PHOTO BY AMANDA LEFERRIERE
When singer-songwriter Mark Ambor led a throng of singing fans through New York City’s subway system last spring, the underground tunnels became a movable song fest. Starting on Bleecker Street and winding through Union Square, Ambor’s spontaneous pop-up performance drew crowds who packed subway cars singing shoulder-to-shoulder and later followed him topside as car roofs became makeshift stages. The event felt less like a concert and more like a citywide celebration powered by music and connection.
For the Pleasantville native, that kind of shared experience is exactly the point.
Since releasing his debut album “Rockwood” in 2024, Ambor, 28, has quickly emerged as one of indie pop’s brightest young voices. His heartfelt lyrics, upbeat melodies and easygoing personality have helped him build a devoted audience worldwide. Today, he draws more than 18 million monthly listeners on Spotify, with songs that reveal his personal connection with people.
“I’m most inspired by the people I meet and who I know,” says Ambor. “How people get through hard things, get to where they’ve gotten to and how they enjoy things – they’re my biggest inspiration.”
Despite his growing fame, Ambor says Pleasantville remains his personal touchstone.
“I love Pleasantville and it’s definitely a major part of who I am,” he says. “The friends I made and every single person I went to school with are still a very important part of my life. Pleasantville is special – you’re always part of the community.”
That sense of warmth and familiarity comes through in both his music and his stage presence. With his trademark curls, relaxed style and approachable charm, Ambor carries the kind of energy that makes audiences feel like they already know him. Fans don’t just listen to his songs – they croon along loudly, word for word.
Ambor’s down-to earth, engaging style was quickly recognized by Grammy winning English singer Ed Sheeran who invited a thrilled Ambor to open for Sheeran’s North American Loop Tour at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on June 13. For Ambor, who grew up listening to Sheeran’s music, it was a defining moment.
“Opening for Ed Sheeran was definitely a bucket-list moment for me,” Ambor says. “He’s easily one of the greatest songwriters of our time, and the fact that Ed Sheeran asked me to open for him is something I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around. He’s an inspiration, and I feel lucky to know him.”
Ambor’s debut album “Rockwood” opens with a poignant piano-driven prelude that blends prerecorded sounds of nature, soft voices of his parents and the atmosphere of a live crowd. The introduction sets the tone for an album rooted in memory, emotion and gratitude while still delivering the catchy hooks and uplifting sound that have become Ambor’s signature.
The song encapsulates a memory of Ambor’s former hangout – Rockwood Hall at the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, a stone’s throw from Pleasantville. It’s a place Ambor says was where he and his friends could escape to.
“Going there felt a bit freer, more loose,” he remembers. “It was where you could go on a date, where you eat your Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, have serious conversations – or dumb ones, and escape the weight of the world with friends. It’s why I named the album “Rockwood” because of that personal connection.”
As a youngster, Ambor was never sure of his musical talent. He played viola in the elementary school orchestra and started taking piano lessons when he was seven.
“I was always loosely involved with music and never really liked singing. I was shy about it to a strong degree,” he notes.
By the time he was 16, he stopped taking piano lessons.
“I didn’t like learning classical songs,” he recalls. “But after a while I missed it and started playing the songs I wanted to play. That’s when my relationship with music started to develop.”
Ambor’s special affinity with Pleasantville was fully realized the summer before he went to college at Fairfield University in Connecticut.
“I didn’t want to leave home, leave Pleasantville, the place I loved so much,” he recalls. “It was like having to start over with making new friends. The whole idea was daunting.”
Compounding his sadness was a recent break-up prompting him to compose an impassioned song which today remains untitled.
PHOTO BY AMANDA LEFERRIERE
“I sat down at piano while my parents were at work and wrote the song, then recorded it and sent it to my parents in a group chat,” he says. “I never had the courage to do that.”
A few hours later his mother wrote back saying “Dad and I loved the song. Who is the artist?”
Ambor wrote back: “Mom, it’s me.”
It was a definite turning point for Ambor and the encouragement needed to pursue his innate musical ability to tap into his passions and produce songs with universal appeal. Over the next four years at college he started to post some debut singles like “Fever” and “Colorful” on Tiktok and Instagram.
When he graduated in 2020, the Covid pandemic was in full throttle.
“One of the greatest things about Covid was I got to spend six months to focus on my music,” Ambor recalls. “I didn’t feel like a loser at home because everyone was living at home in their parent’s basement.”
As Ambor became more prolific he heard from those in the music business arena interested in managing him. His final choice was his current manager, Kyle Thomson
“I chose to work with the youngest, least experienced person,” Ambor explains. “I felt he had da belief in me I didn’t feel from the others. There was a trust and I felt it in my gut. The most fun is working hard with someone for the first time and having a bit of success.”
Ambor discovered the more he created songs, the more introspective he became. Even though he and his girlfriend at the time had broken up, they still went on a European backpacking trip together.
“During that trip I didn’t look at my phone and was separated from anything technical which gave me a sense of serenity and a clarity that was inspiring,” Ambor says.
When he returned home he started composing. He became a one-man band using every available sound including the piano and drumming on his guitar. Soon after that he produced his platinum-certified hit “Belong Together” – an upbeat folk-pop song that became his first Billboard Hot 100 hit with over 1 billion global streams to date.
“My song “Belong Together” is where I became inventive,” he notes. “It’s a little DYI, a little organic. In my opinion I feel the song is what my sound really is.”
When Ambor found himself alone at night in his producer’s studio it stirred him to write “Bruises and Stains,” a song about former self realizations and moving ahead to the future. The song starts with Ambor’s singing solo with piano accompaniment and slowly builds to a full acoustic instrumentation.
“I was in my writing mood which is like a flow state when nothing is overthought,” he says of the midnight composing. “The chords came to me in the middle of the night and the words are a running theme in my life which is making sense of one’s insecurities.”
Reticent at first to perform alive, Ambor’s growing popularity found him making his late-night television debut performing “Belong Together” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” which he also performed on “Today” and for the 2024 Macy’s Fourth of July Celebration on NBC. Later that year his Rockwood Tour in Europe and North America was an instant success to sold out crowds.
Ambor says he’s gotten used to reading the vibe in the room. “Whether it’s a room of 250 people or a music festival with 3,000 people singing with me ‘dammit it’s so good to be alive’– it’s a feeling that overcomes me when I’m on stage,” Ambor says. “That the crowd sings along with me feels incredible, especially in a world that sometimes feels very hostile and crazy.”
Last year Ambor signed a global recording agreement with Universal Music Group’s Capitol Records. It was the same year he moved to New York City. His new challenge is writing songs he can be proud of.
“I’ve been creating songs for this next album with Capitol Records,” he says. “Most of the songs are being produced in my apartment – I’m reluctant to change how I work from when I wrote songs in my parent’s basement.”
PHOTO BY RYAN FALCOA
When asked what advice he would offer to young people who want to pursue music or the arts, Ambor recalls how he felt at the time.
“Looking back on my younger self, I felt most proud about trusting my gut when people disagreed with what I should be,” he says. “My advice is knowing exactly what you need to do and where you want to go. It’s what I listened to and it’s worked out so far.”
Whether performing in packed concert venues or turning a subway ride into a communal music festival, Ambor’s appeal lies in his ability to make people feel connected – to the music, to one another and to the places that shaped him.
“I hope that special feeling with people we have can keep growing,” he says. “Experiencing that connection – there’s a magic to it.”
