Amber Simone: No Looking Back by Civil Rights Watch

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Amber Simone Baker Chinn’s voice has been heard by millions online. Now she’s being courted by TV talent shows.

Photos by Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News

Amber Simone Baker Chinn, a SUNY Buffalo State senior, was born with craniosynostosis, a rare condition in the womb in which a baby’s skull is abnormally shaped. At 6 months old, she had surgery to correct the condition.

For Buffalo singer/songwriter, there’s no looking back By Deidre Williams

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he titanium screws inserted in Amber Simone Baker Chinn’s skull when she was 6 months old are still in her head. And they probably will be for the rest of her life. But that hasn’t stopped the singer/ songwriter from performing on TV or wanting to give back to the hospital that made an imperfect baby look “fine.” Baker Chinn was born with a rare condition with an abnormally shaped skull because one or more of the fibrous joints in the skull fused too early. At 6 months old, she was too young to remember the surgery. But her mother, Shellonnee Chinn, took pictures before and after the operation so that Baker Chinn would never “forget where she came from so she could never feel bad.” Now 22, Baker Chinn has seen the

“I told them there is going to be noth ing wrong with my daughter because she’s going to sing to people all over the world. Nothing’s going to be wrong with my baby’s voice.” – Shellonnee Chinn, with Amber Simone Baker Chinn

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photos, but she’s never looked back. Two years ago, a video of her singing at a friend’s party had 5 million hits in 30 days, her mother said. “America’s Got Talent” and “American Idol” contacted the young singer/songwriter a couple of weeks ago about appearing on the shows, Baker Chinn said. She appeared on singer Harry Connick Jr.’s TV show last month. And to raise awareness about craniosynostosis and facial disorders, she is planning a benefit concert at Women & Children’s Hospital. The concert will benefit the hospital’s Craniofacial Unit. “That’s where I got my surgery done. I felt it would be cool to do something there,” said Baker Chinn, who will graduate from SUNY Buffalo State in May. “It just happened to be I (was not

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For Buffalo singer/songwriter, there’s no looking back Amber began singing – and hitting high notes – at 3 By Deidre Williams NEWS STAFF REPORTER The titanium screws inserted in Amber Simone Baker Chinn’s skull when she was 6 months old are still in her head.

“It just happened to be I (was not See Singer on Page A10 “I told them there is going to be nothing wrong with my daughter because she’s going to sing to people all over the world. Nothing’s going to be wrong with my baby’s voice.” – Shellonnee Chinn, with Amber Simone Baker Chinn

And they probably will be for the rest of her life. But that hasn’t stopped the singer/ songwriter from performing on TV or wanting to give back to the hospital that made an imperfect baby look “fine.” Baker Chinn was born with a rare condition with an abnormally shaped skull because one or more of the fibrous joints in the skull fused too early.

Amber Simone Baker Chinn’s v oice has been heard by millions online. Now s he’s being courted by TV talent shows.

At 6 months old, she was too young to remember the surgery. But her mother, Shellonnee Chinn, took pictures before and after the operation so that Baker Chinn would never “forget where she came from so she could never feel bad.” Now 22, Baker Chinn has seen the photos, but she’s never looked back. Two years ago, a video of her singing at a friend’s party had 5 million hits in 30 days, her mother said. “America’s Got Talent” and “American Idol” contacted the young singer/songwriter a couple of weeks ago Amber Simone Baker Chinn, a SUNY Buffalo State about appearing on the shows, Baker Chinn said. senior, was born with craniosynostosis, a rare condition in the womb in which a baby’s skull is She appeared on singer Harry Connick Jr.’s TV show abnormally shaped. At 6 months old, she had last month. surgery to correct the condition. Photos by Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News And to raise awareness about craniosynostosis and facial disorders, she is planning a benefit concert at Women & Children’s Hospital. The concert will benefit the hospital’s Craniofacial Unit. “That’s where I got my surgery done. I felt it would be cool to do something there,” said Baker Chinn, who will graduate from SUNY Buffalo State in May.

SINGER • from A1 born) perfect,” she added. “I ended up looking fine, but there are people who can’t afford surgery.” Mother’s intuition was right – twice Shellonnee Chinn, a teacher at Elmwood Franklin School, knew that something was wrong immediately after her third daughter was born. It wasn’t a traumatic birth, Chinn said. The delivery was uneventful: No epidural. No drugs. No forceps were used. Amber was born “chunky and cute. … She was soft and had a head full of hair,” Chinn said.

people all over the world. Nothing’s going to be wrong with my baby’s voice,” Chinn said. Video almost didn’t happen Amber was 3 when her family first noticed she could carry a tune. Relatives were in Chinn’s living room listening to a song by contemporary gospel singer Kurt Franklin, when Amber sat up on the edge of a chair and not only started singing – she was hitting the high notes, Chinn said. Since then, the Buffalo resident has been hooked on singing as well as writing lyrics and music. She tried out for “The Voice” and “American Idol” when she was 15, but didn’t make the cut for either.

But the baby’s eyes were not really open. Instead, they However, “American Idol” producers called her back were scrunched up. One eye also was lower than the years later after seeing a video of her singing at a other, said Chinn. friend’s high school graduation pool party. “The left side of my face was kind of caved in and pushed down,” Baker Chinn said.

And “America’s Got Talent” called her two weeks ago about auditioning for the show after producers saw the same video.

Her mother consulted several doctors, and they all told her that Amber was fine. But a mother’s intuition told But the video almost never happened. No one recorded her otherwise. Baker Chinn when she initially sang at the pool party. So a friend’s mother asked if she would do it again. “She was functioning fine. I knew my baby was Baker Chinn said she really didn’t feel like it and healthy, but I knew by her face something wasn’t almost didn’t do it, but the mother wanted to post it on right,” Chinn said. social media and was convinced it would go viral. When she took Amber in for a six-month doctor’s visit at Children’s, Dr. Shirley Anain knew right away what the problem was. One part of Amber’s head fused too early in the womb, which left “her eyes set back, her forehead set back and everything followed,” explained Anain, one of the surgeons who operated on Amber. Trained in plastic and reconstructive surgery and cranial surgery, Anain inserted tiny titanium screws into Amber’s skull to hold the bones in place. The screws probably will never come out, Anain said. There’s no need to remove them.

That video also landed her an appearance on Harry Connick Jr.’s daytime talk show, “Harry TV,” last month. She performed “Lie to Me,” a song for which she wrote the words and music. Connick’s show also was the first time Baker Chinn got to meet Dr. Anain. The show arranged the surprise meeting. It turns out that the singer/songwriter, who graduated from Buffalo Seminary, routinely played lacrosse against Anain’s daughter, who attended Nardin.

“It was emotional because it was very unexpected, and “Most of your skull growth is done by the time you’re I never thought I would meet the doctor who changed a year or 18 months,” she said. my life,” Baker Chinn said. “It was kind of comforting how everything comes full circle.” Baker Chinn said the surgery left her swollen and looking like “the Michelin Man.” “I was all bandaged up. I’m glad my mother took those” pictures, Baker Chinn said. “She said, ‘I wanted these photos so you can see how far you came.’”

Amber came through surgery fine, but she still was not out of the woods. “They took the tube out, then all of a sudden she couldn’t breathe,” her mother said. “They would have to put her back on (the ventilator), pain medication and steroids for the swelling to go down in her throat. The tube used to intubate her irritated her windpipe.” What’s more, doctors told Chinn that if Amber could not breathe on her own, she would need a tracheotomy. Amber eventually was able to breathe, but at a followup appointment, doctors didn’t know what – if any – damage had been done to her vocal cords. But Chinn had a premonition. “I told them there is going to be nothing wrong with my daughter because she’s going to sing to Saturday, 10/21/2017 Pag.A01

Amber Simone Baker Chinn has been getting some great opportunities to show off her voice since her performance at a friend’s graduation party two years ago went viral. Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News