} Ama Serwah Genfi, known professionally as Amaarae, is a Ghanaian singer known for her work around representation of gender and race in music. After collaborating with local artists and putting out a few non-album singles, she released her debut EP, ''Passionfruit Summers,'' in 2017. In 2020, Amaarae released the song " Sad Girlz Luv Money" featuring Moliy on her debut album ''The Angel You Don't Know''. In 2021 the song was remixed with a feature from

Kali Uchis Karly-Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer. She released her debut mixtape, ''Drunken Babble'', in 2012, which was followed by her debut EP, '' Por Vida'', released in 2015. In 2018, U ...

, and became a popular song on social media, streaming platforms, and charted globally.

Early life

Amaarae was born in Accra, Ghana to Ama Bawuah and Kwadwo Boateng Genfi and was raised between

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, United States and Accra, Ghana. She is the eldest of two children. Amaarae wrote her first song at the age of 13. During her teenage years, she enjoyed watching music videos and said that one of her most vivid memories was watching the music video for the

Kelis Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...

song "

Young, Fresh n' New "Young, Fresh n' New" is a song by American singer Kelis from her second studio album, '' Wanderland'' (2001). Kelis co-wrote the song with its producers, The Neptunes (consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo). It was released on September ...

". She recalls Kelis' unique expression being an inspiration for her. During high school, she started making mixtapes. By the age of 17, she took up an internship at a music studio. At a tertiary institution, she undertook voice training and honed her songwriting skills while studying English literature. She returned to Ghana in June 2017.

Career

Amaarae released her debut project ''Passionfruit Summers'' in 2017. The album features the song "Fluid", which was complemented by a music video. Amaarae was named one of

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

Africa's Favourite New Artists in April 2018 and later that year became an Apple Music Beats 1 featured artist for her debut project ''Passionfruit Summers'' which she released through her independent record label, Golden Child LLC on November 30, 2017. In November 2018 she performed with Teni, Boj of DRB LasGidi and Odunsi at ART X Lagos, an art fair in Lagos, Nigeria. Amaarae has also been acknowledged for her style and fashion sense. In 2018, she was featured in

Vogue Magazine ''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vogu ...

online in an article on four women across the globe with buzz haircuts and was mentioned as one of Vogue online's Top 100 Style Influencers of 2018. She was nominated as Artist of the Year at the Glitz Style Awards in Ghana. She has also patronized Ghanaian fashion brand Free The Youth. On March 23, 2019, Amaarae was chosen to perform at the first Boiler Room event in Accra alongside La Meme Gang (A Collective comprising

Nxwrth Ahmed Froko professionally known as Nxwrth (Pronounced North) is a Ghanaian record producer, musician and DJ. He is one of the youngest producers on the Ghanaian music scene and used to be a member of trap music collective "La Meme Gang". Ear ...

, RJZ, KwakuBS,

Darkovibes Paul Nii Amu Andrew Darko (born 1995) known as Darkovibes, is a Ghanaian born singer songwriter. His music categorizes as experimental music where he blends highlife, hip hop and rap. Darkovibes is known for his 2016 single 'Mercy'. Early li ...

, Kiddblack and

$pacely Elorm Kabu Amenyah (born 1 August 1992) professionally known as $pacely (pronounced Spacely) is a Ghanaian rapper and singer. He is a member of trap music collective La Meme Gang. He has collaborated with Kwesi Arthur, Nxwrth, RJZ, Pappy Kojo, ...

) and rapper

Kwesi Arthur Emmanuel Kwesi Danso Arthur Junior (born 18 December 1994), known professionally as Kwesi Arthur, is a Ghanaian rapper, singer and songwriter from Tema, Ghana. He rose to fame in 2017 with the hit single "Grind day" which received wide spread a ...

. Amaarae has since collaborated with

Stonebwoy Livingstone Etse Satekla (born 5 March 1988), better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian Afropop, dancehall and reggae musician. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2015 B ...

Kojey Radical Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah (born 4 January 1993), known professionally as Kojey Radical, is a British music artist, creative director and mixed media visual artist. His style has been described as a mix of grime-y hip hop, alternative rap and ...

, M3NSA, Santi,

Blaqbonez Emeka Akumefule, known professionally as Blaqbonez, is a Nigerian rapper signed to Chocolate City. Blaqbonez is popularly known for his distinct rap style as well as his creative ingenuity. In 2019, he was profiled by ''The New York Times'' as ...

, Buju, Odunsi, B4bonah. In 2019, she collaborated with the Nigerian singer-songwriter

Wande Coal Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe (born 18 October 1985), popularly known as Wande Coal, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. Early life Wande Coal was born on 18 October 1985 in Lagos Island, Lagos state, Nigeria, to Chief Ibukun Olufunto and Omolar ...

. On November 12, 2020, Amaarae released her debut studio album, '' The Angel You Don't Know''. Owen Myers of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' wrote that it "crackles with innovation, a pacesetter at a time when industry bigwigs are waking up to the long-held truth that Africa is setting the global tempo for pop music." In May 2022, Amaarae, together with Black Sherif,

and Smallgod met

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

when he visited Ghana and held a private album listening party in Accra for his new album, '' Mr. Morales & The Big Steppers''.

Discography

Studio albums

EP

Singles

As a featured artist

Nominations

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Living people Neo soul singers 21st-century Ghanaian women singers Ghanaian record producers Ghanaian alté singers Year of birth missing (living people)