Move Records
released Kuney's debut full-length album, "Bird's Eye View
," on August 12, 2008.
On Jan. 27, 2009, Kuney released a single package for her song, "Thank You For Last Night." The single release included a single mix of "Thank You For Last Night," a Spanish version, "Gracias Por Anoche," and a cover of Nanci Griffith
's 1988 release, "Little Love Affairs
."
Kuney wrote the song "Chocolate" in honor of Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce because Lynn Lasher invested in Kuney's career. The song is offered as a free download on the Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce website.
Kuney won the grand prize on OurStage.com
with the single mix of her song, "Thank You For Last Night," in March 2009. Placed in the "Pop" music channel, the song beat out the winners from every other channel. Kuney also won the chance perform at JetBlue Airways
' new Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport
through OurStage.com's
"Live from T5 Contest" during July 2009.
Kuney opened for Kate Voegele
for ten dates on Voegele's Lift Me Up Tour
from May 29, 2009 to June 11, 2009.
LnA Clothing featured Kuney's song, "Simple Things," on "The Invisible DJ LnA Music Tee," which the company released online and at Ron Herman stores starting in May 2009. Purchasers of the t-shirt received a code to download all of the songs listed on the t-shirt from the LnA website.
As part of Donate Life's Concert Series at The Grove at Farmers Market
presented by Palm, Inc.
and the Palm Pre
and hosted by KBIG-FM
, Kuney opened for Gavin Rossdale
during the last date on August 26, 2009. Varsity Fan Club also performed.
features Kuney's song with Tim Myers
during the turning point of the film. The character Megan sends Nev MP3s of her songs, including one named "Downhill." The song, which Megan claims to be her own, is actually a live acoustic YouTube
version of Kuney singing "All Downhill From Here."
One Tree Hill
featured Kuney's song, "Hope A Little Harder," on their September 21, 2010 episode, "I Can't See You, But I Know You're There."
Her song, "Gasoline Rainbows," was featured as the title track on a compilation album, also titled Gasoline Rainbows
, benefitting the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
, which released on November 30, 2010. The album was put together by Sophia Bush
and Austin Nichols
and features songs by Damien Rice
, Phoenix (band)
, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
, Silversun Pickups
, City and Colour
, The National (band)
, The Black Keys
, Onward, Soldiers, Passion Pit
, Surfer Blood
, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
, LCD Soundsystem
, and Vampire Weekend
.
"Gasoline Rainbows" was also featured in the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada
. A dance to the song was choreographed by Stacey Tookey
and performed by dancers Geisha Chin and Joey Arrigo.
Kuney is currently in the studio working on her next full-length album, titled "Onyx."
She released her song, "Where I Can't Follow," on August 16, 2011, and "Waiting For You" on September 13, 2011 as the first two of three promotional singles of her new music. The song "Waiting For You" was inspired by and dedicated to Lady Gaga
. Her third single, "Kiss Me Like You Mean It," was released on November 1, 2011.
, which include covers and original songs. Kuney has posted covers of songs by Lady Gaga
, Taylor Swift
, Joni Mitchell
, Colbie Caillat
, The Script, Damien Rice
, P!nk
, Fleetwood Mac
, Coldplay
, The Moldy Peaches
, Jace Everett
, Patty Griffin
, Iyaz
, Leona Lewis
, Sam Sparro
, and OneRepublic
. Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times
commented on Kuney's YouTube videos in the LA Times blog, Soundboard, mentioning that she found her voice "especially lovely."
David Choi
and Kuney recorded a cover of Outta Here
by Esmée Denters
and uploaded it to YouTube on May 21, 2009.
Her cover of The Script's single "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" won the band's YouTube
cover contest, which allowed Kuney to meet the band at their show.
Kuney started doing parodies of popular songs released through her YouTube
channel with her version of Lady Gaga
's "Poker Face
." She rewrote the lyrics and retitled the song "Poke Ur Face."
She also responded to the Kanye West
and Taylor Swift
incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
by rewriting the lyrics to Swift's song Love Story
from the perspective of Swift's alter-ego, "T-Swizzle."
Kuney parodied an obsession with Twilight
actor Robert Pattinson
by covering Miley Cyrus
's song Obsessed and filming herself with a blow-up doll that modeled Pattinson.
She and Sergio Rivero
, winner of Operación Triunfo
's Fourth Series, covered "Happy
" from Leona Lewis
as a duet in November.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.
Early life
At the age of 13, Kuney's dad moved the family from their home in Oklahoma to HondurasHonduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
to live as missionaries after he saw a video highlighting the destruction of Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch was the most powerful hurricane and the most destructive of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph . The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season. Along with Hurricane Georges, Mitch...
.
In March 2003, while on a Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
sightseeing trip at the age of 17, Kuney and her friends were kidnapped by a group of rebels who eventually let them go. Kuney used this experience to focus her songwriting efforts and wrote the song "How the Wind Must Feel" about the experience.
Career
Kuney began piano lessons at the age of four and participated in piano recitals and church performances growing up.Kuney wrote her first song at the age of twelve.
She started playing guitar when she taught herself guitar chords off of a poster her dad bought from Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
after a trip to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the age of 16.
2005–2008: EP
Kuney signed to the independent record label Spin Move RecordsSpin Move Records
Spin Move Records is a boutique independent record label based in Santa Monica, California and is home to such artists as Ainjel Emme, Frank Bell, Rochelle Diamante, and Winsome Kin; as well as former artists including Amy Kuney, James Jr., Jessica Sanchez, and Olivia Thai.Peter Barker and Marc...
in 2005, which released her self-titled EP.
Kuney acted and sang her songs in two episodes of Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
in 2005 and 2006. In Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out, Kuney sang Tom Dooley
Tom Dooley (song)
"Tom Dooley" is an old North Carolina folk song based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It is best known today because of a hit version recorded in 1958 by The Kingston Trio. This version was a multi-format hit, reaching #1 in Billboard, the...
in a club scene and in Partings she sang one of her own songs, "Relationship Wrecked."
Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
played Kuney's song "So Help Me God" twice in February 2006, "How the Wind Must Feel" three times in one show, and "In the Dark" three times.
2008–2010: Bird's Eye View
Kuney's song, which she co-wrote with Tim MyersTim Myers
Tim Myers is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Orange, California.Myers is also known for playing bass in the band OneRepublic from 2004-2007.-Early life:...
, "All Downhill From Here" opened the season 5 finale of One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
on May 19, 2008.
Kuney opened for Kate Voegele
Kate Voegele
Kate Elizabeth Voegele is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is signed to Interscope Records. She is also known for her part as Mia Catalano in the CW TV series One Tree Hill.-Career:...
along with The Veronicas
The Veronicas
The Veronicas are an Australian electrorock, pop-punk and rock band. Twin sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso formed the band in 1999 in Brisbane. They have their own line of clothing which was released in 2007....
on three dates in Summer 2008.
After he heard her cover of his song, The Blower's Daughter, on YouTube, Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
invited Kuney to play shows with him in Iceland in July 2008.
Spin Move Records
Spin Move Records
Spin Move Records is a boutique independent record label based in Santa Monica, California and is home to such artists as Ainjel Emme, Frank Bell, Rochelle Diamante, and Winsome Kin; as well as former artists including Amy Kuney, James Jr., Jessica Sanchez, and Olivia Thai.Peter Barker and Marc...
released Kuney's debut full-length album, "Bird's Eye View
Bird's Eye View (album)
Bird's Eye View is the debut full-length album by singer-songwriter Amy Kuney, which was released August 12, 2008 by Spin Move Records.The iTunes version of the album includes a cover of Damien Rice's song, "The Blower's Daughter."...
," on August 12, 2008.
On Jan. 27, 2009, Kuney released a single package for her song, "Thank You For Last Night." The single release included a single mix of "Thank You For Last Night," a Spanish version, "Gracias Por Anoche," and a cover of Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
's 1988 release, "Little Love Affairs
Little Love Affairs
Little Love Affairs is Nanci Griffith's sixth album, and it had similar success to her preceding Lone Star State of Mind on the Billboard charts. The album topped out at #27 on the Country Albums chart and one of its tracks entered into the Top 40 of the Hot Country Singles chart: "I Knew Love"...
."
Kuney wrote the song "Chocolate" in honor of Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce because Lynn Lasher invested in Kuney's career. The song is offered as a free download on the Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce website.
Kuney won the grand prize on OurStage.com
Ourstage
OurStage.com is a web and mobile-based music community offering free music streaming, discovery, and editorial content. It is owned and operated by OurStage Inc., headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts...
with the single mix of her song, "Thank You For Last Night," in March 2009. Placed in the "Pop" music channel, the song beat out the winners from every other channel. Kuney also won the chance perform at JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport, also in Queens....
' new Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
through OurStage.com's
Ourstage
OurStage.com is a web and mobile-based music community offering free music streaming, discovery, and editorial content. It is owned and operated by OurStage Inc., headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts...
"Live from T5 Contest" during July 2009.
Kuney opened for Kate Voegele
Kate Voegele
Kate Elizabeth Voegele is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is signed to Interscope Records. She is also known for her part as Mia Catalano in the CW TV series One Tree Hill.-Career:...
for ten dates on Voegele's Lift Me Up Tour
Lift Me Up Tour
The Lift Me Up Tour is the second America concert tour by American singer Kate Voegele in support of her second studio album, A Fine Mess.-Background:...
from May 29, 2009 to June 11, 2009.
LnA Clothing featured Kuney's song, "Simple Things," on "The Invisible DJ LnA Music Tee," which the company released online and at Ron Herman stores starting in May 2009. Purchasers of the t-shirt received a code to download all of the songs listed on the t-shirt from the LnA website.
As part of Donate Life's Concert Series at The Grove at Farmers Market
The Grove at Farmers Market
The Grove is a retail and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, California, built, owned, and operated by Rick J. Caruso and his company Caruso Affiliated on parts of the historical Farmers Market.-History:...
presented by Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
and the Palm Pre
Palm Pre
The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The smartphone was the first to use Palm's Linux based mobile operating system, webOS...
and hosted by KBIG-FM
KBIG-FM
KBIG-FM is an FM radio station in Los Angeles, California, owned by Clear Channel. The station plays a Hot Adult Contemporary format heavy on music from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.-Early years:...
, Kuney opened for Gavin Rossdale
Gavin Rossdale
Gavin McGregor Rossdale is an English musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush as well as an actor. Following Bush's separation in 2002, which lasted for eight years, he was the lead singer and guitarist for Institute, and later began a solo career. He...
during the last date on August 26, 2009. Varsity Fan Club also performed.
2010–present: Onyx
The reality-thriller CatfishCatfish (film)
Catfish is a 2010 American documentary involving a young man being filmed by his brother and friend as he builds a romantic relationship with a young woman on the social networking website Facebook.-Plot:...
features Kuney's song with Tim Myers
Tim Myers
Tim Myers is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Orange, California.Myers is also known for playing bass in the band OneRepublic from 2004-2007.-Early life:...
during the turning point of the film. The character Megan sends Nev MP3s of her songs, including one named "Downhill." The song, which Megan claims to be her own, is actually a live acoustic YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
version of Kuney singing "All Downhill From Here."
One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
featured Kuney's song, "Hope A Little Harder," on their September 21, 2010 episode, "I Can't See You, But I Know You're There."
Her song, "Gasoline Rainbows," was featured as the title track on a compilation album, also titled Gasoline Rainbows
Gasoline Rainbows
Gasoline Rainbows is a compilation album made by Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols to benefit the Gulf Coast of the United States from the 2010 BP Oil Spill...
, benefitting the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
, which released on November 30, 2010. The album was put together by Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush
Sophia Anna Bush is an American actress, director and spokesperson. She currently stars in the CW television series One Tree Hill where she portrays Brooke Davis. Bush is additionally known for her film portrayals in the 2007 remake The Hitcher, John Tucker Must Die and The Narrows.-Early...
and Austin Nichols
Austin Nichols
Austin Nichols is an American film, television actor and director who is perhaps best known for his role as Julian Baker in The CW drama series One Tree Hill. He is also known for his roles in films such as The Day After Tomorrow and Wimbledon...
and features songs by Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, Phoenix (band)
Phoenix (band)
Phoenix is a Grammy Award winning French indie rock band from Versailles, founded by Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.-Formation and early years:...
, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot. Their first full-length recording, Up from Below, was released July 7, 2009, digitally and July 14, 2009, physically on Community Records...
, Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band comprises Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester....
, City and Colour
City and Colour
City and Colour is the recording alias for Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green, who was also the guitarist and vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. He plays melodic acoustic and folk music and is often accompanied by a rotating number of Canadian indie rock...
, The National (band)
The National (band)
The National is an indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1999 and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger, a baritone...
, The Black Keys
The Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer/producer Patrick Carney. The band was formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. As of October 2011, the band has sold over 2 million albums in the U.S....
, Onward, Soldiers, Passion Pit
Passion Pit
Passion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...
, Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood
Surfer Blood is an indie rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band has four members: John Paul Pitts , Thomas Fekete , Kevin Williams and Tyler Jerry "TJ" Schwarz .Founding members John Paul Pitts and Tyler Schwarz originally didn't like each other in high...
, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, now based in Los Angeles. BRMC is known for their garage rock, blues, folk revival, neo-psychedelia sound. They are influenced by bands such as: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Verve, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, T...
, LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
, and Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The Band has four members: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij, Chris Tomson, and Chris Baio. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008, which produced the singles "Mansard...
.
"Gasoline Rainbows" was also featured in the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada
So You Think You Can Dance Canada (season 4)
Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance Canada is a dance reality show and competition that airs on CTV. It is hosted by ETalk correspondent Leah Miller.-Auditions:...
. A dance to the song was choreographed by Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey
Stacey Tookey is a dancer and choreographer born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Emmy-nominated Tookey is best known for her frequent appearances as a Resident Choreographer and Guest Judge on the Canadian and American versions of the television show So You Think You Can Dance. Tookey served as...
and performed by dancers Geisha Chin and Joey Arrigo.
Kuney is currently in the studio working on her next full-length album, titled "Onyx."
She released her song, "Where I Can't Follow," on August 16, 2011, and "Waiting For You" on September 13, 2011 as the first two of three promotional singles of her new music. The song "Waiting For You" was inspired by and dedicated to Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
. Her third single, "Kiss Me Like You Mean It," was released on November 1, 2011.
YouTube
Kuney is well known for her videos on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, which include covers and original songs. Kuney has posted covers of songs by Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, Colbie Caillat
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...
, The Script, Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, P!nk
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches
The Moldy Peaches was an indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004...
, Jace Everett
Jace Everett
Jace Everett is an American recording artist. Signed to Epic Records in 2005, he released his debut single "That's the Kind of Love I'm In" in 2005, which peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and was the first single from his self-titled debut album. He also co-wrote Josh...
, Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
, Iyaz
Iyaz
Keidran Jones , better known by his stage name Iyaz, is a singer signed with the record label Beluga Heights Records from the British Virgin Islands. His debut single "Replay", was released in 2009 and reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, number-one in the UK, Australia and the top ten...
, Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
, Sam Sparro
Sam Sparro
Sam Sparro is an Australian singer-songwriter, music producer, and former child actor. His stage name was derived from a family nickname, which in turn was inspired by the Dagenham radio mascot Sammy Sparrow...
, and OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
. Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
commented on Kuney's YouTube videos in the LA Times blog, Soundboard, mentioning that she found her voice "especially lovely."
David Choi
David Choi
David Yong Choi is an American musician and YouTube video producer living in Los Angeles. He performs a mix of original songs and covers of pop hits. Choi released his debut album, Only You, in October 2008. His second album, By My Side, was released on May 19, 2010...
and Kuney recorded a cover of Outta Here
Outta Here (song)
"Outta Here" is the title song of the debut studio album by Dutch R&B singer and songwriter Esmée Denters. It was released as the debut single both from the artist and the album in the Netherlands on 14 April 2009, 27 April in New Zealand on April 27 followed by 15 August in the UK.On the charts...
by Esmée Denters
Esmée Denters
Esmée Denters is a Dutch singer-songwriter. She was a regular cover-artist on video-sharing website YouTube on which she covered songs by contemporary musicians like Justin Timberlake and Natasha Bedingfield....
and uploaded it to YouTube on May 21, 2009.
Her cover of The Script's single "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" won the band's YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
cover contest, which allowed Kuney to meet the band at their show.
Kuney started doing parodies of popular songs released through her YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel with her version of Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
's "Poker Face
Poker Face (Lady Gaga song)
"Poker Face" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut album, The Fame. Produced by RedOne, it was released as the album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in early 2009 for the rest of the world...
." She rewrote the lyrics and retitled the song "Poke Ur Face."
She also responded to the Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
by rewriting the lyrics to Swift's song Love Story
Love Story (Taylor Swift song)
"Love Story" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman, alongside Swift. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless...
from the perspective of Swift's alter-ego, "T-Swizzle."
Kuney parodied an obsession with Twilight
The Twilight Saga (film series)
The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
actor Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...
by covering Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
's song Obsessed and filming herself with a blow-up doll that modeled Pattinson.
She and Sergio Rivero
Sergio Rivero
Sergio Rivero is a Spanish singer born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, an island of Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands, Spain on 1 April 1986. He took part and won the title in the fourth series of Operación Triunfo in 2004.-Career:...
, winner of Operación Triunfo
Operación Triunfo
Operación Triunfo is a reality-show talent contest which first aired on Spain's TVE network in 2001. A kind of cross between Pop Idol, Voces en Función, Star Search, and Big Brother, the show aimed to find the country's next solo singing sensation, putting a selection of hopefuls through their...
's Fourth Series, covered "Happy
Happy (Leona Lewis song)
"Happy" is a song performed by British singer Leona Lewis for her second studio album Echo . It was written by Lewis, Ryan Tedder, Evan Bogart, and produced by Tedder, and it was premiered in the United Kingdom radio on 6 September 2009, and officially released on 15 September 2009, by digital...
" from Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
as a duet in November.
Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "All Downhill From Here (feat. Tim Myers)" | All Downhill From Here (Single) |
| "Love Is Trippy" (promo) | Bird's Eye View Bird's Eye View (album) Bird's Eye View is the debut full-length album by singer-songwriter Amy Kuney, which was released August 12, 2008 by Spin Move Records.The iTunes version of the album includes a cover of Damien Rice's song, "The Blower's Daughter."... |
|
| "River" | River (Single) | |
| 2010 | "Hope A Little Harder" | Hope A Little Harder (Single) |
| "Gasoline Rainbows" | Gasoline Rainbows Gasoline Rainbows Gasoline Rainbows is a compilation album made by Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols to benefit the Gulf Coast of the United States from the 2010 BP Oil Spill... |
|
| 2011 | "Gasoline Rainbows" | Gasoline Rainbows (Single) |
| "Where I Can't Follow" | Where I Can't Follow (Single) | |
| "Waiting For You" | Waiting For You (Single) | |
| "Kiss Me Like You Mean It" | Kiss Me Like You Mean It (Single) | |
Collaborations
The following songs are credited with Amy Kuney on either lead or backing vocals.- Ari HestAri HestAri Hest is an American singer-songwriter and a native of Riverdale in the Bronx borough of New York.-Early life:Ari took piano lessons as a child and later, as a teenager, taught himself to play his mother's nylon string guitar by ear with influences from both his parents' record collection and...
– "Cranberry Lake" (which Amy also co-wrote with Hest) from his album Twelve Mondays - David HopkinsDavid Hopkins (musician)David Hopkins is a singer-songwriter, originally from Dublin, Ireland.-Lir:Hopkins launched his music career playing keyboard in the Dublin rock band Lir. The group signed to What Are Records and released Magico, Magico, which went to #1 on the alternative album charts and scored a top 10 hit, "In...
- "There Are Debts" from his album There Are DebtsThere Are DebtsThere Are Debts is an album by David Hopkins, released in December 2010. It was produced by Matt Fish. All songs were written by David Hopkins... - Ernie HalterErnie HalterErnie Halter is an American singer/songwriter. He is currently signed on Rock Ridge Music.Born in Inglewood, CA in 1974 and raised in Orange County, Halter started playing piano when he was 8, guitar when he was 14, and writing his own songs when he was 16. His first disc Lo-Fidelity came out in...
- "This Beautiful Ache" from his album Franklin & VermontFranklin & VermontFranklin & Vermont is Ernie Halter's full-length album, released on June 28, 2010. The album is named after the cross streets where Halter lives in Los Angeles.-Track listing:#"Hard to Let a Good Love Go" – 3:43#"Angel" – 3:33#"Gone" – 2:46... - Steven Mudd - "Love"