Singer Amaarae has made history as the first Ghanaian artist to perform a solo set at Coachella — but she shocked her fans with a surprise move during her performance.
She took the Gobi stage around 5 p.m. PT during the first weekend of the music festival. Amaarae performed unreleased tunes and several Ghanaian songs from La Même Gang, Asakaa Boys, Joey B, and others during her set.
“A lotta the music you just heard is from my home country, Ghana,” she told the crowd. “I love my country so much.”
Amaarae also shared during her set that her new album, Black Star, will be released this summer.
The singer also appeared to shave her head in the middle of her set, ditching her long black hair. Fans and viewers immediately flocked to X to comment on the shock move.
“@amaarae shaving her head on stage at Coachella is a power move,” one fan wrote.
“Oh that new amaarae album will be fire she’s cut her hair on stage,” someone else shared.
Born Ama Serwah Genfi and formerly known as Petrah, the American-Ghanaian singer-songwriter emerged on the scene in 2017 when she released her EP Passionfruit Summers. Her music is a blend of R&B, hip-hop, punk rock, and Afropop.
She followed her EP up with The Angel You Don't Know in 2020. Amaarae then released Fountain Baby in 2023. She then was the opening act on Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet Tour in 2024.
Growing up, Amaarae spent time living in Ghana, as well as Atlanta, Georgia, and New Jersey. She was signed by Concord Music Publishing in 2023.
Fans praised her Coachella performance for a variety of reasons, including her homage to Ghana.
“@amaarae performing @LaMemeGang songs at Coachella is ICONIC,” one fan wrote.
“Big love to @amaarae for flying the Ghana flag so boldly at Coachella. You didn’t just perform, you represented a whole nation with style, grace, and pure talent,” someone else shared.
“Amaarae performed back-to-back hits by some Ghanaian artists at Coachella, and she nailed it! The Growth is crazy,” a fan shared.
“Amaarae is a once in a generation artist,” another said.
Someone else said: “Amaarae’s Performance will go down in history as one of the best performances ever at the Coachella! What a performance.”
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