Anybody who watches VH1 should be very familiar with this face. Until recently, this lady was known as Amanda Diva and she now goes by Amanda Seales. Most recently, she worked as the host of VH1’s “Master of the Mix,” but her background in entertainment goes well beyond that.
Initially appearing on Nickelodeon in the early 1990s, Amanda Seales took time off for school. She returned in 2004 as the host of MTV2’s “Sucker Free,” which is one of her claims to fame in hip hop. Working all over the industry in various capacities, Seales has found a home in front over the camera and behind it.
Hip Hop Vibe recently had a chance to talk to Amanda Seales about her career, which spans over two decades. Detailing her early days up to her work with MTV and VH1, Amanda Seales talked to Hip Hop Vibe about how it all came together. Two weeks ago, the third season of “Master of the Mix” ended and now Amanda Seales is speaking on it with Hip Hop Vibe.
Read the entire interview below:
Before we really get into it, can you tell us about your history in the game and your start with Nickelodeon? I started on Nickelodeon when I was ten and when I was twelve I was on the show “My Brother and Me” and it was a great experience for me because I had never done television. I did commercials, but never television, and I learned a lot from doing that show. I had no idea the type of impact the show had, as people still remember me from it.
What advantage did you have by knowing what you wanted to do with your life at such an early age? I think I did not have to use a lot of time trying to figure out where my life was headed. I think a lot of people take a lot of time trying to find their passion and I was lucky to find out my path at an early age, as opposed to ending up working for someone else.
At one point, you were heavy in poetry, do you still write periodically? Every so often, but not for performances. I do it for myself when an idea strikes me, so I never get outdated. But, I am working on a piece right now that would involve me doing poetry, but I have not decided how much.
Can you talk about your time at MTV and your most-memorable moments with them? My time at MTV was fun, I was pretty young. Being 22 and meeting my favorite rappers and I was a true hip hop head before being on there. It was great to speak with a lot of the people who interested me. At the time, I was interested in going forward with music. I had the chance to meet a great deal of these people and it was a great experience early in my career to meet those folks. As far as most memorable, we went down to Jamaica for an event and we spent three days down there. I was booked a room with a lot of other performers, we went to DJ Irie’s parents’ house for dinner and I felt so lucky to have that as my job.
What is it like doing “Best Week Ever” on VH1? “Best Week Ever” is not easy, because you have to sit down every week and be funny. Some things are not always as easy to trigger humor as others. You really have to hone comedy as a skill and some people do not think of comedy as a skill, they think it all comes natural. Of course, some of it is natural, but it takes work to set up jokes and doing this makes me a better writer, coming up with things off the top of my head, and that is not always as easy.
You are one of few people who can do such shows as “Best Week Ever,” then do hip hop, and then offer commentary on CNN, what do you think it is about you that makes you so versatile? I really genuinely have broad interests. I’m not just a dabbler, I really pay attention to politics, pop culture, and music. I have the same fervor in all of it and I am a good speaker. When you are able to articulate yourself, you can go into different arenas and that is something I pride myself on.
You have a background in DJ-ing, can you talk about that? I have been DJ-ing since 2003 and I actually bought my set-up and it was really exciting. The good thing about it was that it was too hard to carry places, I could not, as one person, catch a cab with four crates, so I let it go. In 2010, DJ MOS asked me why I wasn’t DJ-ing, so he took up time with me. There was a lot of his urging that got me back into it, I love spinning, making the crowd hype, and I love it. I think of the song, “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” because certain songs do bring the mood up.
Did you find it difficult to fill the shoes of Just Blaze hosting “Master of the Mix?” I didn’t really consider it filling his shoes because it was a different show than it was on BET. I considered it a fresh start with my taste, as I would do with anything else.
Can you tell us what your first season of the show was like? It was really fun being among all these talented DJs and my cast members, Ben Maddahi, Kid Capri. We clicked immediately and we had a good time in Miami. Listening to dope DJs as my job is nothing to complain about, I never felt so glamorous and it was a fun time. I loved seeing how people loved the show and we hope to continue.
How did you feel about DJ Jayceeoh winning the competition this season? I thought it was extremely well-deserved. The DJs were judged talent-by-talented and who handles the talent put before them the best. Those at home did not get to see the whole set because it was edited for the sake of television. But, everyone who saw it live saw DJ Jayceeoh stepped up when it mattered.
Outside of this work, you also produce TV shows yourself, can you speak on them? I actually have produced web series for Karmaloop, I hope to also produce TV shows soon, so fingers crossed.
Can you give us your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram info so fans can follow you? It’s all just Amanda Seales on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
