By Chinonso Ihekire
Ghana’s golden voice, Amaarae, has stepped out with a new record dubbed, Co-star, which is a prelude of her highly anticipated album, Fountain Baby, slated for release early next month.
The song 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.
“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 favourite 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,” she tells Weekend Beats.
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.
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.
