Born into a military family that frequently relocated between bases in different parts of the world, Amerie Rogers spent her childhood in areas ranging from Germany and South Korea to Alaska and Texas. She received a diverse ethnic heritage from her parents (South Korean on her mother`s side, African-American on her father`s), and a similarly diverse appreciation of music: her mother`s classical interests providing one influence to her creative development and her father`s love of R&B providing another. From an early age she began to express herself through dance and music, frequently participating in talent competitions and continually developing her performing skills. By the time she had completed high school, Roger`s family had finally taken up permanent residence in Washington D.C., where she enrolled at Georgetown University and ultimately earned degrees in both English and Fine Arts.

After college, Amerie initiated a creative partnership with songwriter and producer Rich Harrison; the demo recordings created by the two soon earned the singer a deal with Rise Entertainment, and eventually resulted in a contract with Columbia Records at the start of the 00s. Her first notable vocal appearance was made as a guest on labelmate Nas` track Rule (from his 2001 Stillmatic album), followed by her own well-received debut single Why Don`t We Fall In Love in spring of 2002. The full length collection All I Have was issued later in the year. A second single Talkin` To Me was also released in 2002, as was Amerie`s cover version of Diana Ross`s 1980 single I`m Coming Out (included on the soundtrack to the motion picture Maid in Manhattan).

In 2003 Amerie made further guest appearances on tracks such as LL Cool J`s top 40 single Paradise and DJ Kay Slay`s Too Much For Me. A move was also made into other career areas, beginning with a brief stint as host of the BET`s lifestyle series The Center in the early part of the year, which was then abandoned in favor of an opportunity to act in the comedy First Daughter (released in 2004) alongside Michael Keaton and Katie Holmes. A return to her solo output was finally made in 2005, her second effort Touch surfacing in April and immediately moving up to the #5 position on the mainstream charts. The albums` lead single, 1 Thing, also found its way into the top 10, benefiting from it`s use in the Will Smith-led comedy Hitch. The title track was subsequently issued as a second single, followed by contribution to the Ricky Martin single I Don`t Care (also featuring rapper Fat Joe).

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