Amadour’s journey into the arts is a winding narrative filled with resilience, reinvention and a relentless pursuit of self-expression. As a visual artist, musician and writer, their creative practice defies categorization, blending disciplines to tell stories that span time, geography and identity. Though their career has taken them from Miami to Los Angeles and Paris, it is Reno — their hometown — that remains at the heart of their work.
Their story is one of movement, both literal and metaphorical. A first-generation American with roots in Colombia, Amadour’s artistic sensibilities are shaped by a duality: an urge to explore and a pull toward home. From dropping out of high school to pursue music to discovering geometric abstraction in painting, their journey has been anything but conventional. Now, as they embark on their next project — an EP steeped in Nevada’s forgotten histories — Amadour is proving that art isn’t just about creating; it’s about uncovering, remembering, and giving voice to the stories that have long been overlooked.
Born and raised in Reno, Amadour was drawn to the arts from a young age. They performed in theater productions at the Pioneer Center, including a memorable role as young Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”. At Huffaker Elementary, they won a Scholastic Bookmark Competition, an early indication of their creative potential.
But the traditional educational path didn’t suit them. At 15, Amadour left Reno for Sausalito, California, before making another leap at 17: dropping out of high school to pursue a music career in Miami. They joined a music collective spearheaded by industry veterans Jon Secada and Rudy Pérez, working alongside artists who had collaborated with icons like Beyoncé.
Leaving behind the security of school, family and familiarity, they dove headfirst into the uncertainty of the music industry. Despite their passion, their experience in Miami was not what they had envisioned. Seeking stability, they returned to California, earned a GED from TMCC, and began a journey of self-discovery that would take them from San Francisco to Los Angeles, from accounting studies to the world of fine art.
At UCLA, Amadour’s artistic trajectory took an unexpected turn. Initially focused on performance, they found themselves drawn to painting. They gravitated toward geometric abstraction, inspired by artists like Agnes Martin and Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar. The latter’s work, deeply rooted in Colombian history, resonated with them on a personal level.
“During the Colombian conflict, artists used geometric abstraction to create meditative spaces of refuge,” Amadour said. “It was a way to transcend the chaos, and that really spoke to me. My own story is one of resilience — as a queer, nonbinary person growing up in Reno, it wasn’t always easy. But I’ve come back, and I love this place. I want to be here for others who feel like they don’t belong.”
Their background in art history further shaped their perspective. Studying medieval art in Paris through UCLA’s study abroad program, Amadour developed a deep appreciation for symbolism, mythology and the layered meanings embedded in visual narratives. These influences are evident in their work today, where color, form and abstraction come together to evoke emotion and memory.
While painting became a major part of their practice, Amadour never left music behind. Their first EP, “Western Movie Dream”, was an intimate exploration of first love, young adulthood and the transient nature of home. With songs referencing Reno landmarks like the Nevada Museum of Art and Lake Tahoe, the project was a deeply personal reflection of place and memory.
Their upcoming EP, “I Was Born in the Silver and I Died There Too”, takes a broader historical approach. It serves as both a love letter to Nevada and an excavation of its overlooked past.
A major inspiration came from a book they stumbled upon at Grassroots Books in Reno — a treasure trove for used books and hidden gems. Written by Patricia D. Cafferata, the book chronicled the history of the Mapes Hotel, a once-grand establishment in Reno that hosted legendary performers like Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. What shocked Amadour was learning that despite gracing the Mapes stage, Black entertainers were not allowed to stay at the hotel or use its facilities due to segregation laws.
“Growing up in Reno, I had no idea about Douglas Alley,” they recall, referring to the once-thriving hub for Black musicians adjacent to the Mapes Hotel. “I found out that it was a central location for jazz and entertainment, yet these artists were barred from enjoying the very places they performed in. That realization shook me.”
This discovery led them deeper into Reno’s musical past, unearthing stories of Liberace’s performances at the Sparks Nugget, the history of the Reno Gay Rodeo (the first gay rodeo in the country), and the broader intersection of race, queerness and entertainment in Nevada.
Rather than presenting these narratives through a historical essay, Amadour is channeling them into music. Collaborating with orchestral arrangers in Norway, they are creating a collection of big-band-inspired songs that bring these stories to life.
“I’m not doing this as an activist or to push an agenda,” they clarify. “I just want to show the history for what it is. Why let it be forgotten?”
For someone who has lived in Miami, Los Angeles and Paris, returning to Reno might seem like an unlikely full-circle moment. But for Amadour, it feels like destiny.
“Coming back to Nevada gave me a sense of purpose,” they said. “I realized that my role is to be a voice for the voiceless. To use my art, my music, my writing to bring these hidden histories to light.”
Through painting, music and storytelling, Amadour is crafting a multidimensional archive of Nevada’s past — one that doesn’t just preserve history, but makes it felt. Whether through the abstract lines of their canvases or the nostalgic chords of their music, Amadour ensures that the voices of those who came before are not just remembered but celebrated.
As they prepare to release their new work, one thing is clear: Amadour is not just an artist; they are an archivist, a historian and a storyteller. Their work acts as a bridge between past and present, between personal and collective memory. And in doing so, they remind us all that history is not static. It is alive, breathing and waiting to be sung.
Emily Hess can be reached via email at emilyhess@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Instagram via @emilyghess.
