Concert Review: Amaarae at ACL Weekend 2 Saturday
Energetic R&B/Afrobeats fusionist Amaarae brought an eclectic mix of styles and an electrifying performance to ACL’s IHG stage.
Written by Arundhati Ghosh
Photo courtesy of Greg Noire
“Amaa - fucking - rae!”
The Ghanaian-American multi-hyphenate came onstage promptly at 3:15 p.m. to a booming introduction by one of her band members, backed by thrashing drumbeats. Adorned with silver and gold jewelry while glowing in a maroon trucker hat, black graphic shirt, and low-waisted mini-skirt, Amaarae stunned from her first second onstage. She wasted no time in telling the audience members to “get ready to rock” before jumping right into “Angels in Tibet,” her sweet voice smoothly riding the tune’s Afrobeats rhythms. Her natural ability to command a crowd shined through as she paused between the first and second song to shout out choice star signs, tastefully calling “Where are my Scorpios?” before transitioning into the fun, springy vocals of “Co-Star.”
Audience and artist were neck-and-neck in energy as Amaarae bounded around the stage with extreme ease, beckoning to the crowd to get louder and louder as she danced to the beat. She slid into the bouncy ’90s high school prom stylings of “Sociopathic Dance Queen,” showcasing her breath control as she airily repeated the word “touch.” Amaarae kept one mic on the stand as she caressed it while keeping another in her free hand so she could move freely up and down the stage.
Next, a funky synth foundation buoyed the Afrobeats in “Big Steppa” with the songstress’ light vocals floating over the music to create a sweet and spicy blend of styles and musicalities. Her band transitioned seamlessly into “JUMPING SHIP,” with Amaarae falling to her knees as she earnestly, but gently, pleaded for the object of her affections to “make more time.” In an incredible example of vibe curation and showcasing multiple musical abilities, Amaarae hyped up her crowd by calling for everyone to put their hands up while steadily rapping during hit song “Counterfeit.”
Her duality was also evidenced by her sweet singing voice contrasting — but not at all clashing with — her intense, sustained energy during “Princess Going Digital.” She paused the set after mellowly crooning the finale lyric, “I’ll be in the streets,” to hand a devoted fan a free band t-shirt and trucker hat, noting that the girl “[knew] every word to ‘Princess Going Digital!’” She followed this kindness by yelling out that she “[couldn’t] come to Texas without paying homage to Texas hip-hop” before momentarily giving the stage to her DJ as he spun a lone star state rap mix. Amaarae asked the crowd to keep their hands up and urged movement, but didn’t rap or sing over the mix, instead spotlighting her band.
Finally, she brought it back to the “sounds of Africa,” name-dropping Ghana and Nigeria. She played “Bling” by Blaqbonez, a flowy Afrobeats-accompanied song that features her and Buju, before transitioning into her song with Kali Uchis, “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY.” Amaarae began the popular song with just her voice, highlighting her vocal stability and its honey-like quality, then asking her band to “drop that shit for [her].” Despite how intense the drums, electric guitar, and full DJ set backing her were, the singer maintained her voice and was easy to hear above the backing instrumentals.
As the melancholy club track came to a close, the singer handed out more merch to die-hard fans before her guitarist began strumming in the final song, “Come Home to God.” Despite an acoustic backing, the singer and her fans’ energies remained electric. She ended her set on an ethereal, sustained sound, closing her performance as she started it — showing up and showing out. Although she played a smaller stage at ACL, Amaarae’s command of a crowd and natural understanding of the stage are made for selling out arenas. Her first Austin appearance was a resounding success.