She worked as an actress in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, appearing in Days of Our Lives, HBO's Tracey Takes On... and in the films Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and The 13th Floor.

As a child she avidly listened to musicians such as Bob Dylan, Shawn Colvin, and Joni Mitchell,[4] and also loved Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.

[4] In 2001,[5] after seeing Bonnie Raitt perform at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Loftus was inspired to fire her managers and duck the record deal.

[8] In 2003 she began performing solo shows,[3] touring to sing her own material, living in her van and at times trading yoga lessons to pay for musicians.

[4] Her debut LP Straight to Amy was produced by Kimbrough,[3] who also provided banjo, dobro, piano, and electric guitar and co-wrote and shared lead vocals on the track "Work To Do."

[5] A review stated, "Overall it's Amy’s uniquely strong, smart songwriting that coalesces a vintage country vibe with an airy romp through contemporary alt-rock that makes her one of the best new voices in this burgeoning genre.

[8] In January 2008 she released the EP Fireworks, which she co-produced with John Deaderick, a keyboardist who had previously played with Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris.

[3] She began to perform locally, and an AP writer wrote "It’s a rare thing in LA to have a bar full of people shut up and listen.

"[3] In June 2010 a review of performance at the Viper Room wrote "Her sound is reminiscent of Jewel...subconsciously aware or not, she owns her music and has a unique vocal styling.

[12] In January 2012 her single "Surrender" was included in the soundtrack of the film One for the Money,[12] a comedy starring Katherine Heigl based on the popular Stephanie Plum series of books by Janet Evanovich.

[4] In 2011 Lakeshore Entertainment had invited her to pre-screen the film, then asked her to write a song that "Stephanie Plum would ride around in her car and listen to really loud.