Look out, West End! If a sneak peek of Amber Riley belting out ‘I Am Changing’ is any indication of how the singer is gonna do in her ‘Dreamgirls’ London debut, then there is only one possible outcome — she’s gonna crush it! Watch Amber sing the show’s hit song here.
The 30-year-old former Glee star tweeted the video on July 19, to “start [her] morning off with gratitude and tears of joy.” Aww. At the beginning of the clip, Amber Riley fields a few questions about how it feels to be joining the cast of Dreamgirls. “I think the thing that excites me about Effie and this role is that it’s challenging… Vocally it’s challenging, emotionally it’s challenging.”
“I played a teenager for such a long time,” the singer said. (Oh, we remember, Amber, we remember.) “And even though [Effie’s] young in the beginning, she has this full arch, you know? And there is this full evolution that happens for this character. And I haven’t really got to experience that. So, being able to tell that story, and being the first person to bring that to London… Never been done. I’m the first person to do it. So it’s an extreme amount of pressure. But it’s so, it’s wanted pressure. Pressure makes diamonds.” So true, Amber.
Amber Riley — PICS
Once Amber starts singing “I Am Changing,” in the video above, you’ll lose it. Man, does she have some fierce pipes, or what? We just know the singer is gonna rock the part of Effie on opening night. For those not in the know, Dreamgirls first opened on Broadway in 1981, and was based on the aspirations and successes of groups like The Supremes. The musical follows a young female singing trio from Chicago called The Dreams, who become extremely famous and have to deal with what that entails. In 2006, it was turned into a film starring Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, and Anika Noni Rose.
London’s production of Dreamgirls opens in November at the Savoy Theatre on the West End. So, obviously, you’re going to check that your passport is valid before then, right?
HollywoodLifers, how amazing was Amber’s performance of “I Am Changing”? Let us know below!
