Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae has risen to popularity in recent years. With "Black Star", the artist brings rhythms and genres from her home country to her music.

Amaarae, a Ghanaian-American singer, has released her latest album 'Black Star', which showcases a blend of R&B and pop while deeply reflecting her Ghanaian heritage. The album features references to highlife, a traditional Ghanaian genre, and highlights Amaarae's ongoing connection to her roots, especially as she spends more time away from home.

Despite her growing international success, Amaarae shares that the impact of her music is still sinking in. She credits her father's advice on the importance of making people feel good through music and acknowledges the responsibility and gift of influencing listeners. 'Black Star' follows her well-received second album 'Fountain Baby' and further cements her place in the global Afropop scene.

'Black Star': Amaarae's new album returns to her Ghanaian origins

Global pop music rooted in Ghana. Ghanaian-American singer Amare released her latest album Black Star on Friday. While the work oscillates between R&B and pop, Amare's music is deeply rooted in her Ghanaian origins and celebrates them with references such as those to highlife, a musical genre from Ghana. Maybe in the last two to three years, I go home once a year for two weeks. And I've noticed that now that I'm away from home, I crave it more and I want to be connected to it more, you know. And it's not just through even physically being there, but through food, through seeing my family often, through going to places and being able to interact with other people from where I'm from or from the diaspora. Absolutely. I think that the longer and the farther away that you are, the more that you see the value in your roots. While the singer has known growing success in the past years, the impact her music has had has not quite sunk in yet. You know, my father told me when I started making music, he was like, The one thing that you should know is important is that your message and the way that you make people feel should always be on the highest frequency. And my dad didn't want me to make music. So I know that when he said that to me, he really meant it. And so for me, ultimately, I love the fact, I think more than anything, that people always tell me how good, how sexy, how confident my music makes them feel. But I don't think that I've ever really sat with, I don't know if it's a responsibility or just a gift, you know, or a little bit of both. But I don't think I've sat with the weight of that entirely, to be honest, because it's scary and daunting to think about. Black Star follows her much acclaimed second album, Fountain Baby, which she released in 2023. It is yet another step towards the artist's firm place in the Afropop scene around the world.

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