South Side Musician Will Perform At Taste Of Chicago

Washington Park resident, Aminata Burton, better know as Ami, will be giving a solo vocal performance on July 11 at this year’s Taste of Chicago Event. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ami
Washington Park resident, Aminata Burton, better know as Ami, will be giving a solo vocal performance on July 11 at this year’s Taste of Chicago Event. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Ami

South Side Musician Will Perform At Taste Of Chicago

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

While working on finishing her debut studio album and working as the music director for Jamila Woods, Chicago singer and songwriter Aminata Burton, better known as Ami, is preparing to perform at the Taste of Chicago on July 11. Burton will be performing at 2:30 p.m. on the Goose Island Stage and following the event, she will be hosting an after-party at Refuge! Live from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Growing up, Burton was able to receive a great deal of professional music training through a performing arts school that she began attending in sixth grade and because she has been trained in so many different styles of music, her sound is a unique blend of gospel, rhythm and blues, and classical genres with her own unique spin.

“I auditioned for a performing arts middle school and high school and got accepted so that’s when I started playing classical music. I’ve had pretty intense classical training and when I graduated from high school, I went to Central State University and got a degree in musical performance which again was intense classical training.

After college, Burton returned to Chicago and let go of the future she thought she would be pursuing as a classical musician and began to look at different musical career paths.

“I thought I really was going to be a famous classically trained pianist but after I finished college, I was in search for something completely new and I kind of wanted to stretch myself a little bit and have some new experiences. So, I came back to Chicago and I started a band with some of my college friends and that’s kind of how everything catapulted for me,” said Burton.

While Burton is steadily pursuing her career as a solo artist, she is also constantly working behind the scenes in the music industry as a producer and music director. This helps her to build up her network of fellow musicians, make connections, and get inspiration for her own album.

“You can’t do much without a community of people. So, me producing and co-producing and working with different artists just gives me the opportunity to add on to my network and also to be able to make some money in the meantime. All of that helps me as I continue to do what I like to do as a solo artist,” said Burton.

Amidst her performances, studio time, and touring, Burton has found time to give private music lessons out of her home in Washington Park and to work as a music teacher at the Musical Arts Institute.

“I do want to open a small Academy on my own where I can implement my own teaching philosophy but that’s kind of far off,” said Burton.

To learn more about Ami, view her performance calendar and listen to her music, visit officialami.com.

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