Amaarae is back with a new album and a clear message: she wants us to dance the summer away. The Ghanaian-American artist has just announced “Black Star”, her highly anticipated second LP after Fountain Baby (2023), and unveiled the single “S.M.O.” with a vibrant music video shot in Ghana.
The album will arrive on August 8, 2025 via Interscope Records.
🔥 “S.M.O.”: A bombshell of fusion and desire
“S.M.O.” -explosive acronym for “Slut Me Out”- is a sonic cocktail that combines Ghanaian eighties highlife references (Ata Kak), Detroit club basses, a zouk-like Caribbean groove, and echoes of Michael Jackson and Magic System. Amaarae sums it up bluntly:
“I want people to dance and feel things. I’m the new Donna Summer mixed with Janet Jackson in the Control era. The message can’t be misconstrued.”
The music video, directed by Omar Jones, complements the intense and sensual energy of the track, with an aesthetic that pays homage to both modern Ghana and its Afro-futuristic musical heritage.
🌟 From “Fountain Baby” to “Black Star”: evolution and empowerment.
With Fountain Baby, Amaarae established herself as one of the most innovative voices in global pop. The album was named #20 on Pitchfork’ s “Top 100 Albums of the 2020s So Far” list, and her follow-up aims even higher.
In 2024 he released the EP “Roses Are Red, Tears Are Blue – A Fountain Baby Extended Play”, expanding the sonic universe of his debut with new textures and emotional themes.
Now, with Black Star, the concept takes a more mature, darker and decidedly hedonistic turn.
