“You have to manoeuvre around the terrain as and when it changes,” Amaarae told the FT last year. The Ghanaian singer was talking about the challenges of releasing records in today’s confusing musical landscape with its multiple platforms, corporate entities and territories. Ultra-responsiveness is necessary, the capacity to capitalise when a song suddenly trends on TikTok or a guest feature opens up a new audience. The modern musician must focus on metrics as well as song metres.
Amaarae, whose real name is Ama Serwah Genfi, has deftly negotiated this demanding marketplace. Her biggest hit is an unabashed paean to earning power, “Sad Girlz Luv Money”, which was boosted by both TikTok virality and a canny remix featuring Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis. The song also benefited from not sounding like it was desperate for attention. Rather than grabby hooks or pressing beats, the music was smooth and unforced. Amaarae sang about wanting to get paid in a whispery high voice. “I just want my space,” she crooned, a gently insistent declaration of independence.
Fountain Baby is her second album. Unlike its self-released predecessor, 2020’s The Angel You Don’t Know, it finds the singer on the roster of a major label, Interscope. If she’s now experiencing additional pressure to succeed, it doesn’t register. Like “Sad Girlz Luv Money”, the music has a relaxed, vibey feel. Melodies and rhythms are given room to breathe. Vocals hide any trace of sharp elbows in soft enunciations.
The musical style cuts across boundaries. Born and partly raised in the US, Amaarae adopts the breathy come-hithers of a sultry R&B vocalist on “Princess Going Digital”. “Co-star” sticks with topics of sex and love but tilts towards summer-friendly pop with fluttery harp and the pattering beats of a racing heart. “Big Steppa” has a mellifluous Afropop sound, while “Sex, Violence, Suicide (Part 1&2)” makes a curveball switch into pop-punk. The unmoored approach tips into vagueness on “Water from Wine”, an innocuous mid-tempo breeze, but otherwise it pays off. Versatility is Amaarae’s way of making a space for herself.
★★★★☆
‘Fountain Baby’ is released by Interscope
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