Fountain Baby

Conforming to the expected has never been Amaarae’s strong suit. And it should come as no surprise that the Ghanaian American artist would create a sonic otherworld where the trappings of R&B, hip-hop, Afropop, punk, and alternative rock mesh with globe-trotting instrumentation and exist harmoniously without question on her album *Fountain Baby*. The result? A culmination of what a transnational pop star is in 2023—boundless. *Fountain Baby* lends its credence to Amaarae’s continued quest for growth and mastery, but not in a contrived way. There are pockets of carefully crafted yet carefree melodies like the dreamy “Angels in Tibet” and sultry “Reckless & Sweet.” On “Counterfeit,” the singer-songwriter swiftly glides with confidence on production by KZ Didit that’s reminiscent of an early-2000s movie soundtrack. “Wasted Eyes” opens with a quick koto solo and progresses as Amaarae soliloquizes about a wounded romance. The 14-track solo project pushes the ante of its 2020 predecessor, *The Angel You Don’t Know*, towards newer heights.

The Ghanaian American singer’s dazzling second album is a confident and unconventional record that flows, saunters, and boasts its way to one of the best pop albums of the year.

On her thrilling second album, the 28-year-old pushes the boundaries of African music to new, glorious highs

In a 2020 interview with Pitchfork, Amaarae wondered whether African music was on the brink of global popularity, similar to how Sean Paul k...

To Amaarae - born Ama Serwah Genfi - pop is more than a moodboard reference but a connective between past and future versions of herself. The Bronx-born

Drawing on a whole world of sounds, the Ghanaian American’s second album proper is a summery delight

Fountain Baby by Amaarae album review: a genre-splicing pop album that's designed for this precise moment by the US-Ghanaian artist

Monáe's delivers a hymn to unabashed pleasure, the former One Directioner overthinks things, and Christine and the Queens finds true love