Amber Riley
Amber Riley is a singer and actress who makes R&B as RILEY, brought Mercedes Jones to life on Glee and won an Olivier Award as Effie White in Dreamgirls.
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Latest
Amber’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Music
YouTube
FOX
Stage and cast recording
Disney Jr.Overview
- From
- Compton, California
- Work
- Singer, songwriter and actress
- Also known as
- RILEY
- Breakout
- Mercedes Jones in Glee, 2009–2015
- Solo debut EP
- RILEY, released October 2, 2020
Mini bio
How it started.
Amber grew up singing in church, school and community theatre. After an American Idol rejection shook her confidence, she stepped away from performing and worked in customer service at Ikea. With encouragement from her family, she returned to auditions and took singing jobs to keep going.
The voice fans met.
Glee introduced many fans to Amber through Mercedes Jones. She went on to play Addaperle in The Wiz Live! and Effie White in the first West End production of Dreamgirls, earning the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Making room for RILEY.
Her six-song debut EP arrived in October 2020 under the name RILEY. BGE stands for Big Girl Energy, while Hood Living pairs her with BJ The Chicago Kid. In interviews, she described the music as a way to share sides of herself that audiences had not yet met.
Across the stage and screen.
Amber won Dancing with the Stars in 2013 and The Masked Singer as Harp in 2022. Her work also includes voicing Ursula in Disney Jr.’s Ariel and playing Simone in Lifetime’s Single Black Female films.
Creditschronological, newest first
Music
- 2020RILEYSolo artist and songwriter
- 2017Dreamgirls (Original London Cast Recording)Effie White / vocalist
Stage
- 2025DREAM at Dead Pilots SocietyLive reading performer
- 2016–2017DreamgirlsEffie White, original West End production
Film & television
- 2025Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as HellSavvy Sheldon
- 2025Single Black Female 3: The Final ChapterSimone
- 2024Disney Jr.’s ArielUrsula, voice
- 2009–2015GleeMercedes Jones
Awards
- Children’s & Family Emmy nomination2026 · Outstanding Voice Performer in a Preschool Program, Disney Jr.’s Ariel. Announced November 18, 2025.
- Laurence Olivier Award2017 · Best Actress in a Musical for Dreamgirls.
- Screen Actors Guild Award2010 · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, shared with the Glee cast.
Quotes
The rejection is worth it.Amber Riley, Fast Company’s Creative Conversation
In a July 2021 interview, she reflected on the American Idol rejection that helped her commit to pursuing singing and performing.
Trivia
- Before her breakthrough, she worked in customer service at Ikea.
- BGE means Big Girl Energy.
- She told Rated R&B that A Moment was the last song she wrote for her debut EP.
- She won The Masked Singer in the Harp costume.
Find Amber
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