Ambré may still be considered a “new artist” by many, but truthfully, she’s been one of the most notable songwriters in recent years. Her pen has contributed to records for some of the genre’s biggest names, while her own catalog has steadily earned a devoted audience. From early projects like Pulp and Wanderlust to 2022’s 3000º, the New Orleans native has built a career strictly off talent. Now, she’s ready to reintroduce herself to listeners with a project she’s been working toward all along.

Released on July 17, Peyote marks Ambré’s debut album, but she doesn’t describe it as a beginning. During our Zoom conversation, she speaks about it with the confidence of someone who waited until every piece felt right. After a bevy of collaborations, songwriting camps, touring and producing, she believes the album finally captures the artist she’s always wanted people to hear. “My debut album is a body of work that I feel is true to everything that I wanted to say,” Ambré tells ESSENCE. “I feel like it’s a true representation of who I am as an artist.”

For an artist whose résumé already includes working with Kehlani, Chlöe x Halle, Lucky Daye, Destin Conrad and Jay Electronica, along with more than 70 million global streams and a No. 1 R&B radio hit with “I’m Baby,” the album arrives after establishing credibility behind the scenes as well as in front of the microphone—those experiences informed Peyote. The album’s title has significance for many Indigenous communities, though Ambré says the word represents something specific to her creative process.

“To me, I would say what it means is spiritual cleansing and reset,” she explains. “And that’s what I feel like music does for everybody. We all have rituals of how we like to clear our minds and address what’s going on on the inside. Music is a big part of most people’s rituals.” She also saw the title as an invitation to build an alternate universe. “It was a chance for me to tap into surrealism,” she says. “I was able to make my own world within things that come from reality. I was able to make my own fictional world by using that as a storytelling device.”

As with the majority of her work, the Crescent City remains central to the project, even if listeners won’t always recognize it in obvious ways. “When you think about the desert, you don’t think about a place like New Orleans,” she says. “For me, it was fun to merge a bunch of different things that I thought were cool.” She points to the city’s Creole Wild West history and its Indigenous roots as inspiration. Instead of presenting New Orleans literally, she reimagines it through fantasy. “So New Orleans is definitely the setting,” she explains, “but in a fictional, surreal way.”

Listeners have already gotten an early preview through “She” and “Laugh Later, Cry Now” featuring Cari. The title of the latter flips the familiar phrase for a reason, and Ambré says the song is about what happens when people choose to confront difficult feelings instead of avoiding them. “I was just reflecting on past situations,” she states. “At first the emotion could be sad and you want to push it away, but if you just address it right now, then later on you’ll be happy.”

Honesty has long been part of Ambré’s songwriting, whether she’s writing for herself or someone else. Still, there is a clear difference between creating music under her own name and contributing to another artist’s vision. “I make all the decisions,” she says with a smile. “I’m very picky.” Collaboration also requires a different mindset, naturally. “When I’m working with other people, I have to step back a little bit and listen,” she explains. “I’m still firm because I’m just an opinionated person, but I’m able to ask questions, that way we all have our equal input.”

While Peyote represents years of artistic growth, Ambré recently found herself reflecting on an even earlier version of herself. In an Instagram post, she shared a checklist she wrote when she was 15 years old outlining goals for her future. When I asked her about how she feels about the list now, her answer surprised even her. “I felt proud of myself that I even took the time to make a plan,” she says. “I felt hopeful for the future.”

“When I saw it again, I was like, ’Okay, that might’ve had something to do with some of the opportunities that actually came into my life,’” she added. Peyote serves as another milestone, but Ambré wants audiences to approach it without trying to categorize it before pressing play.

“I hope people fully engulf themselves in their experience and just remove all expectations,” she says. “Just press play, listen and go on a trip with me.” She pauses before expanding on what she aims for listeners to discover over time. “I hope that people laugh and cry and dance and learn all the words and find all the little Easter eggs that I planted.”