On Friday, June 20, 2025, Amaarae announced the release of her third studio album, Black Star. Following the release of her star sophomore album, Fountain Baby, the road to Black Star begins with her latest single, “S.M.O.” With a fusion of highlife, kpanlogo, and zouk, “S.M.O” is a showcase of Amaarae’s confidence, style and love of her Ghanaian heritage.
“For as long as I’ve made music, fusion has been my strength and I think this comes to full fruition on S.M.O,” she said about her new single. “The song takes inspiration from Ghanaian 80’s highlife trailblazer Ata Kak and blends it with a mean Detroit club bass, a drum roll akin to both Magic System’s ‘1er Gaou’ & Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock With You’ and an infectious zouk melody that sounds like a steel pan lipsing an evil synth. I feel like the new Donna Summer mixed with Control-era Janet and the song pretty much speaks for itself. Like ‘Pleasure Principle’ or ‘Love To Love You Baby,’ I don’t know how much clearer one can get when they ask you to ‘SLUT ME OUT.’ The message can’t be mistaken, and the beat makes you move. That’s all I want to do this summer, make people dance & feel things!”
Amaarae will support the release of her third studio album with performances at Glastonbury in June and Afro Nation and Lollapalooza in July and August. Then, her third studio album, Black Star, will hit streaming services on August 8, 2025. Until then, check out her single, “S.M.O,” below.
