Amaarae - S.M.O. (Official Video)

Amaarae Ushers in a Bold New Era with “S.M.O.” and Upcoming Album BLACK STAR

Genre-defying Ghanaian-American artist Amaarae is back and bolder than ever. The alt-pop innovator has announced her third studio album, BLACK STAR, arriving August 8 via Interscope Records. True to form, she’s breaking sonic and visual boundaries with the lead single “S.M.O.,” a genre-fusing anthem celebrating sexual liberation, Ghanaian heritage, and pure, unfiltered freedom.

Blending highlife, kpanlogo, zouk, and Detroit club bass, “S.M.O.” is a daring dancefloor manifesto that lands just after Juneteenth—complete with a striking music video filmed in Ghana. “I feel like the new Donna Summer mixed with Control-era Janet,” Amaarae says. “All I want to do this summer is make people dance and feel things.”

This new chapter follows her historic Coachella debut earlier this year—where she became the first Ghanaian artist to perform at the festival—and her globally acclaimed 2023 album Fountain Baby. With upcoming festival slots at Glastonbury, AfroNation, Lollapalooza and more, Amaarae’s vision of radical, Afro-futurist pop continues to expand its reach.