First, he took us to the Rockwood Hall park in his hometown of Pleasantville, NY, and now we’re going on a trip to the Big Apple with Mark Ambor’s new single, ‘New York Confident!’ If you haven’t crowned your personal song of the summer yet, then it’s right here. ‘New York Confident’ is as refreshing as a stroll through the city’s most energizing streets on a nice spring day, exploring how our environments shape us and our mindset.
We spoke to Mark around the release of his debut album, Rockwood, in the summer of 2024, and one of the most beautiful things about that record is how the locations he mentions become their own characters of sorts in his stories. Academy Street becomes a hidden refuge from nosy parents on the aptly-named ‘Academy Street,’ the parking lots of the Foxwood condo complex gain new life as a magical place to listen to music, and Rockwood Hall feels more like a comforting childhood friend than a tucked-away area in a larger state park. Now on ‘New York Confident,’ NYC becomes a character of its own that drives a lot of growth in Mark and helps him stand true in who he is.
I just moved to New York City a few months ago. I’m from about an hour north, but if I’m being honest, it’s been an adjustment trying to find my footing in a new place. That’s really what this song is about — finding yourself again, wherever you’re at and however you’re feeling.
Mark Ambor
The ‘New York Confident’ music video is a love letter to the city, celebrating its livelihood and the people who make it so great. He stops at various parks, the East Village Finest Deli, and even more cool locations, making it feel like you’re walking right alongside him while touring his favorite areas of NYC. It makes total sense when you consider how much Mark let listeners feel like they were exploring his hometown throughout Rockwood.
And yes, that’s Rachel Zegler you see in the rooftop scene! Like Mark, she didn’t grow up too far from New York City and was very involved in her high school’s theater program – she played roles like Ariel in The Little Mermaid on stage, while Mark worked behind the scenes at Pleasantville High School. Both her school production of Beauty & The Beast, in which she played Belle, and Pleasantville’s production of Carousel, which Mark was a stage manager for, had a few nominations at the 2016 Metro Awards. They might have both been at the awards ceremony without realizing, before they became superstars! They each had their own solo nominations that year, with Rachel being nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Mark being nominated for Technical Merit.
Mark has really been turning New York into his playground lately and we’re absolutely living for it! Leading up to the release of ‘New York Confident,’ he’s appeared at Ludlow Coffee Supply as well as doing pop-up performances everywhere from Union Square Park and Union Pool in Brooklyn to a busy subway car. The “Season Two” he’s been teasing is finally here, more exciting than you could’ve imagined, and we wouldn’t dare to think of changing the channel.
What do you think of ‘New York Confident?’ Where do you hope Mark Ambor brings us next? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also buzz on over to our Reddit community to chat with us.
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