Early beginnings and debut album (2011 to 2013) At 14, Mair's mother asked if she would be interested in recording songs with the intention of sending them to family. Through her sister's boyfriend, Mair got in contact with Tom, the drummer from the Swedish band,
Club 8, and recorded material. She recorded three songs:
Your Song by
Elton John,
Hallelujah, and
Samson by
Regina Spektor and did not release them commercially. Two years later, she received a phone call from Tom, who had previously played her demo to the owner of the indie label,
Labrador Records. Mair was later invited to a meeting and signed with the label in 2010. Her debut single called "House" was released on 8 June 2011. The single was met with positive reviews and Mair gained international attention from
The Washington Post'', who wrote, "The 16 (yes, 16)-year-old Mair sounds more like
Kate Bush on her gorgeous, grown-up's debut track than Kate Bush herself". The publication Poplight considered "House" to one of the best songs of 2011.
Aftonbladet joined in the chorus of praise, and wrote, "The best Kate Bush style synth pop since
Bat for Lashes." Because she was underage and performed mostly in night clubs, her parents accompanied her during gigs. Her second single, "Doubt", was released October 2011 and was also well received. The publication Poplight named it "Song of the Day" for a full week. After appearances on Swedish television networks like
TV4 and
Kanal 5, and events like "julkalender" (Christmas Calendar) organized by
Dagens Nyheter and in
Rockbjörnen festival, she released her third single "Sense." Her self-titled debut album
Amanda Mair released in Sweden on 15 February 2012. It was produced by Philip Ekström from the group
The Mary Onettes. The album peaked at number 16 on the Swedish album charts. The album was later released in the US on 5 June 2012 and is available worldwide on iTunes. In 2011 and 2012, Mair embarked on a tour throughout Sweden, the UK, and Europe to promote her album. Mair performed her debut US show in New York City on 12 April 2012. During 2013 Mair performed a series of concerts in Shanghai and Beijing, China, Spain, and Sweden to promote her debut album. In February 2013, she was the opening act for Germany, Switzerland, and Austria legs of tour for the Swedish band,
Friska Viljor. Beginning in late September 2013, she participated in a 1950s music showcase, performing cover songs as a member of Swedish musician, Peter Jezewski's show, "Be Bop A Luba". She performed a Christmas themed version of the show in November and December 2014. In August 2014, she was invited to perform at an event celebrating Swedish
Midsummer in Dallas, Texas. On 5 September 2014 she performed at a fall festival concert in Richmond, Virginia.
Return to music: 2014 to present In July 2014, Mair announced to fans via her official Twitter account that she was in the studio recording material. On 15 April 2016 Mair announced the release of her lead single, "Wednesday", her first solo release in nearly 4 years. The single is a part of an EP. The music video for "Wednesday" premiered on 21 April 2016. In May 2017, Mair signed with an independent record label and began working on a follow-up release to her debut album. In October, she returned to music with a double re-release of her two singles, "Rush" and "Wednesday". On 27 October 2017, she released the song, "Empty Blockings" for streaming platforms. Her EP, "To the Moon", was released worldwide for streaming on 17 November 2017.
Other music ventures During the summer and early fall of 2014, she performed as a member of a quartet called "Symphony for the People". They recorded the demo, "Background Noise" in March of that same year and performed at several events in Sweden. In 2015, Mair, Pernilla Söderblom, Fanny Heikman, and Kerstin Ljungström decided to rename their band, "Vo PAM", which was previously known as "Symphony for the People". The performed at music festivals across Sweden in the summers of 2014 and 2015. Their first single, "Background Noise", was released as a digital download on 2 February 2016. Vo PAM later released a 4-track EP, "Human", on 9 March 2016 for digital download. Mair plays piano and shares lead vocals on the EP. Mair's participation in the band ended in late 2016 ==Personal life==