Two years ago, the Ghanian-American pop artist Amaarae turned a lot of heads with her album Fountain Baby. Today, she follows that LP with Black Star, a new record that sure sounds like a breakthrough. On Black Star, Amaarae works to combine all sorts of versions of party music from across the planet. If you know the sounds that she's playing with, Black Star works as a deep and fascinating statement on the cultural evolution of the African diaspora. But if you're just looking for some horny, druggy pop music for dancing, Black Star might hit even harder.
We posted the early Black Star singles "S.M.O." and "Girlie-Pop!," and the album also includes collaborations with dance-pop sprite PinkPantheress, R&B legend Charlie Wilson, classic-era supermodel Naomi Campbell, pan-genre London artist Bree Runway, and dance producer Starkillers. But there's really only one authorial voice on Black Star, and it belongs to Amaarae. The album is a collection of tracks about getting caught up in the moment and losing yourself. It's breathless and physical, and it makes me think I'm wasting my life sitting here typing about music on a computer when I should be getting blasted on ketamine in a club. It's 3AM somewhere. Stream Black Star below.
Black Star is out now on Golden Angel/Interscope.
