A huge milestone approaches for Amber Mark, the New York-based artist that will break your heart with a single note. Her debut album is planned for release later this year and the first single, “Worth It,” dropped earlier this year. “Competition” is the latest track to be unveiled and reflects a feeling that any public figure—or really, anyone at all—can relate to. Get out of your ego and watch the video for Amber Mark’s “Competition,” which she co-directed, below.

“I hold this one so close to my heart. ‘Competition’ comes from a state of always comparing yourself to others and how ruthless that competitive nature can be towards yourself and towards others. The song is a reminder of how much stronger we are together.” – Amber Mark

As far as misnomer song titles go, this is one for the books—“Competition” is a desperate cry for its namesake’s eradication. “I just wanna see you win,” Mark sings with love, rolling along the track’s funky soul melody, backed by a mean bassline. Her affection is disarming and gives the song a shade of romance. The community is more than individual achievements and Mark wants us to join her at the top.

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After stunning records, Amber Mark is finally ready to share a full-length album. Her first effort, 3:33am, helped her cope with the death of her mother and the 2018 Conexão EP contains the only truly excellent Sade cover ever to exist (don’t @ me).

The details of her forthcoming LP have yet to be released, but the credits for the “Competition” music video speak volumes. Mark co-directed and starred in it, and as if that weren’t enough of herself to give, the clip at the very end provides a glimpse of a warped memory. The characters are credited as Amber “Mom” and “Young” Amber; the former speaks only German, harkening back to Mark’s most formative years spent in Berlin, while the latter plays in a sandbox and complains. “You and I, our love, it’s as big as the universe and nothing is deeper than that,” “Mom” assures her, prompting the girl’s third eye to open wide. Now “Grown” Amber is ready to tell us what she sees.

Words: Zoë Elaine

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