Last week, Ghanaian singer Amaarae stopped by the Belasco in downtown Los Angeles for the final show of her North American leg of her Fountain Baby tour, and let me tell you, a time was had.
My night started simple: jogging around the side stage entrances to figure out how to get into the photo pit. At the same time, Madonna’s “Hung Up” played like elevator music before the opening act, Amindi (a Grimy Goods favorite), graced the stage.
“Play Slideshow,” yells a woman in the front row.
Amindi, wearing a cute purple slouch top, a mystic-inspired knit mini skirt, kitten heels, and yellow square glasses, replies: “Don’t worry, I will.”
The atmosphere is lax; only a few phones are out, but everyone is dressed in their finest Pinterest-chic boho-meets-Japandi wears with all their bedazzlement and body chains. Everyone is ready to take the best photo for the ‘gram or TikTok as they lipsync to Amindi‘s “lady” and “telly.”
While Amindi laid down an enticing primer for the evening, the crowd started to let loose after the house DJ played a playlist of “Now that’s what I call Y2K hits,” which included “Milkshake” by Kelis, “Luxurious” by Gwen Stefani, “Toxic” by Britney Spears and more right before Amaarae arrived.
Let me set the stage. Envision this: the restless crowd starts chanting Amaarae’s name continuously with excitement and anticipation as they see the band rush to their places. The light goes dark, with only a blue hue falling over the stage. The eight-count of the drums beat, and you hear:
“Fountain baby, wash her, make it wet
Diamonds hit the sweat
Tattoo on her chest, yeah, yeah, yeah.”
At this moment, the energy in the room goes up by ten thousand. If there had been pyrotechnics, it would have felt like the Super Bowl.
For the next two minutes and 23 seconds, you would think that everyone in the room was ready to audition for So You Think You Could Dance. Bodies were gyrating, and people were flailing. It was just pure adrenaline. I have only experienced this much energy from attending dance competitions and being in mosh pits.
Of all the shows I’ve attended, there aren’t many artists whose opening three minutes made me think, “Wow, this is a force to be reckoned with.” However, I can confidently say that for Amaarae.
If you aren’t familiar with the 29-year-old star who blends popular music with Afrobeats and Alté, a Nigerian subculture for alternative music and non-traditional modes of self-expression, do yourself a favor and add Amaarae to your playlist.
Like water, Amaarae’s music flows endlessly and blends sex positivity, sexual fluidity, and other boisterous themes in an upper soprano chant-like voice.
And before you ask, I can confirm that her live performances sound just like her recorded songs, if not better.
From the terrace seating above the stage, I watched Amaarae command the sold-out El Rey. In her red latex leggings and matching stiletto heels, she chanted the words to “Princess Going Digital” to a crowd that was more than eager to perform the whole song for her. For an hour plus, hit after hit, from “Co-Star” to “Sad Girlz Luv Money,” the crowd never stopped moving. They never stopped dancing. They never stopped singing. They never stopped vibing, even if they didn’t know all the words to the song.
Amaarae is the truth. Many artists could learn a thing from her live show. She’s got it all, and I can’t wait to watch her grow and become an even more magnificent artist.
Photos & Words by Asha Moné
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