Amaarae

Ghanaian musician Amaarae earns recognition for her refined yet unconventional R&B aesthetic, her gently alluring singing style, and lyrics that foreground issues of race and gender. The 2020 release The Angel You Don't Know marked her debut full-length on the Golden Child imprint, featuring numerous guests and yielding the breakthrough track "SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY" alongside Moliy; a subsequent remix with vocalist Kali Uchis spread rapidly online and registered on international charts. Her follow-up effort, Fountain Baby, arrived in 2023 under the same label in partnership with Interscope and opened with the single "Reckless & Sweet," maintaining a comparable sonic direction. An expanded edition of that album surfaced the next year, accompanied by a joint recording with Childish Gambino.

Ama Serwah Genfi entered the world in New York City in 1994. As a child she divided time between New Jersey, the Bronx, Atlanta, and Accra, Ghana. By age 13 she had composed her initial song, created mixtapes throughout secondary school, and secured a studio internship at 17. While completing a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Agnes State College near Atlanta, she pursued vocal training and honed her compositional approach.

Her move to Ghana in the middle of 2017 led to a contract with Golden Child and the November launch of the EP Passionfruit Summers. Additional standalone releases followed, among them the 2019 track "Spend Some Time" featuring Wande Coal and the solo cut "Like It." The Angel You Don't Know appeared in full that November, blending her delicate vocal textures with close-knit R&B, skewed hip-hop, and polished strains of African and worldwide pop; contributors ranged from Kojey Radical to CKay. International attention arrived via the 2021 Kali Uchis remix of "SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY," which achieved viral circulation and entered charts that included the Billboard Hot 100 plus top-30 placements in the U.K., New Zealand, and Switzerland. Further 2021 activity encompassed a guest spot on Tiwa Savage's "Tales by Moonlight" and a global tour that reached Pitchfork Festival Chicago, Pitchfork Festival Paris, and New York's Governors Ball.

The lead single "Reckless & Sweet" introduced her sophomore album Fountain Baby in June 2023, an Interscope and Golden Child project that earned placements on multiple year-end lists. Seven additional tracks arrived in 2024 as Roses Are Red, Tears Are Blue -- A Fountain Baby Extended Play, while Amaarae joined Jorja Smith on Childish Gambino's "In the Night."