Hailing from Liverpool, England, fans first got a taste of Marsha’s talent as the singing half of the duo Floetry. Their 2000 debut Floetic produced signature singles like “Say Yes" and "Getting Late" as well as four Grammy nods. Following the 2005 release of their second studio album, Flo’Ology, the ladies veered creatively and personally. While the split was difficult, Marsha continued to build a name for herself as a songwriter and producer, creating “Butterflies” for the late Michael Jackson and other hits for artists such as Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Jamie Foxx and Nas. She’s been nominated for a total of six Grammys and has been honored by BMI as their Songwriter of the Year.
Over the years, Marsha has stayed relevant as an artist via touring, writing/producing and mixtapes like 2007’s Neo Soul is Dead, 2008’s Yours Truly and 2010’s Yours Sincerely. She also appeared as a featured artist on projects from Patti Labelle, The Game, Busta Rhymes, Jamie Foxx and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others. Eventually, Marsha signed with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records however a much-buzzed about solo debut never materialized due to creative glitches. Equipped with plenty of her own talent, she found herself being given songs from producers that were “great but not songs that made sense in relation to each other.” Marsha calls her sound “honest and consistent” and it was important for her to make an album with an overall cohesive sound. She explains, “I think with an album everything has to make sense, like ‘Where is this story going?’”
But that wasn’t the only situation posing a challenge for Marsha. A basketball player since childhood, when her music career took off, her diet remained the same as when she was regularly active. Constantly on the road touring and promoting wasn’t conducive to a healthy diet and resulted in her gaining 70 pounds in just one year. She finally got serious about her health and lost the weight safely and slowly over about a two-year period.
Now at a strong place mentally and physically, Marsha’s ready to present her sound to the world. The first single, “Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player),” is an anthem that women and men can relate to. Marsha explains, “It’s the reality of a bad break up. We wanna be decent human beings and say the right thing, you know, ‘I wish you well.’ But this is ‘Everything that could go wrong for him I want it to because my ego is bruised and I’m acting out.’” There’ve been many songs written about heartbreak, but Marsha’s approach to “Hope She Cheats on You” gets in your face rather than plays the victim.
LATE NIGHTS & EARLY MORNINGS is destined to be a classic, as Marsha offers a candid glimpse of her life and perspectives as a woman. Inspired by musical icons like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Prince, she concedes there is an overall male influence in her songwriting, such as the assertive sentiments heard on hits like “Say Yes.” She explains, “My pen and my point of view has a certain aggression to it because I’ve listened to a lot of male influenced music, which I think makes me one of the most outspoken writers out here. Sometimes as a woman you don’t wanna say what’s on your mind for fear of being judged. But why wouldn’t I say it like that if that’s how I felt?” Musical peers recruited to contribute to the project include Alicia Keys, a reunion with Dre and Vidal (producers of “Say Yes”), Just Blaze and Focus.
While her success in the industry is already solidified, Marsha knows it’s never easy to win over fans as a solo artist. Fortunately, she says, “It’s like being thrown in the deep end. ‘Okay I have to swim? Oh well.’ I’ve taken that attitude and it’s carried me forward.”
(from MarshaAmbrosius.com)
STRONGER
Marsha Ambrosius Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I intend to stop living
I won't pretend
I'm good at forgiving
But I can't hate you
Although I have tried
I, I, I
So now and then I drink about you
Trying to numb the pain with Juice and Gin
It's like abuse, what's the use of the bumps and bruises
If we moving towards a losing end
If I'm losing you then I refuse to win
Went from friendships with benefits
Funerals and your innocence
I can help you reminisce we in Madrid
On some double O 7 shit, we off the grid
Parting moments of pleasure, we never thought we'd ever
Suffer the consequences, the problem is
there's a problem trying to kick this addiction
We probably can't resolve it without causing some friction
This is non-fiction, the definition of a true story
I'm like fuck pride baby that's the kind of shit you do for me
Suicide it's a suicide, ready to die, you down to ride or what?
I won't pretend
That I intend to stop living
I won't pretend
That I'm good at forgiving
But I can't hate you
Although I have tried
I still really really love you
My love is stronger than pride
I still really really love you
Sitting here wasting my time
Would be like
Waiting here for the sun to rise
It's all too clear
Things come and go
Sitting here waiting for you
Would be like waiting for winter
It's gonna be cold
There may even be snow
I still really really love you
Love is stronger than pride
I still really really love you
Love is stronger
I still really love
Love is stronger than pride
My love, my love
Stronger than pride
Hey
In love, in love, in love
Oh no no
In Marsha Ambrosius's song "Stronger", the lyrics explore the complexity of a past love that is hard to forgive but impossible to forget. The singer acknowledges their struggle with trying to move on and forget about their lover, but ultimately admits that they can't hate them either. They resort to trying to numb the pain with alcohol, realizing that the relationship ultimately feels like abuse with nothing left to gain, causing the singer to question if it's worth it to continue to fight for love. The chorus repeats the sentiment that despite trying to push away their lover and ignore their feelings, their love remains stronger than pride.
The second verse recalls happier times when the two were together. The singer wishes they could return to those moments of pleasure and closeness, but acknowledges that their relationship has taken a turn for the worst. They wonder if their love is worth the struggle and whether their feelings can coexist without causing more pain. The bridge acts as a metaphor, using waiting for winter as a symbol for waiting for their lover to come back. It's clear that the singer wants to move on but can't help but hope for a reconciliation.
Line by Line Meaning
I won't pretend
I won't act like everything is okay
That I intend to stop living
I'm not going to let you break me
I'm good at forgiving
I'm not good at letting things go
But I can't hate you
I can't bring myself to hate you
Although I have tried
Even though you've hurt me too many times
Like every other hour when I think about you
I can't stop thinking about you, every hour of every day
So now and then I drink about you
I try to forget about you by drinking alcohol
Trying to numb the pain with Juice and Gin
I'm using alcohol as a way to forget about you
It's like abuse, what's the use of the bumps and bruises
Drinking alcohol is like hurting myself
If we moving towards a losing end
Our relationship is not heading towards a positive direction
If I'm losing you then I refuse to win
If losing you means winning the breakup, then I don't want to win
Went from friendships with benefits
We started off as friends with benefits
Funerals and your innocence
We went from funerals to your being innocent
I can help you reminisce we in Madrid
I can help you remember the good times we had in Madrid
On some double O 7 shit, we off the grid
We were like spies in Madrid, off the radar
Parting moments of pleasure, we never thought we'd ever
We never thought that we would part of our time together
Suffer the consequences, the problem is
We didn't expect the consequences of our actions
there's a problem trying to kick this addiction
We both have a problem trying to stop loving each other
We probably can't resolve it without causing some friction
We can't fix our problem without having some disagreements
This is non-fiction, the definition of a true story
What we're going through is real, it's not made up
I'm like fuck pride baby that's the kind of shit you do for me
I don't care about pride anymore, I'm willing to do anything for you
Suicide it's a suicide, ready to die, you down to ride or what?
Our relationship is like suicide, are you willing to keep going or not?
Sitting here wasting my time
I'm wasting my time waiting for you
Would be like waiting here for the sun to rise
Waiting for you is pointless, like waiting for the impossible
It's all too clear
It's easy to see
Things come and go
Everything is temporary
Sitting here waiting for you
I'm wasting my time waiting for you
Would be like waiting for winter
Waiting for you is pointless, like waiting for a season that's far off
It's gonna be cold
Waiting for you will be painful and difficult
I still really really love you
I haven't stopped loving you
Love is stronger than pride
My love for you is stronger than my pride
My love, my love
My love for you
In love, in love, in love
I'm still in love with you
Oh no no
Oh no, I can't stop loving you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STUART MATTHEWMAN, HELEN ADU, ANDREW HALE, SHELLEY MANNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind