Amerie Mi Marie Rogers (born January 12, 1980), known professionally as Amerie, is a two time Grammy nominated American R&B singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she debuted in 2002 with the album All I Have, primarily co written and produced by mentor Rich Harrison.

"1 Thing", the lead single from her second album, Touch (2005), introduced elements of D.C.'s go-go, and became her biggest hit to date. Her third album Because I Love It, had a international release in 2007.

Biography

Rogers was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to an African-American father and a Korean

Amerie's first language is Korean. However, after the family left Korea, Amerie's mother made a conscious effort to limit the use of Korean with her daughters out of fear that it would impede their development of English proficiency. In an interview with KoreAm Journal, Amerie stated that she is now only "conversational" in the Korean language and speaks it at home with her mother, Angela, and extended Korean family members .

Her father works for the U.S. Intelligence Division United States military, so Amerie traveled to and lived in many different places, including Alaska, Texas, Germany, and South Korea. She has a younger sister, Angela Rogers, who is now her lawyer. She finally settled in Washington, D.C., which she considers her hometown. She started studying at Georgetown University for a degree in English and Fine Arts

Amerie also bears a tattoo featuring her given name in Korean script on her lower back, which can be seen in the music video for "1 Thing". (에므리) Amerie is noted for signing her name in both English and Korean when giving autographs.

2001-2004: All I Have

main: All I Have (album)

Pop-oriented R&B singer Amerie, the daughter of a Korean mother and an African-American father who was a career military member, grew up on bases from Alaska to Germany. As a youth, she gained an appreciation of the classical arts (from her mother) and of music (from her father), and she also studied dance from an early age and performed in talent contests. After her high-school graduation, her family settled down in Virginia while she began to attend Georgetown University, from which she later graduated with a degree in English and fine arts. While living in Washington, D.C., she met producer Rich Harrison, who worked with such performers as Mary J. Blige, and began developing demos with him. This led to a deal with Rise Entertainment and, in turn, Columbia Records. In the spring of 2002, Rise/Columbia released Amerie's debut single, "Why Don't We Fall in Love." The song created a nice buzz for the album "All I Have," which was certified gold by the RIAA and produced another moderate hit for Amerie with "Talkin' To Me."

Around this time, Amerie spent some time as the host and developer of a brand-new show on BET called The Center. Amerie then landed a 2nd lead role as Mia Thompson in the 2004 romantic comedy First Daughter alongside Katie Holmes, Michael Keaton, Lela Rochon, and Marc Blucas. Directed By Oscar winner Forrest Whitaker.