Viral Star Mark Ambor Makes Some Magic in His Parents' Basement on His Debut Album Rockwood (Exclusive)

Mark Ambor lives in his parents’ basement.

“It’s not crappy basement in any way,” Ambor, 26, tells PEOPLE in a recent interview. “I mean, they ended up redoing the floors down here. I have my own room, and there is also a small area with a couch and a TV. And along with that is what I did in my little studio. And there’s a bathroom down here, so yeah – I’ve got everything I need.”

And it’s in that New York basement that Ambor has not only lived in for the last six years, but it’s also where he’s in the process of changing the trajectory of his entire life via his smash hit “Belong Together.”

Ambor’s basement house is also where he invented the 12 incredible songs that now live on his debut album Rockwood.

Certainly, Ambor’s story is sweet, which is usually the case when you grow up in a town called Pleasantville. After graduating from Fairfield University in 2020, Ambor began weighing the pros and cons of pursuing music full-time.

Mark Ambor.

Ryan Falco

But then the marketing manager’s decision fell for him.

“[The pandemic] happened and I didn’t have the social pressure of my friends going out and living their best lives in the city and me feeling like a loser at home,” he recalls. “I was just sitting in my basement at the time and just started making demos and I’m writing and just trying to produce better. There was no fear of putting yourself out there.”

Of course, in the last few years, “getting exposure” usually means getting a TikTok account. “In the beginning I definitely didn’t want it that,” says Ambor with a laugh, given that he made big music waves there in 2023 with his viral hit “Good to Be.” “But then I started trying and within a few months, my videos started getting some views and managers started calling and then labels. I slowly built a team of people that I really love.”

As the story goes, Ambor went viral and gained millions of followers and embarked on a career that could one day lead him to the John Mayers of the world.

That is, if everything goes according to plan.

“Rockwood was just a place where the weight of the world fell off your shoulders for a moment,” Ambor explains the meaning behind Rockwood, which was named after the nearby state park where he grew up. “There are so many themes about home and growing up and the comfort of it and then saying goodbye to home, but how it stays with you forever. My goal is when people listen, they either feel good, they feel heard, or they feel part of something bigger than yourself.”

Mark Ambor.

Ryan Falco

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Rockwood also features Amboro in fleeting states of extreme vulnerability, notably on “Bruises and Stains”.

“It’s something I’ve had a hard time figuring out over the past eight months,” Ambor says of the brutally honest song’s underlying premise. “It’s just been good news nonstop, but it’s hard to let it sink in fully and feel proud when you’re constantly thinking about the next thing.” He pauses. “It’s about coming to terms with the parts of you that you wish were different or better.”

Rockwood also tells stories about some of Ambor’s past relationships, including one that ended “early last year.” “It was definitely better that we ended things,” Ambor says of the failed relationship that inspired albums like “Second Best” and “Hate That I Still Love You.” “It’s about thinking that someone you make all those memories and good times with will eventually move on and find someone they think is better than you.” He pauses. “It’s not a great feeling.”

Mark Ambor.

Ryan Falco

But it’s a feeling he wants to face.

“I’m human,” says Ambor, who released his debut EP Hello world in 2022. “I have a lot of days and moments where I wish things were different about me. I wish maybe I was less of a control freak, things like that.”

Ambor is also facing the reality that he plans to say goodbye to the basement soon.

“It’s actually a very sad thought for me,” says Ambor, who is currently gearing up for an extensive run of headlining shows this fall. “But yeah, I want to move up there a bit. I want to build a little studio and have a house where I can invite collaborators or friends over and we can be as loud as we want and do whatever we want.”

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Source: HIS Education