Meet Ama Adem, a Ghanaian singer & songwriter driven by the emotive art of storytelling through her music.
Ama Adem is a Ghanaian musician living and working in the UK. Like many African youths with creative aspirations, growing up Ama felt the tension between the societal pressure of getting a stable 9 to 5 and actually pursuing her creative dreams. Lucky enough to be currently in a position to do both, Ama is diving in headfirst and her latest track “Faded“ is a reflection of this commitment.
From writing her first song at just 9 years old to participate in live shows at Republic Bar and Grill in Osu, music has always been a part of Ama’s life. Finding ways to balance family expectations and her dreams, the songstress toughed out university whilst performing with her first band Ohia B3 Y3 Ya. When the “Who Cares” singer graduated and got a tech analyst job that moved her to the UK, she was able to pour more time into her craft and the “Faded” video and single is the result of that time and effort.
On top of a pop-tinged Afrobeats production, Ama voices out her inner emotions on “Faded”. The groovy yet steamy single directed by Prince Dovlo features an intimately choreographed dance visual set during lockdown where the singer appears alone trapped in a daydream, reminiscing about times spent dancing away with her partner. Describing “Faded” as a song exploring the idea of both “being in love and letting go”, Ama Adem delivers a bubbly and relatable image of love whilst letting us in a little deeper into her journey as an artist.
Now enjoying her freedom to create, Ama Adem is ready to be heard. With hints at a debut EP next year, Faded is a powerful celebration of being able to finally follow your heart’s desires. Catching up with the singer on balancing life and music-making, iMullar quizzed the budding Ghanaian songstress about her upbringing, influences, and the process of letting go.
M-What influences did your upbringing have on your music-making process?
My parents used to travel a lot so they would bring back CDs from those trips and that is where I got exposed to Western artists, people like Phil Collins, Britney Spears. I remember getting a toy microphone when I was younger and singing Shania Twain’s I Feel Like A Woman. I grew up in Ghana so there is no way I could avoid Ghanaian music. I listened to people like Kojo Antwi and Nana Fynn. I love how musicians like Kwabena Kwabena tell stories. Sometimes I do feel at a disadvantage that I can’t speak Twi fluently but I want those influences to naturally flow into my music with the genres I start to experiment with.
M-So how do you feel your sound has changed from when you first discovered your talent?
When I first discovered I loved singing, I would write music to just deal with my emotions. I would even sing if I failed an exam. I started out writing bluesy, jazzy, and deeply emotional songs. Most of my songs were written in English though they were not necessarily about love. But when I started singing with my first band, Ohia B3 Y3 Ya I was able to feel that closer connection to native sounds which influences my writing even now. I am looking forward to exploring the ways I can incorporate that into my music in a way that feels good.
M-How did your parents react to you wanting to do music?
It has been an interesting journey. I have always been into music and singing even when I was much younger. I remember I once asked for piano lessons but unfortunately we could not afford that. I think my parents knew that music was something I was always interested in. When I started performing in my high school and we would organize these entertainment shows, I think they saw I was into it and they were proud but it was still something that they counted as a hobby. When I got to university, I had the freedom to do it more and my mom was worried. I was committing more time to it and I even joined a production company called Moonlight Cafe. She was worried about me succumbing to “the musician lifestyle” and it would affect my grades. She has always been a supporter of mine though, I know she was just following that African parent thing with that format of finishing school, having an income. Today, she’ll ask me ‘Why haven’t I dropped new music’ or even back when I first started dropping music, she would tell me to share the link to her friends, etc. I think their main concern was that they wanted me to get school out of the way and be able to fend for myself.
M-Tell us about the making of the Faded video and song, why did you make a love song?
“Faded” is about letting go and going for what you want. When you’re in love, you want to believe everything and trust 100% so that’s what I wanted to represent with the music. I love to dance, I like moving my body and I like moving people to dance. When I go out, dancing by myself is my favorite thing to do. Since “Faded” is about being in love and feeling carefree, the spirit of dance goes really well with that. When you’re not sober you want to feel safe and being in love feels like that emotion of letting go and being secure in that. Love is a topic that people don’t get tired of and it’s still such a mystery to people. You think you have learned your lesson but something always drives you back to love again. I think that is why it’s one of my favorite topics to write about.
M-What do you make of the Ghanaian music industry currently, do you feel as though Ghanaians are receptive to different soundscapes?
I love GH and African Rhythms. Ghanaians really like to dance too. So that’s why you might see people usually make songs that people can dance to. Most full-time musicians will depend on their music getting popular and accessible just to make sure they can make ends meet. So Ghanaian musicians are often stuck between a rock and a hard place. Faded is an easy song to dance to but it still channels the feelings and emotions of wanting to feel safe and secure with love. Regarding different sounds, I think Ghanaians are becoming receptive though, you have singers like Gyakie who are doing their own thing in a unique way but still making relatable and exciting songs. I am Ghanaian and I listen to a range of different genres as well, people like Simi, Burna Boy, and Ed Sheeran, so I know people can appreciate different genres for different occasions.
Taking the leap with her new record, Ama Adem is crafting the world of her dreams where she can let go and be carefree and inviting all of us to do the same.
Let go and move your body to Ama Adem’s Faded.
Keep tabs on Ama Adem and her craft via her socials.
