Described by some as the quintessential African princess of pop, Amaarae’s introduction to the Ghanaian music industry was a gradual but steady process. After dropping several acoustic freestyles on her YouTube channel, she released her official debut project called “Passion Fruit Summers” in 2017.
On this EP, were songs like “Hawaii”, “Catching a Wave” and “Fluid”. She described her sound as an eclectic blend of bold yet sexy lyricism and longing vulnerable melodies. “Catching a Wave” is a song that expresses a need to be loved whilst also knowing that that sort of love isn’t healthy for you.
Due to the success of the EP, she was named one of Apple Music Africa’s favorite new artists in April of 2018 and later that year became an Apple Music Beat 1 featured artist.
In 2019, She released two singles – “Spend Time” which featured Wande Coal, and “Like It”. “Spend Time” was a humble nod to the disco divas of the 70s. The video brings together a group of women sharing their time and good energy with one another; enjoying themselves and abandoning the stresses of their everyday lives.
The visuals for “Like It” sparked some controversy about its meaning. She clarified in an interview that it was a commentary on how people navigate through life with different things happening all around them.
2020 was another big year for Amaarae as she released her first studio album titled “The Angel you don’t Know”. Ahead of the album’s release, she dropped several singles off the album- “Leave me alone”, “Jumping Ship” and “Fancy”. FANCY marks a celebration of self-expression and confidence. “It’s all about being a bad bitch. That joint that you put on when you’re getting ready to go out, when you’re getting ready to ace that exam, to ask for that promotion, do that job interview, go on that date that you know you are about to dress to kill for!”
The video for Fancy received significant praise which earned her a nomination at the 2021 VGMA. The album itself was officially released in November 2020.
On that album is Amaarae’s biggest song to date- Sad Girls Love Money ft Moliy. The song achieved viral popularity on social media, particularly Instagram and TikTok. The remix, which features American Singer Kali Uchus was released in September 2021. It currently has over 336 million plays on Spotify and over 20 million views on YouTube. It appeared on various international charts, including reaching number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Early this year, Amaarae dropped two hot singles, Co-star and Reckless & Sweet. These songs are from her forthcoming album Fountain Baby which comes out on June 9 2023 on all platforms.
