Amaarae’s second album Fountain Baby has taken on a life of its own. Nearly a year after its release, the 14-track project is still heavily in rotation by fans near and far. Additionally, it’s helped to take Amaarae to all corners of the world, most recently for a performance at Dreamville Festival earlier this month.
With every spin of Fountain Baby, there’s something new to love which explains the recent surge in popularity of “Angels In Tibet.” The track was recently crowned as the fourth single from the album, joining favorites “Reckless & Sweet,” “Co-Star,” and “Wasted Eyes.” It also received a mass remix treatment thanks to a new EP that delivered new takes of the song from the likes of Juls, Kaytranada, and Aliyah’s Interlude.
The magic of Fountain Baby also comes alive onstage where Amaarae has the opportunity to present the album in a new way. The in-person experience grants the singer a control panel with all the necessary levers, nooks, and crannies needed to reimagine her album is a multitude of ways. Creating Fountain Baby is one thing and crafting a live experience behind it is another tall task, but it’s one that Amaarae was excited to accomplish from the very beginning.
Following her performance at Dreamville Festival, we caught up with Amaarae for a conversation about live performances of Fountain Baby records and what her dream concert experience for the album would look like.
When making a project like Fountain Baby, how much thought goes into what performing these songs might sound like while also maintain the cohesiveness of the project?
I thought about it a lot. When I made this project, I really went into it thinking about the performance aspect and how to really translate the songs beautifully to live. My first album, when we would do it live, it just felt very soft, it wouldn’t knock on the stage. So every time I was with the guys, I’d be like, “Yo, the drums gotta knock,” cause when we take this to the stage, people need to be slapped in the face with it. That that was a big thing, making sure those drums are heavy and you feel them, and [that] those synths are really in your face and pulsate through your body. That was a big thing for me, thinking about how it would translate live.
What’s a song from the project that made you say, “Oh, I cannot wait to perform this!” once it was done?
Probably “Co-Star” or “Princess Going Digital.”
What are some things you try to emphasize in order to really bring this album to life when you perform it?
I think lights are really important. Every time I write a song or make an album, I think about color. That’s one of the first things that I think about. So, making sure that the lights feel as intentional and as powerful as the music, and it feels almost like a beating heart and a pulse that works through the music is really important for me. I [also] think about certain live elements that I like to bring to stage like drums — mixing live drums and programmed drums to make sure that they really knock — and synths. As I get bigger and bigger and as production gets bigger and bigger, I want to have huge synths where you can really feel the power of music. Also, recently: movement. I didn’t used to be much of a dancer, I’m not a crazy dancer, I’m not a crazy dancer at all, but I kind of seen the value in finding your own swag, what works for you movement-wise, and really using that to tell the story of the music as well. I’ve enjoyed finding my own swag as a dancer, I think I have my own brand now.
Describe what would be the perfect Fountain Baby concert experience. Who would be the artists opening for and performing with you? Where would you have it? What other elements would you have? There are no limitations here.
Think about the biggest waterfall on Earth, and if I can build a stage in the waterfall where it’s seamless with the waterfall? That would be fire. I like my openers so far. I think I would stick with the openers that I have now. Talia Goddess is crazy, Amindi is crazy as well. I would have a fire DJ open for me because I think the a really great DJ can just set the tone and really prepare the audience for what’s about to come next. So I would have a really amazing DJ open up for me and yeah, I would love to do it in a waterfall, that would be spiritual to imagine.
What’s the message, feeling, or emotion that you hope people leave with after seeing you perform?
I think belief in self and the confidence to make choices that benefit them the most. I’m not a perfect person and as I’ve been performing the album, I’ve really been listening to the lyrics and I’m like man, I was really going through something there. I was really in a shift and experiencing so much. Now, I’m realizing how much that album wasn’t even about love or lust, but it was about discovery of my own self through the good, the bad, [and] the evil, and here I am still standing. So here y’all should be still standing and we should all go forth and motherf*cking prosper.
Angels In Tibet (Remix Pack) is out now via Golden Angel LLC/Interscope Records. Find out more information here.
