Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae has shared her honest thoughts on Afrobeats. She believes that the global buzz of Afrobeats has slowed down. Amaarae, whose real name is Ama Serwah Genfi, spoke about this during an interview with British-Nigerian media personality Madame Joyce.
The “Sad Girls Love Money” singer explained that Afrobeats and African music need to change. She said many artists are afraid to try new sounds because they focus too much on making money. In her words, “Afrobeats and African music need to evolve. It needs to evolve in a direction that is fearless, and I think right now artists have made so much money from a certain type of sound that they are afraid to step out of the boundaries because they are probably more focused on the financial aspect of it. And as a result, I think Afrobeats has stalled.”
Amaarae praised Rema for his recent album ‘HEIS.’ She said it showed how Afrobeats can grow and remain fresh. According to her, “One of my favourite albums last year was Rema’s ‘HEIS.’ That’s what I consider the evolution of Afrobeats. You see how it moved the genre and the culture forward, and you see how it moved his career forward.”
She also said some artists are not ready to take risks. She feels this has put Afrobeats in a rut. Amaarae called on African artists to try new things to keep people excited about their music. She added, “There have been a lot of people that have big hits that aren’t willing to push the boundaries of the music, and as a result, Afrobeats is in a bit of a rut. So, I think Africans need to get it together, get on up, and start to experiment. [African] music needs to evolve, and it needs to excite people again.”
Her comments have sparked debates online. Some fans agree that Afrobeats is becoming repetitive. Others believe the genre is still strong around the world. One thing is clear – Amaarae wants African music to continue growing and stay fearless.
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