Amanda Somerville

Biography

Raised in Flushing, Michigan, Somerville graduated early from Flushing Senior High School in 1996, earning a scholarship to the University of Michigan–Flint, where she majored in psychology. She moved to Wolfsburg, Germany, in 1999 and began her career working with metal and rock musicians across Europe, especially in Germany and the Netherlands.

On August 19, 2013, she announced her engagement to After Forever guitarist Sander Gommans. They married on July 26, 2014, and have three daughters: Lana Elise (born 2015) and twins Anya and Juliet (born 2018).

Music Career

Somerville has collaborated with numerous acts, including After Forever, Edguy, Kamelot, Epica, Avantasia, and Docker's Guild, and has released two solo albums blending pop rock, hard rock, and soul influences. She co-wrote and performed nearly all her solo material, working closely with producers Sascha Paeth and Michael Rodenberg. These collaborations led to her involvement in the rock opera Aina and the HDK project with Gommans, for which she provided vocals and lyrical concepts. In 2008, she toured North America with Epica while Simone Simons recovered from illness.

In 2010, she joined former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske for the melodic metal project Kiske/Somerville. Produced by Mat Sinner with songwriting by Magnus Karlsson, the debut featured the singles “Silence” and “If I Had One Wish.” Somerville co-wrote three tracks, showcasing her versatility beyond session work. A follow-up, City of Heroes (2015), continued the collaboration, accompanied by music videos for “City of Heroes” and “Walk on Water.”

Avantasia & Trillium

Somerville was a recurring live vocalist for Tobias Sammet’s metal opera Avantasia, performing in the 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2016 world tours. Onstage she sang backing and lead vocals for songs including “Farewell,” “The Wicked Symphony,” and “Sign of the Cross.” She stepped away from the project in 2019 for personal reasons.

In 2011, she launched her own heavy metal project, Trillium, releasing the album Alloy through Frontiers Records with contributions from Paeth, Rodenberg, Gommans, and a duet with Jørn Lande. In 2018, Amanda Somerville’s Trillium released Tectonic, featuring the singles “Time to Shine,” “Shards,” and “Full Speed Ahead.”

Other Collaborations

Somerville appeared on Douglas R. Docker’s space metal opera Docker’s Guild, duetting with Göran Edman on “Black Swan” (2012) and later performing on the Flash Gordon Suite (2016). She also voiced the Queen of the Nile in Lebanese guitarist Amadeus Awad’s The Book of Gates (2014).

Exit Eden and Beyond

In 2017, Somerville co-founded Exit Eden with Clémentine Delauney, Marina La Torraca, and Anna Brunner. Their debut, Rhapsodies in Black, reimagined pop hits like Madonna’s “Frozen,” Adele’s “Skyfall,” and Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” as symphonic metal anthems. The album, released by Napalm Records, featured guest appearances from Simone Simons of Epica and received international acclaim for its vocal power and creative arrangements.