If you look past the tonal alterations and futuristic production choices that litter Amaarae’s work, a career-long embrace of fervid desire emerges from her work. From the whimsical, soulful ballads of ‘Passionfruit Summer’ to the playful, sirenic calls-to-action of ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ and the riotous, Punk-influenced extravaganza of ‘Fountain Baby’ as well as its sprawling addendum, ‘rose are red, tears are blue – A Fountain Baby Extended Play,’ Ama Genfi has crafted a catalogue that basks in her indulgent embrace of desire – sexual, material, and emotional – while cavorting with a multitude of sonic influences. Songs like “FEEL A WAY,” “Angels in Tibet,” and “sweeeet” all contend with the nature of sexual desire in the humorous yet layered fashion that could only emerge from the hallways of Amaarae’s mind. 

In recent months, Amaarae has been teasing her next album, an eagerly anticipated follow-up to ‘Fountain Baby.’ The rollout for the album, now confirmed as ‘Black Star,’ has seen her lean more into her Ghanaian heritage than ever.  During her performance at Coachella in April, where she made history as the festival’s first solo Ghanaian performer, she paid homage to Ghana’s musical history by playing songs by La Même Gang, Asakaa Boys, and Joey B. She also hosted a block party for the ‘Black Star’ album in Accra, hinting at an evolution of her relationship with her home country. 

In the lead-up to the release of ‘Black Star,’ Amaarae has shared its striking cover art as well as a new song, “S.M.O.” that espouses on her gospel of desire. Shortened for ‘Slut me out,’ the lead single of ‘Black Star’ opens with brooding drums and a thumping bassline that sets the stage for Amaarae’s requests from a love interest. As always, she is forthright and clear with her demands, with lines like “Slut me out / Show me how you like to love” and “I lay it all on the waist line/ Ginga me, ginga” instantly standing out. 

One of the most interesting parts of listening to Amaarae’s music since the lead-up to ‘The Angel You Don’t Know’ has been resolving the internal dissonance between her silky, enthralling vocals and the salacious details on her tracks. “S.M.O.” is similarly risqué while maintaining the alluring tenor of her voice. Unlike many singers who raise a temple dedicated to desire, Amaarae’s music contemplates all angles of her requests and what they mean, lending a layer of authenticity to her songs. On “S.M.O.,” it manifests in the shape of a love interest that she has to make comfortable. “You don’t like talking salacious / I understand / Sex is a part of your nature,” she sings. 

More significantly, Amaarea seems to continue to sing about her desire for women, taking a stand against the restrictive anti-LGBTQ beliefs and legislations that are commonplace and prevalent in her home country and West Africa at large. Lines like “I’m wavy / I wanna taste her” and “I wanna week witb her / She taste like lexapro” unabashedly show that Amaarae will not be censored by homophobic performativeness or perform overt heterosexuality just to advance her music. Ultimately, “S.MO.” sounds like a mix of The Angel You Don’t Know’ and ‘Fountain Baby,’ taking the high points of both albums for a song that’s undeniably in line with Amaarae’s stated vision of making futuristic Afropop. It’s also a strong opening salvo for what could be one of the best albums from anywhere in the world this year.