‘Afrobeats Has Stalled’ – Amaarae

Ghanaian-American singer, Ama Serwah Genfi, popularly known as Amaarae, has claimed that the global momentum of Afrobeats has stalled.

The Sad Girls Love Money hitmaker made this statement during an interview with British-Nigerian media personality, Madame Joyce.

Amaarae explained that Afrobeats, and African music in general, needs to evolve. She noted that some artists have become so financially dependent on a particular sound that they are now afraid to explore new styles.

“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,” she said.

Amaarae cited Rema’s HEIS album as an example of a project that has moved the genre forward.

“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 said.

She also criticised some artists who, despite having big hits, are not pushing the boundaries of their music, stating that this has caused Afrobeats to stagnate.

“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,” she added.