Amaarae shares music video for ‘S.M.O.’ and announces highly anticipated new album ‘BLACK STAR’

21 Jun

oday, international, boundary-pushing musical phenom Amaarae announces her highly anticipated new album BLACK STAR—out August 8th via Interscope Records. Known for breaking the mould with her intoxicating blend of alternative, pop, R&B, and Afrobeats, the Ghanaian-American singer makes a bold, futuristic statement returning with new single “S.M.O”. A mix of highlife, kpanlogo, and zouk, the new single unearths themes of sexual liberation and empowerment. The first new music since her critically acclaimed 2023 sophomore LP, Fountain Baby, “S.M.O.” arrives the day after Juneteenth, accompanied by a video where sculpted physiques and pride in Ghanaian heritage take centre stage. Filmed in Ghana, the high-energy celebration of the beauty and power of the Black body ushers in the new era she deems BLACK STAR. Listen to S.M.O. HERE and watch the music video HERE.

Amaarae shares about the new single, “For as long as I’ve made music, fusion has been my strength and I think this comes to full fruition on S.M.O. The song takes inspiration from Ghanaian 80’s highlife trailblazer Ata Kak and blends it with a mean Detroit club bass, a drum roll akin to both Magic System’s “1er Gaou” & Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” and an infectious zouk melody that sounds like a steel pan lipsing an evil synth. I feel like the new Donna Summer mixed with Control era Janet and the song pretty much speaks for itself. Like Pleasure Principle or Love To Love You Baby, I don’t know how much clearer one can get when they ask you to “SLUT ME OUT”. The message can’t be mistaken and the beat makes you move. That’s all I want to do this summer, make people dance & feel things!”

In April, Amaarae made history at Coachella where she debuted as the first Ghanaian artist to grace the Indio stage. Her headline-making set saw the iconoclast playing energetic songs from fellow Ghanaian artists and exciting fans with unreleased previews of new music from BLACK STAR, in between her shaving her head on stage as a representation of “the new kind of freedom” the incoming era represents. She followed suit this month at Governor’s Ball, rocking the stage while Ghanaian fans waved their flags high. This summer and fall, she’ll bring her unforgettable stage presence to festivals around the globe including Glastonbury, AfroNation, Lollapalooza, Maiden Voyage, and more. Amaarae will be performing on the West Holts Stage at 8.30pm on Saturday 28th June.

The celebratory festival performances follow the success of Amaarae’s sold-out tour behind Fountain Baby, which was praised as among the best albums of the year by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker and was Metacritic’s #1 album of 2023. Featuring the effortlessly suave singles “Angels in Tibet” and “Reckless and Sweet,” the Afrobeats-flipping LP launched Amaarae into global pop stardom, landing her on the cover NME, Paste, and Clash, as well as touring with Sabrina Carpenter, support billing on Childish Gambino’s tour, and an H&M x Mugler campaign.

Amaarae has long championed self-expression ever since breaking out with her 2017 single “Fluid,” an ode to living in between different labels and modes. Her astronomical rise arrived with the release of her 2020 debut album THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW, boosted by the now-platinum, globally charting “Sad Girlz Luv Money (Remix)” featuring Kali Uchis and Moliy. She stepped into the Black Panther cinematic universe with “A Body, A Coffin,” her contribution to Marvel’s 2022 Wakanda Forever Prologue EP. And she’s since exhibited her versatility through collaborations with Childish Gambino, Stormzy, Janelle Monáe, 6LACK, Kaytranada, Babyface, and Tiwa Savage, among others.

PRE-SAVE/PRE-ORDER BLACK STAR
https://amaarae.lnk.to/BlackStar

LISTEN TO “S.M.O.”

https://Amaarae.lnk.to/SMO

WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “S.M.O.”
https://Amaarae.lnk.to/SMO/YouTubeMusic

INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES

28 June – Glastonbury, Somerset, UK

10 July – Afro Nation, Portimao, Portugal

31 July – Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL

1 Aug – Lollapalooza, Chicago,IL

3 Aug – Osheaga Festival, Montreal QC

7 Aug – Way out West, Gothenburg

9 Aug – Maiden Voyage Festival, London, UK