Today one of music’s most essential and truly groundbreaking artists, Ghanaian-American polymath, Amaarae, announces the release of her highly anticipated album, Fountain Baby, slated for June 9th via Interscope. In celebration, she shares her ravishing new track “Co-Star” alongside a tantalizing music video that harkens back to the 90’s supermodel era. Directed by Lauren Dunn, the visual brings to life the illustrious and deeply captivating universe of Amaarae’s creation through a fierce “Co-Star” competition where zodiac signs, swag and skill reign supreme, toppling traditional beauty standards that are still placed on women today. Competitors include some of the baddest women in the game such as The Clermont Twins, model Biba Williams, Nigerian rapper Deto Black, 1XBlue designer Lois Saunders, photographer and model Moyosore Briggs, and more - full credits below****. The track is a continuation of Amaarae's revered art that exists at the intersection of female empowerment, subversion of gender norms, and a thrilling exploration of female sexuality and artistic self expression - all while centering her West African heritage within a global lens.
Alongside the previously released “Reckless & Sweet,” Fountain Baby will undoubtedly solidify Amaarae’s rightful position as one of the premiere artists in the global pop arena. The project will see her towering talent and vision expand beyond genre and regional confines, for a truly brilliant and palpable body of work that will establish her as an essential architect in the future of music.
Additionally, the release follows Amaarae’s recent explosive performance at the colossal launch of the Mugler x H&M collaboration in New York City on April 19th as the face of the campaign. The collection will be available to purchase on May 11th online and in stores.
ABOUT AMAARAE
A songwriter, singer, producer and engineer, Amaarae’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary with massive accolades and acclaim already under her young belt. In 2020, Amaarae cemented her place as one of music’s most exciting new artists with her breakthrough album, The Angel You Don’t Know. With over 522 million streams to date, this genre expansive project saw her thrive outside of the Afro-pop parameters and re-define for herself what it means to create African music today. It received large critical acclaim by The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, The Guardian, Fader, i-D, Elle, Dazed, The FACE, Nylon, Highsnobiety, Paper Magazine and many more.
The quintessential album introduced Amaarae’s viral sensation, ‘Sad Girlz Luv Money,’ which received an electrifying remix from Colombian-American artist Kali Uchis and Ghanaian-American Moliy and has since been certified platinum. The track has amassed over 379 million global streams, broke onto the Billboard 100 chart, and hit the #1 song on TikTok for weeks. It solidified Amaarae as the first Afrobeats female artist to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 and do so independently.
A bona fide fashion world darling, she has graced front row seats the world over at London, Paris and Milan’s Fashion Weeks for Coperni, Jacquemus, Diesel, Dipetsa, Mowalola and many others. Additionally, in 2021 she made her big screen debut with the release of her sensational track “A Body, A Coffin'' from the ‘Wakanda Forever Prologue’ soundtrack.
Bronx-born and raised between Accra in Ghana, Atlanta, Georgia and Hackettstown, New Jersey, Amaarae’s cross-cultural experience has long been the driving force behind her deeply experimental ethos. Her unmatched approach and perspective catapulted her to the forefront of the exciting melting pot of exuberant creativity that is Nigeria’s Alté scene. From selling mixtapes to her highschool classmates, to throwing herself into learning the ins and outs of the production and engineering process and founding her own independent record label - the Ghana based Golden Child Entertainment Ltd - Amaarae is a rare, authentic and inspiring talent.
AMAARAE ON “CO-STAR”:
“‘Co-Star’ is a fun song about star signs! I wanted to give people something cute and flirty for the summer! Astrology is such a huge part of our youth culture, it felt like a missed opportunity to not lean into that and give the girls an anthem that reads and celebrates them all at once! The video is amazing too! Having some of my favorite women in the whole wide world represent themselves in such an iconic way. The Clermont Twins are such an iconic duo. Also Biba! Deto! Moyo! Bijou & Chi are such a huge part of alternative African culture. These are the tastemakers of our time! It’s really so amazing to bring them all together.”
LISTEN TO “CO-STAR” HERE