The P-Funk veteran and Billboard dance chart hitmaker sits down with the award-winning New York television host to look back on a career that runs from the Brides of Funkenstein to the top of the club charts
Amuka, the powerhouse vocalist behind a string of Billboard dance hits and a veteran of George Clinton’s legendary P-Funk family, is set to tape an appearance as a guest on “Profiles,” the long-running celebrity interview series hosted by award-winning television personality Mickey Burns.
The conversation promises to cover one of the most colorful journeys in dance music. Amuka’s story begins in the heart of funk. In 1978 she was brought into Parliament-Funkadelic’s orbit as a backing singer for the Brides of Funkenstein, and by 1979 she had stepped up as one of the group’s main vocalists on its second album, “Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy.” In 1981 she hit the road with Rick James as one of his original “Mary Janes”, and in the mid-1980s she wrote songs for George Clinton’s solo albums on Capitol Records.
Her career then took her overseas. In 1997 she released an album in Italy under the name Blackwood before returning to the United States, where she toured again with P-Funk and found a new home on the dance floor. Teaming with the late producer and remixer Peter Rauhofer as Amuka, she broke through in 2003 with “Appreciate Me,” a club anthem that reached Billboard’s dance Top 10 and was licensed to compilations including the “Queer as Folk: Club Babylon” soundtrack. The follow-up, “U Ain’t That Good,” climbed to No. 3 on Billboard’s dance charts, cementing her place as one of the most recognizable voices in club music.
There could hardly be a better setting to tell that story. Created by Mickey Burns in 1998, “Profiles” is a half-hour interview series that traces the careers of its guests in depth, and it has aired on NYC Media, New York City’s official television network, since 2003. Burns has hosted and produced roughly 300 episodes, welcoming guests including Smokey Robinson, Maya Angelou, Joan Rivers, Isaac Hayes, Mary Wilson, Neil Sedaka, Ben Vereen and Tony Orlando. A Staten Island native, Burns is a multiple Telly Award winner and was part of the team behind two Emmy-winning specials.newy
Air date and viewing details for Amuka’s episode of “Profiles” will be announced.
About Amuka
Amuka is a singer and songwriter whose career spans funk, rock and dance music. A former vocalist with the Brides of Funkenstein and longtime member of George Clinton’s P-Funk family, she toured with Rick James and wrote for Clinton’s Capitol solo albums before becoming a dance music star. Her collaborations with producer Peter Rauhofer produced the Billboard dance hits “Appreciate Me” and “U Ain’t That Good.”
About Mickey Burns and “Profiles”
Mickey Burns is a television host, writer and producer from Staten Island, New York, and president of Quest Media Entertainment. He created “Profiles,” a 30-minute celebrity interview series, in 1998; the show has aired on NYC Media since 2003. Burns is a five-time Telly Award winner, a 2022 inductee into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame, and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Missouri Valley College.