Amaarae

Amaarae Elevates ‘Fountain Baby’ Onstage, Where It’s Sure To Rock Your World

by
Amaarae Interview image, waterfall background
Getty Image/Merle Cooper

Amaarae’s second album Fountain Baby has taken on a life of its own. Nearly a year after its release, the 14-track project is still heavily in rotation by fans near and far. Additionally, it’s helped to take Amaarae to all corners of the world, most recently for a performance at Dreamville Festival earlier this month.

With every spin of Fountain Baby, there’s something new to love which explains the recent surge in popularity of “Angels In Tibet.” The track was recently crowned as the fourth single from the album, joining favorites “Reckless & Sweet,” “Co-Star,” and “Wasted Eyes.” It also received a mass remix treatment thanks to a new EP that delivered new takes of the song from the likes of Juls, Kaytranada, and Aliyah’s Interlude.

The magic of Fountain Baby also comes alive onstage where Amaarae has the opportunity to present the album in a new way. The in-person experience grants the singer a control panel with all the necessary levers, nooks, and crannies needed to reimagine her album is a multitude of ways. Creating Fountain Baby is one thing and crafting a live experience behind it is another tall task, but it’s one that Amaarae was excited to accomplish from the very beginning.

Following her performance at Dreamville Festival, we caught up with Amaarae for a conversation about live performances of Fountain Baby records and what her dream concert experience for the album would look like.

When making a project like Fountain Baby, how much thought goes into what performing these songs might sound like while also maintain the cohesiveness of the project?

I thought about it a lot. When I made this project, I really went into it thinking about the performance aspect and how to really translate the songs beautifully to live. My first album, when we would do it live, it just felt very soft, it wouldn’t knock on the stage. So every time I was with the guys, I’d be like, “Yo, the drums gotta knock,” cause when we take this to the stage, people need to be slapped in the face with it. That that was a big thing, making sure those drums are heavy and you feel them, and [that] those synths are really in your face and pulsate through your body. That was a big thing for me, thinking about how it would translate live.

What’s a song from the project that made you say, “Oh, I cannot wait to perform this!” once it was done?

Probably “Co-Star” or “Princess Going Digital.”

What are some things you try to emphasize in order to really bring this album to life when you perform it?

I think lights are really important. Every time I write a song or make an album, I think about color. That’s one of the first things that I think about. So, making sure that the lights feel as intentional and as powerful as the music, and it feels almost like a beating heart and a pulse that works through the music is really important for me. I [also] think about certain live elements that I like to bring to stage like drums — mixing live drums and programmed drums to make sure that they really knock — and synths. As I get bigger and bigger and as production gets bigger and bigger, I want to have huge synths where you can really feel the power of music. Also, recently: movement. I didn’t used to be much of a dancer, I’m not a crazy dancer, I’m not a crazy dancer at all, but I kind of seen the value in finding your own swag, what works for you movement-wise, and really using that to tell the story of the music as well. I’ve enjoyed finding my own swag as a dancer, I think I have my own brand now.

Describe what would be the perfect Fountain Baby concert experience. Who would be the artists opening for and performing with you? Where would you have it? What other elements would you have? There are no limitations here.

Think about the biggest waterfall on Earth, and if I can build a stage in the waterfall where it’s seamless with the waterfall? That would be fire. I like my openers so far. I think I would stick with the openers that I have now. Talia Goddess is crazy, Amindi is crazy as well. I would have a fire DJ open for me because I think the a really great DJ can just set the tone and really prepare the audience for what’s about to come next. So I would have a really amazing DJ open up for me and yeah, I would love to do it in a waterfall, that would be spiritual to imagine.

What’s the message, feeling, or emotion that you hope people leave with after seeing you perform?

I think belief in self and the confidence to make choices that benefit them the most. I’m not a perfect person. and as I’ve been performing the album, I’ve really been listening to the lyrics and I’m like man, I was really going through something there and I was really in a shift and experiencing so much. Now, I’m realizing how much that album wasn’t even about love or lust, but it was about discovery of my own self through the good, the bad, [and] the evil, and here I am still standing. So here y’all should be still standing and we should all go forth and motherf*cking prosper.

Angels In Tibet (Remix Pack) is out now via Golden Angel LLC/Interscope Records. Find out more information here.

Bas & Amaarae Prove They’re R&B Icons On “Decent” From Dreamville Artist’s New Album: Stream

by

We’re still waiting for J. Cole’s follow-up to 2021’s The Off-Season. Thankfully, the North Carolina native is keeping us well-fed with his impressive feature run this year. After joining Drake and Nicki Minaj on For All The Dogs and Pink Friday 2 respectively, he gave three appearances to Dreamville artist Bas on his must-hear We Only Talk About Real S**t When We’re F**ked Up LP this past Friday (December 15).

The 17-track project is arguably some of the musical sensation’s best, most confident work to date. Friends like Sha Sha, ASAP Ferg, Adekunle Gold, and FKJ were able to lend a hand too. On the sixth title, “Decent,” we hear from a rising starlet by the name of Amaarae, who makes an appearance on our upcoming R&B Albums OTY article thanks to her stunning Fountain Baby LP in the summer. Now, she and Bas are putting their dreamy voices together over production from DZL, FKJ, Ron Gilmore, and Kurzweil.

Read More: Bas Unpacks His New Album, Dreamville Dynamics, Higher Callings & Much More

Bas Ends 2023 on a Triumphant Note with We Only Talk About Real S**t When We’re F**ked Up

“She don’t a hundred percent trust me, no / I can’t a hundred percent blame her, no,” the 36-year-old empathetically sings early on in the song. “I done seen plenty of the ni**as change up / We still hundred percent the same us.” For her part, Ama later comes in, sweetly crooning, “Whenever I’m feelin’ down / Give me little lovin’ and we’re back around… Callin’ enemies or friends, yeah, we back up now / I can’t even lie right now, b**ch, I’m higher now, ghetto fever.”

Dive into Amaarae and Bas’ stunning collaboration, “Decent,” above. If you’re feeling the We Only Talk About Real S**t When We’re F**ked Up song, be sure to add it to your playlist on Spotify/Apple Music. For more HNHH release recommendations, check out our weekly Fire Emoji update at the link below.

Read More: Bas & J. Cole Are Far From “Home Alone” On Our New Fire Emoji Playlist Update

Quotable Lyrics:

On the jetski with your ni**a, we abroad
Really you should in them skrrt, skrrt, skrrt, skrrt, skrrt, skrrt
Feelin’ like I’m healin’
Feel like I’m kinda decent

The post Bas & Amaarae Prove They’re R&B Icons On “Decent” From Dreamville Artist’s New Album: Stream appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Who Is Featured On Janelle Monáe’s New Album ‘The Age Of Pleasure’?

by
Janelle Monae Age Of Pleasure June 2023
Getty Image

Janelle Monáe’s The Age Of Pleasure is a mere hours away, led by singles “Float” featuring Seun Kuti And Egypt 80 and “Lipstick Lover” in all its NSFW glory.

On Wednesday, June 7, Monáe shared the full double disc tracklist and the album’s featured artists on Instagram and Twitter. Appearing on the album are Grace Jones, Doechii, CKay, Seun Kuti And Egypt 80, Sister Nancy, Amaarae, and actress Nia Long.

Their Instagram video showed behind-the-scenes footage from making the album alongside the caption, “#TheAgeOfPleasure TRACKLiSTING AND FEATURES! 2 more days to go [red heart emoji, flame emoji] This project wouldn’t be the same without each of you. I wish everyone could have been a spider on the speaker while we had the most fun making thingsssss. Legendary times were had.”

The Age Of Pleasure arrives at midnight, June 9. (It’s probably safe to assume a 6/9 release date was chosen purposefully.) Monáe announced their supporting North American The Age Of Pleasure Tour last week, which will begin on August 30 in Seattle, Washington and eventually conclude on October 28 at Inglewood, California’s YouTube Theater.

Check out the full The Age Of Pleasure tracklist below.

1. “Float” Feat. Seun Kuti And Egypt 80
2. “Champagne Shit”
3. “Black Sugar Beach”
4. “Phenomenal” Feat. Doechii
5. “Haute”
6. “Ooh La La” Feat. Grace Jones
7. “Lipstick Lover”
8. “The Rush” Feat. Amaarae and Nia Long
9. “The French 75” Feat. Sister Nancy
10. “Water Slide”
11. “Know Better” Feat. CKay
12. “Paid In Pleasure”
13. “Only Have Eyes 42”
14. “A Dry Red”

The Age Of Pleasure is out 6/9 via Wondaland Arts Society/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.

Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Aminé & Kaytranada’s ‘Kaytraminé’ Tracklist Invites Big Sean, Pharrell, And Others For Some Summer Fun

by
amine tracklist
Getty Image

Aminé and Kaytranada’s upcoming joint album Kaytraminé has been exciting fans on the internet since it was announced, and lead single “4eva” drove the buzz to a deafening pitch. After Kaytranada brought out Aminé during his Coachella set, the wait for their album became borderline unbearable, but today, they’ve shared some information that should ease the impatience of their ravenous fans: the cover, tracklist, and release date, which isn’t too far off now.

Both artists appear on the cover in summery outfits lounging on deck chairs, with Kaytra dressed for the pool and Aminé holding a glass of champagne. The pool theme continues on the tracklist, with sun umbrellas and beach balls dotting the blue background between the track titles. The whole thing gives the vibe of a late ’80s/early ’90s catalog, with bright colors and oversaturated photo processing imitating the film photography and glossy pages of the two artists’ early youth.

Meanwhile, the tracklist includes some impressive features, with Big Sean, Freddie Gibbs, Pharrell Williams, and Snoop Dogg all putting in some appearances, while Kaytraminé gives a leg up to rising singer Amaarae. In the comments, fans are already calling Kaytraminé the album of the summer. It’s due on May 19.

Tems Proves To Be Worth The Wait

by
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

It’s usually a good sign for an artist’s career when their concert in a major metropolis sells so many tickets that it has to be moved to a new — and larger — venue at the last minute. It’s probably also a good sign that despite the change of venue, the line wrapped around the block before the doors opened. The last opportune omen is the fact that those people in line patiently waited over 2 hours past the initial doors time for those doors to open and stuck it out through a show that lasted until well after midnight.

With all those tenets in mind, it looks very much like Nigerian Afrobeats/R&B singer Tems is already a star. The Monday night LA stop on the singer’s first-ever US tour followed the above arch, starting out at The Roxy before switching to The Fonda Theatre a day before the show was to take place, which didn’t stop a legion of fans from lining up down Hollywood Boulevard, around the corner on Gower, and all the way down the street for most of the next block. Those fans certainly did wait it out, and their patience was rewarded by an impressive performance from the burgeoning star.

Tems’ opener, Amaarae, generated suitable hype for the headliner with a set that showcased her bold personality and welcoming demeanor. The opener pulled fans onstage to perform alongside her more than once and provided a lively counterpoint to the relatively lower key set that followed. Her exuberant tunes were more defiant and extroverted, whereas Tems’ set — taken from her two EPs, 2020’s For Broken Ears and last month’s If Orange Was A Place — was more internally focused and emotional.

Tems’ performance bore many of the hallmarks of a veteran performer, despite her ostensible rookie status. Framed in angelic light and wearing a flowing, translucent dressing gown, she delivered powerful vocals over renditions of “Damages,” “Free Mind,” and of course, “Essence,” the Wizkid megahit that brought Tems to national prominence. Her fans, a diverse mix of young people, many flamboyantly dressed in traditional African patterns and styles, bought into every new song in the set, despite some being relatively very new. The inevitable singalong that broke out when she launched into “Essence” — assisted by Wizkid in a surprise appearance, naturally — left the impression that she’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve on lots of future tours.

About that delay, though: It’s becoming clearer by the day that fans will be feeling the fallout from the pandemic and resulting entertainment shutdown for a while yet. So far, we’ve seen multiple examples of supply chain and logistical problems forcing artists to postpone events in just the last few weeks. Post Malone was forced to postpone Posty Fest due to supply problems, while J. Cole canceled and rescheduled a pair of shows after hours of delay because there wasn’t enough time to set up the stage as he envisioned. Although Tems didn’t specifically cite these problems, there’s little doubt that switching venues affected the production and prompted these delays.

Tems’ concert is also the second one Uproxx covered recently where a relatively new artist who’d broken out during the pandemic suddenly found that they were way more popular than projected at the last minute. Blxst’s Santa Ana tour stop, initially set for The Observatory’s smaller Constellation Room, was moved to the main stage practically the day of. The bad news is that eventually another breakout star will likely be forced to either play the smaller venue, leaving fans out, or reschedule shows as fewer venues and crew will be readily available. The good news is that these last-minute updates indicate the improving health of the industry, with tickets in high demand, and better projections for stars who couldn’t see their real-world impact as they grew their profiles mostly over the internet for the past year.

For acts like Tems, that can only be encouraging. Having to build a career in less-than-ideal conditions probably added a number of additional stressors on top the usual pressures of learning to deal with fame on the fly. But being able to see real-life rewards — particularly in respect to learning that your star has risen even higher than you (or your booking agent) could have imagined almost makes it all worth it. So, even as we all face the residual effects of the pandemic in live entertainment, for some stars and their fans, the payoff is more than worth the wait.