Amaarae can’t fit into a single box. The current generation of emerging artists is known for their versatility, and Amaarae is no exception. In conversation with her at Complex's Times Square office, it becomes clear that Amaarae's identity encompasses a multitude of influences in everything from her upbringing to her sound, and personal style.
Born Ama Genfi, the artist’s origin story spans the United States and Africa. While she hails from New York, she has also called New Jersey, Atlanta, and Accra, Ghana, home. She attributes her colorful upbringing to informing her taste in music growing up. “When I used to live in Mount Olive, New Jersey, all the kids would play Britney Spears and rock music. And when I grew up in Atlanta, I loved Gucci Mane, Jeezy, and T.I. And then obviously, I'm African, so I grew up on a lot of African music,” she tells Complex.
Despite her rich and diverse journey, Amaarae finds that most people try to fit her music into the “Afrobeat box.” But as we delve deeper, it becomes evident that that category falls short. When asked to describe her sound, she coins it as "Afro-fusion," which is “an amalgamation of all of my inspirations and influences as I've lived in different places and experienced different people.” This fusion allows her to seamlessly transition from dancehall-infused tracks on her debut EP Passionfruit Summer to the realms of Afrobeats and R&B on her 2020 single with Kali Uchis “Sad Girlz Luv Money.” It's this versatility that also caught the attention of Aminé and Kaytranada, who tapped her to collaborate on the rap dance track "Sossaup." Recalling the encounter, she shares, "[Aminé] literally DM'd me and was like, ‘Hey, I love your music. I have this song. Can you send it back to me in a week?’"
Amaarae continues to delve into new territories and explore her artistic depths on her latest album, Fountain Baby. She describes this project as a body of work that not only builds upon her musical inspirations, but also serves as a personal challenge. “I really just wanted to do something very sonically different from everything that we're hearing now. I definitely picked the songs that were most sonically challenging for me to execute,” she explains. “Fountain Baby was me making an album and saying if I could have made an album as an 8-year-old, what would I have loved to make? I think that it's a real culmination of those inspirations and dreams.”
Fountain Baby is just one chapter in Amaarae's musical journey. Below, she passionately discusses the creative direction of her album, shares insights into her collaboration with Janelle Monáe, her aspirations for the future, and more.
The interview, lightly edited and condensed, is below.
How did you break into your music career?
I had just moved back to Ghana and I was working in Ghana as a [sound] engineer for other people. I met a friend who was like, ‘I like how you look. What do you do?’ And I told him I made music and showed him my music. And was like, ‘Cool, we should do a live cover of one of your songs.’ So I did that, and it kind of went viral in Ghana. So I was like, maybe I should really start taking music seriously. And that was the beginning of me becoming Amaarae.
How did you get your stage name?
In Facebook in 2009 or 2010, everyone used to make these names. They'd have their real name and then they would have a made-up middle name or a nickname and then their last name. So I really wanted to make one, and I was thinking for days. I really like Corinne Bailey Rae, and I really love the name Rae. So I was like, okay, I'm going to make mine Ama Rae, and then Genfi, my last name. When I started rapping the next year, I used to drop freestyles and mixtapes on my Facebook. Because my name was Ama Rae, that's how everyone addressed me. Amaarae, that's just how it stuck.
Do you find that people have trouble pronouncing your name?
Yeah. I think my name is really easy to pronounce, but a lot of people actually mess my name up. People call me Amerie. I get that all the time. People actually mistake me for Amerie. I get Amar Ray. People butcher my name like crazy. But guys, just to confirm, the way to pronounce my name is A-maa-rae. Simple, sweet, short.
"Fountain Baby was me making an album and saying if I could have made an album as an 8-year-old, what would I have loved to make?"
How would you describe your sound to a new listener?
If I had to put it in a genre, it's like ‘fusion.’ I guess because I'm African, most people tend to put me in that Afrobeat box, which is a bit crazy. But I would call it Afro-fusion because at the heart and center, it's all African music based off African rhythms. But I dabble. I go into pop, rock, dance, everything. It's an amalgamation of all of my inspirations and influences as I've lived in different places and experienced different people.
What title, such as singer or rapper, do you feel like most represents who you are and what you do?
In Spanish, my friend actually told me they call me a “cantatora,” like a diverse artist. I think that's what I am. I write, I produce, sing, rap. I do a little bit of everything.
How did your collaboration “Sad Girlz Luv Money” with Kali Uchis come together?
It was actually Kali's manager, who was actually a fan of what I was doing. She was super early on the Amaarae wave, and she just hit me up. At the time, in 2021, I was working on Fountain Baby and she was like, ‘I love your new album. You should send me something to play for Kali Uchis, and she's going to hop on it.’ I sent her ‘Sad Girlz’ because that was my favorite song off the album. And the rest is history.
Did you expect it to blow up the way it did?
Yeah. Honestly, the first day that we met, made “Sad Girlz,” I was on my Instagram Live and I played it like 50 times. I kept saying, ‘This is a hit. Y'all not ready.” I really believed in the record because I think the lyrics are good. It was the beat for me that really made me transcend to a different realm.
Afrobeats have increasingly become a popular sound in music. What do you hope to see happen in the genre as it continues to gain momentum?
I think Afrobeats is going to have a similar evolution like rap music has had. When rap started in the '70s, and then evolved into the '90s with Biggie and Pac and Jay-Z, Fat Joe, Big Pun, down to a Tribe called Quest. And then further developed probably in the early 2000s with the big timers. And then going into the era we're in now with Drake, Kendrick, Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert. I think that Afrobeat is going to have that similar trajectory where it's going to keep evolving. African artists now are so diverse in our palettes in the way that we want to express ourselves, that the sky's the limit.
"I would call it Afro-fusion because at the heart and center, it's all African music based off African rhythms. But I dabble."
What was the inspiration behind the music video for “Wasted Eyes?”
“Wasted Eyes” as a record is very inspired by Japanese culture. The sample in “Wasted Eyes” is an old Japanese folk song called “Pataki.” So basing it off the sound of the song, I wanted to delve into Japanese culture. We have geishas, do it in an old school; Akia, have a cool internet, online gambling game where it's Samurai battling each other. I just wanted to pay respect to the culture, because I'm deeply inspired by it. This is probably the second or third time that I've used a major Japanese sample in any of my music, so I wanted to pay homage.
The music video seems reminiscent of 2000s music videos that follow a narrative or prioritize storytelling. Was that intentional?
It was very intentional. I wanted to also do a nod to Rush Hour because I love Rush Hour. I think it's a hilarious movie.
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Your album Fountain Baby is out now. Can you tell me about the creative direction and sound?
Fountain Baby, for me, was getting to a point where I really had understood what I wanted to achieve sonically. I think for the first time ever as a musician, not only did I have the resources as far as a team, but I also had the resources as far as an education and knowing exactly how to execute my vision. I took a lot of inspirations. A big one for me was Britney Spears, Timberland, Pharrell and The Neptunes. There's actually a clip sample for the song “Counterfeit,” that's a big homage to The Neptunes. I love Clipse, and I love all the beats that they did for them. Also, all of the orchestral stuff that we did for the album is all in Arabic scale. That was a big thing for me, being inspired by Timberland, who would take a lot from Arabic music or from Eastern music. These types of things make music exciting and fun to listen to. It also pushed me as an artist to try to explore new ways to sing, new ways to express. We also delved into some punk rock. Fountain Baby was me making an album and saying, “If I could have made an album as an 8-year-old, what would I have loved to make?” I think that it's a real culmination of those inspirations and dreams.
What stands out about the album is that no song sounds alike. What was the song selection process like to create such a diverse but cohesive body of work?
Oh man, songs were getting cut, left, right, and center. I will start by saying we had like 30 really great records that we loved and that were either partially finished or complete. Our approach was [asking] what was the most daring, what made us feel good and what evoked emotion or made us dance. Also, what were the songs that we could push the furthest production-wise. I really just wanted to do something very sonically different from everything that we're hearing now. I definitely picked the songs that were most sonically challenging for me to execute.
What do you want fans to take away from Fountain Baby?
I don't know if it's so much about learning about me as it is wanting fans to have the kind of feeling that I had when I was growing up listening to music. We had producers and artists that were tapping into all types of sounds and I really just wanted to bring that back. I also really wanted to prove that our fans and our listeners are not cookie cutter. They can really appreciate and get into sounds that are different as long as they feel good and they’re fresh and exciting. It's a domino effect of different people trying different things and us bringing freshness back into music.
"I think Afrobeats is going to have a similar evolution like rap music has had."
You appeared Kaytraminé's song “Sossaup.” How did that come together?
He literally just DM me and he was like, “Hey, I love your music. I have this song. Can you send it back to me in a week?” And I was like, bro, I'm getting ready for this show. I don't have any time. He was like, “Look, just find an hour. I'll book you a studio in LA. Just go record it.” And I did. He was so sweet and so chill.
Who are some celebrities who have co-signed or reached out to you that may have surprised you?
I have a record coming with Janelle Monáe. I thought that was fire.
How was it working with Janelle Monáe?
Working with Janelle was super chill. I actually got to meet her through her producer, who's a good friend of mine. And he was like, “I got to get you guys in the studio.” So I went to her home studio, and they played me a song and she was very direct and clear about what she wanted. I think this is the first time I've ever worked with an artist where they're like, “This is the song. This is my vision. This is how I see you pouring into it, but you're not confined. But can we build the vision out together?” I thought that was really cool. I love how focused and clear she was, and I feel like we got things done super quick. It was just very fun and easy.
Who is on your dream list of features?
I actually tried to get her on the album, M.I.A. But FKA Twigs, Young Thug. Young Thug… Free Thug.
"I definitely picked the songs that were most sonically challenging for me to execute."
What makes you stand out as an artist?
I think first my voice. People always tell me that they feel like I have an interesting and unique tone. The second thing for me is that I'm a student. I really am a music nerd and a real music student. I think that that's obvious in Fountain Baby. What makes me stand out with this album is approaching things from an academic perspective and going into producing the music in an academic way and exploring and researching sounds past my borders of what I’m used to. I went into all these different bags, vocally, production-wise, and artistically.
What is on your goals bucket list?
I would love to go into making original scores purely for animated movies. I love kids movies. I love animation. I love what Pharrell did for Despicable Me. I would like to be the go-to person for that. So that's number one. Number two: Ever since working on the music videos for Fountain Baby, I really learned so much about directing and executing visuals. I really, really, really want to make a movie. I would also love to act in some shows or movies, but I want to go into directing as well.
What’s the most important thing people should know about you right now?
The most important thing for people to know about me as it pertains to where I'm as an artist and in my career is that I deeply, deeply care about music. I care deeply about making people feel good with music. And I care about creating a space where young people feel and look cool and sexy again. What I really want to communicate with this album not just to my fans, but to the universe, is we spend a lot of our time on Twitter arguing about stupid shit. I want us to come back from that and start believing in community again and start believing in looking good and feeling good, and expressing ourselves in the best way possible and sharing that with each other. That's really where I'm at with it.
