A*M*E

Last updated

KABBA
Birth nameAminata Kabba Jamieson
Also known asA*M*E
Born (1994-12-13) 13 December 1994 (age 24)
Freetown, Sierra Leone
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2010–present
Labels
Associated acts

Aminata Kabba Jamieson (born 13 December 1994), better known by her stage name KABBA, formerly known as A*M*E, is a British singer and songwriter. A*M*E was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone on 13 December 1994. In 2011, Amy was scouted and signed by Take That frontman Gary Barlow to his label, Future Records. [1] [2] [3]

Freetown Place in Western Area, Sierra Leone

Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and political centre, as it is the seat of the Government of Sierra Leone. The population of Freetown was 1,055,964 at the 2015 census.

Take That British pop group

Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1989. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers.

Gary Barlow English musician

Gary Barlow is an English producer, musician, songwriter and singer. He is best known as the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.

Contents

On 9 December 2012 the BBC announced that A*M*E had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll. [4]

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters are at Broadcasting House in Westminster, London, and it is the world's oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total, 16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting. The total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed-contract staff are included.

Sound of... is an annual BBC poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. It was first conducted by the BBC News website in 2003, and is now widely covered by the corporation's online, radio and TV outlets, as well as other media. A 10-strong longlist is published each December, with a ranked shortlist and annual winner announced the following January.

In January 2013 A*M*E signed to Sony Music's Epic Records after Barlow closed Future Records to focus on his own career commitments. Her single "Need U (100%)", a collaboration with Duke Dumont and MNEK, topped the UK Singles Chart on 7 April 2013.

Future Records was a music imprint, based in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2009. The label was closed in 2012.

Adam George Dyment, better known by his stage name Duke Dumont, is an English musician, DJ, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for the singles "Need U (100%)", "I Got U", "Ocean Drive" and "Won't Look Back" which both reached number one and number two on the UK Singles Chart respectively. He owns the record label Blasé Boys Club and has also used it as an alias for production. He has remixed a number of songs, including several which have charted in the United Kingdom. In 2014, "Need U (100%)", was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Next year, "I Got U" featuring Jax Jones was nominated in the same category.

Biography

1994–2011: Early life

At the age of eight, Amy moved to the United Kingdom after her mother's hair salon was burned to the ground and life in Sierra Leone became too dangerous. [1] Growing up in the Catford area [5] of southeast London, Amy formed her own playground version of American group Destiny's Child, named Independent Girls; before realising that—much like Beyoncé—she preferred the spotlight solely on her. [1] From there she joined the Sedgehill School choir, taking lead on choral renditions of songs by Rihanna and Justin Timberlake, before being introduced to fellow teenage prodigy, MNEK. [1] The pair bonded over a mutual love of 90s pop and started collaborating, quickly creating a handful of songs including "City Lights". The track was enough to pique the interest of Take That frontman Gary Barlow, who proceeded to sign her to his Future record label. [1] [6]

Sierra Leone republic in West Africa

Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, informally Salone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea to the northeast. Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savanna to rainforests. The country has a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi) and a population of 7,075,641 as of the 2015 census. Sierra Leone is a constitutional republic with a directly elected president and a unicameral legislature. The country's capital and largest city is Freetown. Sierra Leone is made up of five administrative regions: the Northern Province, North West Province, Eastern Province, Southern Province and the Western Area. These regions are subdivided into sixteen districts.

Catford district in south London, England

Catford is a district of south east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located south west of Lewisham itself. The majority of Catford is located in the Rushey Green and Catford South wards.

Destinys Child American musical group

Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final and best-known line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990, comprising Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett among others. After years of limited success, the quartet were signed in 1997 to Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment as Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child was launched into mainstream recognition following the release of their best-selling second album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999), which contained the number-one singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name". Despite critical and commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict and legal turmoil, as Roberson and Luckett attempted to split from the group's manager Mathew Knowles, citing favoritism of Knowles and Rowland.

2011–present: "Play the Game Boy" and Sound of 2013 nomination

A*M*E's first major success as a songwriter came when "Beautiful Stranger"—a track which she wrote with Cutfather—was recorded and released by K-pop band f(x); becoming a top 40 hit in Korea. [4] [7] Released in July 2012, the musician co-wrote her track "Find a Boy" alongside Emeli Sandé and producer Naughty Boy. [8] Kabba also lent uncredited backing vocals to British singer Cheryl Cole's track "One Thousand", which was featured on her third studio album A Million Lights (2012). [9]

Cutfather is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen.

K-pop is a genre of popular music originating in South Korea. While the modern form of K-pop can be traced back to the early 90s, the term itself has been popularized since the 2000s, replacing the term Gayo (가요), which also refers to domestic pop music in South Korea. Although it generally indicates "popular music" within South Korea, the term is often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop that is influenced by styles and genres from around the world, such as experimental, rock, jazz, gospel, hip hop, R&B, reggae, electronic dance, folk, country, and classical on top of its traditional Korean music roots. The more modern form of the genre emerged with the formation of one of the earliest K-pop groups, Seo Taiji and Boys, in 1992. Their experimentation with different styles and genres of music and integration of foreign musical elements helped reshape and modernize South Korea's contemporary music scene.

Korea Region in East Asia

Korea is a region in East Asia. Since 1948, it has been divided between two distinct sovereign states: North Korea and South Korea. Korea consists of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and several minor islands near the peninsula. Korea is bordered by China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and neighbours Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the Sea of Japan.

It was announced by The Guardian in September that A*M*E would release her first commercial single, "Play the Game Boy", in November 2012. [10] Produced by Electric, the track attained positive reviews, with Digital Spy listing the song as one of its 'Top 10 tracks you need to hear'; commenting on "[its] insanely addictive choruses and K-pop inspired melodies" and that "it feels fresher than anything else on this week's chart." [11]

<i>The Guardian</i> British national daily newspaper

The Guardian is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian, and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers The Observer and The Guardian Weekly, the Guardian is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of the Guardian free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for The Guardian the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders.

Digital Spy is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, 'DS' has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, films, music and show business to a global audience. Digital Spy is one of the 150 most visited websites in the UK, according to Alexa.

On 9 December 2012 the BBC announced that A*M*E had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll alongside the likes of Angel Haze and The Weeknd. [4]

Her collaboration with Duke Dumont, "Need U (100%)" was released in March 2013. It became both acts' most successful single at the time, debuting at no.1 and remaining there for 2 weeks, and has since been nominated for the Best Dance Recording category at the 56th Annual GRAMMY Awards. In April 2013, it was confirmed that A*M*E was finishing her Epic Records debut album, and would be released later that year – however, as of July 2014, a date has not been set for the release.

On 14 July 2014, A*M*E released her second official single, "Heartless", produced by Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. She also featured on Monsieur Adi's single "What's Going On?", released in November 2013. A*M*E co-wrote two more songs during 2013 and 2014; "Stereotype" by Norwegian singer-songwriter Samsaya and "Future X Girl" by British group Neon Jungle. Kabba also recorded backing vocals for the latter.

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

TitleYearAlbum
"City Lights"2012Non-album single
"Ride or Die"
"Play the Game Boy" [12]
"Heartless"2013
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
UK
[13] 		AUS
[14] 		BEL
[15] 		DEN
[16] 		IRE
[17] 		NL
[18]
"Need U (100%)"
(Duke Dumont featuring A*M*E)		201314017312720rowspan="2" data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; font-size: smaller; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single
"What's Going On?"
(Monsieur Adi featuring A*M*E)		–––––—
"Paradigm"
(CamelPhat featuring A*M*E)		2015–––––—Axtone Ten
"My Love 4 U"
(MK featuring A*M*E)		2016–––––—data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; font-size: smaller; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single
"Closer To Love"
(Tough Love featuring A*M*E)		2017–––––—Past Present Future
"Entirety"
(Shift K3Y featuring A*M*E)		2018–––––—data-sort-value="" style="background: #ececec; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; font-size: smaller; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | non-album single

Promotional singles

TitleYearAlbum
"Find a Boy" [8]
(A*M*E featuring Mic Righteous)		2012Non-album single

Guest appearances

TitleYearArtistAlbumNotes
"One Thousand" [9] 2012 Cheryl Cole A Million Lights Un-credited backing vocals
"Future X Girl" [19] 2014 Neon Jungle Welcome to the Jungle
"WTF (Interlude)"2017 Brayton Bowman 22 Minutes LaterUn-credited speaker
"All In"2018ThrottleNon-album singleWriter and un-credited lead vocalist
"White Lies"2019 M-22

Songwriting credits

Music videos

SongYearArtistDirectorReference(s)
"City Lights"2012A*M*E (featuring Bartoven)Ashur Yelda, Aram Antabil,
Ashley McDermott & Chantelle Fiddy		 [20]
"Ride or Die"A*M*E [21]
"Play the Game Boy"Patrick Killingbeck [22]
"Heartless"2013 [23]

Artistry

Influences

A*M*E has been heavily influenced by K-pop, said "I love my K-pop, but I haven't really done anything with that sound yet. There's influences from it in my music – I've got some fat, solid, six-part melodies which are very K-poppy." [24] A*M*E cites Beyoncé, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Big Bang as her influences, she also cites Janet Jackson as a major influence calling Jackson "my idol".

Tours

Awards and nominations

YearOrganisationAwardResult
2012 BBC Sound of 2013 Sound of 2013 [4] Nominated

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "New music: A*M*E – City Lights (Fuller Refix vs Gold Top Remix)". The Guardian . 20 February 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/110783/Gary-Barlow-Advises-AME-To-Avoid-Getting-Sidetracked-After-Number-One-Single Entertainment Wise April 2013
  3. ↑ "X Factor's Gary Barlow uses mentoring skills with A*M*E saying 'just be true to yourself' - Unreality TV". Unreality TV. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 June 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Sound of 2013 Profiles: A*M*E". BBC. 9 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Catford Sedgehill teenager A*M*E keeps anti-Thatcher song from number one spot". News Shopper . 15 April 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Sedgehill Students sign record deal". Sedgehill School. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  7. 1 2 "BMI Repertoire: Songwriter/Composer:Aminata Kabba". Broadcast Music Incorporated. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Release information: A*M*E – Find a Boy featuring Mic Righteous". Euro Solution. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  9. 1 2 "Cheryl – A Million Lights". Discogs. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  10. ↑ "New music: A*M*E – Play the Game Boy". The Guardian . 25 September 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear". Digital Spy. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  12. ↑ "'Play the Game Boy' – A*M*E". iTunes. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  13. ↑ Peak positions for the featured singles in the UK:
  14. ↑ "Discography A*M*E". Hung Medien. australian-charts.com/.
  15. ↑ "Discografie A*M*E". Hung Medien. ultratop.be/nl/.
  16. ↑ "A*M*E discography". Hung Medien. danishcharts.com.
  17. ↑ Peak positions for Ireland:
  18. ↑ "Discografie A*M*E". Hung Medien. dutchcharts.nl/.
  19. ↑ "Neon Jungle – Welcome to the Jungle". Josep Vinaixa. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  20. ↑ "A*M*E – City Lights feat. Bartoven". YouTube. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  21. ↑ "A*M*E – Ride or Die". YouTube. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  22. ↑ "A*M*E – Play The Game Boy". YouTube. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  23. ↑ "A*M*E – Heartless". YouTube. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  24. ↑ "A*M*E interview: 'I call Gary Barlow Uncle G'". Digital Spy . 11 October 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  25. ↑ "Gigography: A*M*E". SongKick. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
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