Amaarae Releases her highly anticipated album ‘BLACK STAR’

Ghanaian avant‑garde pop icon Amaarae has released her eagerly awaited album BLACK STAR through Interscope Records. Celebrated for defying expectations with her daring fusion of alternative, pop, R&B, and Afrobeats, Amaarae delivers her most daring collection of worldwide sounds yet on BLACK STAR, elevating her Ghanaian heritage into a call to action for global youth. The cross‑continental BLACK STAR serves as a forward‑looking declaration of cultural pride, weaving a constantly evolving mix of ghettotech, house, techno, baile funk, and African dance styles—imbued with Amaarae’s trademark softness and hypnotic vocals and featuring contributions from PinkPantheress, Naomi Campbell, Bree Runway, Starkillers, and Charlie Wilson. It repositions Ghanaian and African music within pop and club contexts across time and space, linking them to the foundations of contemporary dance music, house, and techno.

Amaarae discusses “Fineshyt”, 1998 had Blue by French Duo Eiffel 65, 1999 had Believe by Cher & at the turn of a new millennium Modjo gave us Lady. Now, we’re at the mark of a quarter century, and Fineshyt is my contribution to a sound and feeling that not only took over clubs but minds, bodies, and souls alike. Music is such a beautiful and special medium, and being an artist has been God’s greatest gift to me. I remember being a little girl in Ghana hearing Believe by Cher and immediately being entranced. The hard‑tuned vocals, the glittery dance beat, and that hook! Do you believe in life after love? What a sentiment. A true manifesto of life. My favorite thing to do as an artist is take an inspired concept and flip it on its head. In this case, Fineshyt is Belive’s bad ass play cousin or maybe its evil twin sister!

BLACK STAR is aimed at Ghana’s alternative youth—who are carving out their identities day by day—as well as Black baddies worldwide. In July, Amaarae dropped the effortlessly polished single “Girlie‑Pop”, paired with a video helmed by Omar Jones. Visually, Girlie Pop offers a striking, sensual look at the beat‑driven euphoria that unfolds when two spirits meet and the music becomes the essential alchemy, both inside and outside the club. Just prior in June, Amaarae released the world‑building single S.M.O alongside the announcement of BLACK STAR, exploring themes of sexual liberation and empowerment across a mix of highlife, kpanlogo, and zouk music. On “B2B,” she uses DJ lingo to make a playful song about “love that is taken but given back at the same time,” she explains. With its lilting melodies and cool‑girl energy, “Fineshyt” is a soundtrack for women and femmes that highlights “the confidence of being feminine and feeling beautiful.”

In April, Amaarae made history at Coachella, becoming the first Ghanaian performer to take the Indio stage. Her headline‑making performance featured high‑energy tracks from fellow Ghanaian artists and teased unreleased material from BLACK STAR, punctuated by her shaving her head onstage as a symbol of “the new kind of freedom” the emerging era embodies. She repeated the momentum in June at Governor’s Ball, commanding the stage while Ghanaian fans waved their flags, and delivered an electrifying set at Glastonbury. Throughout the summer, she showcased her dynamic presence at festivals worldwide—including AfroNation, Lollapalooza, Osheaga, and others—and will continue in the coming weeks at Maiden Voyage Festival, Flow Festival, Lowlands Festival, Pukkelpop, and Best Day Ever.

These triumphant festival appearances follow the success of Amaarae’s sold‑out tour supporting Fountain Baby, an album lauded as one of the year’s best by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker, and crowned Metacritic’s #1 album of 2023. With the effortlessly polished singles “Angels in Tibet” and “Reckless and Sweet,” the Afrobeats‑infused LP propelled Amaarae to international pop prominence, earning her covers of NME, Paste, and Clash, a tour with Sabrina Carpenter, a supporting slot on Childish Gambino’s tour, and a collaboration with H&M x Mugler.

Amaarae has consistently promoted self‑expression since her breakout 2017 single “Fluid,” which celebrated existing between various labels and styles. Her meteoric ascent began with her 2020 debut album THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW, propelled by the now‑platinum, worldwide‑charting “Sad Girlz Luv Money (Remix)” featuring Kali Uchis and Moliy. She entered the Black Panther cinematic realm with “A Body, A Coffin,” her contribution to Marvel’s 2022 Wakanda Forever Prologue EP. Since then, she has showcased her range through collaborations with Childish Gambino, Stormzy, Janelle Monáe, 6LACK, Kaytranada, Babyface, and Tiwa Savage, among others. Viewing songwriting as a means to “metabolize feelings,” Amaarae regards BLACK STAR as a full‑circle milestone—returning to the moment she recorded her first Passionfruit Summers EP in her mother’s Ghanaian home. “This era is about vindication—for myself and my community,” she states.

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