Born in the Bronx, New York, the Ghanaian-American artist was raised between Accra, Ghana; Mount Olive, New Jersey; and Atlanta. She started making music in high school and continued in college, attending Agnes Scott College in Decatur. Her debut album “The Angel You Don’t Know” dropped in 2020. The following year, the remix to her hit “Sad Girlz Luv Money,” which featured Kali Uchis and Moliy, made Amaarae the first Afrobeats female artist to debut on the Billboard Hot 100.

She toured the album in 2021 in smaller venues and fewer cities compared to the current tour. Amaarae said it’s been great to interact with fans on a bigger level with “Fountain Baby.”

“It’s shocking,” the 29-year-old said via Zoom, in a voice that’s noticeably deeper than her singing voice. “I’ve noticed favorites are ‘Angels in Tibet,’ ‘Princess Going Digital’ and ‘Co-Star.’ [Fans] go ballistic when those songs come on. It’s really interesting. They’ll sing it word for word. In every single city, that’s happened, so it’s still exciting to see that.”

Credit: Isaiah Johns

Credit: Isaiah Johns

Amaarae, who now splits her time between Los Angeles and Ghana, hasn’t been in Atlanta for roughly eight years. Still, she said her upcoming show feels like she’s coming home. After all, it’s the city where she spent some of her childhood and all of her college years.

For her, Atlanta will always be home. She said it was the first place in America where she felt like Black people can be normal and simply be themselves.

“And when I say normal, I mean your doctor can be Black. Your grocer can be Black. It’s a Black mecca for Black excellence. It’s also in the music. I grew up in Atlanta in two very important eras. The first one was when like artists like TI and Jeezy and Gucci Mane and Crime Mob and Ludacris were all coming up and bursting onto the scene and Atlanta was really making a name for itself. When I went to college, that was the era of, like, Young Thug, Future, Metro Boomin and Peewee Longway, so that was where a new Atlanta sound was bubbling. Seeing those cultural moments and how they resonated in the city and how the citizens responded to it and how it felt like a whole movement that permeated the city was so beautiful to watch.”

A huge inspiration for Amaarae is rapper Young Thug, who influenced the way she crafted her singing voice. She also credits The-Dream’s classic 2007 debut album “Love/Hate” for shaping her futuristic sound.

“I think my favorite thing about Atlanta and its artists is they’re very forward thinking when it comes to sound. It’s very quirky when it comes to the things that they will meld together. To create a new sound — like, it’s really cool to hear gritty rapping Gucci Mane over beats that sound almost like nursery rhymes like (in) ‘Freaky Girl’ and ‘Lemonade.’ Then, it’s cool to see, like, artists like Young Thug almost take on a Freddie Mercury style of singing, but it’s condensed to this rap thought process. Then, when you think about André 3000 [on] “Speakerboxxx/the Love Below,’ the ‘Love Below,’ transcends genre. He goes from rock to pop, to hip hop, to indie, all types of things.”

Credit: Isaiah Johns

Credit: Isaiah Johns

Atlanta’s Afrobeats culture also inspired her sound. She said the city was one of the first to really embrace Afrobeats.

“I remember when I was in college at the time Afrobeats was just starting to come to America, like it was just bubbling. The most popular two clubs in Atlanta at the time, Xs and Metro Fuxon, started to dedicate Fridays and Saturday nights to African music and Afrobeats. That started to completely change the scene of the city. That’s when like I saw Wizkid come to Atlanta for a concert, Davido came to Atlanta for a concert.”

As for her own Atlanta show, Amaarae said she keeping the performance very tight and aligning it with the album. When writing songs, one of her main goals is to make music that feels sexy, and she hopes people feel that way during the concert.

“There are a few moments where you know, things get somber, things get very intimate. But overall, I just want the fans to come and have a good time and experience the album live.”

Before the tour, “Fountain Baby” mainly felt like an infinite number of blessings to Amaarae, given her trajectory as a rising force in Afro-pop. Now, she’s says the album has taken on a new meaning.

It’s all about transformation and discernment.

Credit: Isaiah Johns

Credit: Isaiah Johns

“[It’s about] first and foremost, my life changing in a new way. Before, I was just the girl in Ghana making songs in my bedroom. The next thing I know, I have a hit record. The next thing I know, I’m moving to London, I’m traveling all over the world. As I’m doing that, my life is changing, my relationships — both romantic, both platonic — are all changing and evolving. I’m having to navigate that. Then, I’m having to navigate within myself, becoming aware of certain triggers and behaviors and deciding what is best for me. Do I want to look at myself for who I am and decide what I like and what I don’t like?”

For now, Amaarae is focused on the rest of the tour, which is set to end in London in August. She’s also working on a deluxe version of “Fountain Baby.” But she primarily wants to simply make fun music. It’s what she dreamed about in high school.

“I have become what I always wanted to be. It’s so crazy that I didn’t know how it was gonna happen or if it would be possible, but it’s happening.”

CONCERT PREVIEW

Amaarae

8 p.m. Friday, March 29. $85-171. Buckhead Theatre. 3110 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta. 404-843-2825. thebuckheadtheatre.com