Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter, Amaarae has disclosed that she has received much “hate” than warmth since returning to her homeland in 2017.
Speaking to ABC News Live Prime, she attributed the negative reception to her unapologetic boldness and expressiveness as a woman.
She said, “I don’t think that I have seen anyone get as much hatred from their home country as I have. It is unfortunate and I think that it does also have a lot to do about me being a woman and then being a woman that is so bold and expressive and I think it kind of shocked people and scared them,” she noted.
The singer stresses the need for an inclusive and in-depth discussion on women’s empowerment, tackling the issue from all angles.
“Real conversations about our community need to happen, real conversations about the way that women are viewed and are allowed to express themselves. You don’t have to conform and fall into any boxes, you can absolutely pave whatever path that you want, you just have to stick to it. You have to grind it out and just see it through,” she added.
Amaarae who is currently on tour with American singer Sabrina Carpenter, mentioned that the latter has been an inspiration to her.
Also, her style of music has inspired her peers to feel free to express themselves with music.
“What I observe with my music is that it has allowed more of my peers to experiment within music. There’s no more boundaries. If you do Pop, now you can dabble in rap, R&B and I love that we can all bring this different worlds together and true expression of ourselves,” she said.
Ama Serwah Genfi (born July 4, 1994), formerly known as Petrah and currently known professionally as Amaarae, is a Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter.
Amaarae has songs like ‘Reckless&Sweet’, ‘Like It’, ‘Leave Me Alone’ and ‘Wasted Eyes’ and also has a feature with British Rapper Stormzy titled ‘This What I Mean.’
Meanwhile, Amaarae has been honoured as ‘Woman of the Year’ at the 2024 3Music Awards held on Saturday, September 28.