Sudanese Afro-pop artist, model, and writer Amanie Illfated introduces her new single, “Halawa,” featuring Caij0, a track lifted from her forthcoming album, Divine.
Born in South Sudanese, Amanie’s unique sound, a plush blend of elements of Afro-pop, R&B, reggae, and trap, mirrors her personal experiences growing up as a refugee in Canada, enveloping themes of healing, diversity, empowerment, and fun.
Described as the “African M.I.A” with “a touch of Chloe Bailey,” as superb as Amanie’s music is, it’s her voice that sets her sound apart – silky-smooth, translucent, and dripping with swagger. It’s one of those voices that’s at once hypnotic and sumptuously sensual.
Amanie arrived in a big way with the release of her genre-bending album, Saturn, which appeared in 2019, leading to features and interviews in elite media outlets such as Canadian Musician and Bustle Magazine as part of Puma’s She Moves Us Campaign, along with sharing the stage with artists such as P.Square, Emmanuel Jal, and Kobo Town.
In 2021, Amanie won Best R&B Artist of the Year at the South Sudan Music Awards. She has also received two nominations from the African Entertainment Awards for Best Female Artist and Musician of the Year by South Sudanese ACE Awards. She has worked with Juno award-winning producers Taabu and James Bryan.
Amanie’s international performances include Bagamoyo International Arts Festival in Tanzania, attended by Vice President Philip Mpango, Afrofest Toronto, TDotFest at Yonge & Dundas Square, African Descent Festival in Vancouver, South Sudan Unite 2019 in Minneapolis, and RUKAFest in Juba, South Sudan.
In January 2022, Amanie partnered with former refugee Sudan Warchild to sponsor five children from a refugee camp in Uganda to go to school in Kampala. She hopes to create more opportunities for young refugees to take control of their own futures.
Like a breath of fresh air, “Halawa” opens on a percolating, contagious Afro-pop rhythm topped by Amanie’s lusciously alluring vocals, honeyed and brimming with playful timbres. Lush, glowing vocal harmonies give the tune soft, oozing hues, adding to the song’s dreamy, enticing flow.
Caij0’s rapping-lite flow imbues the lyrics with buoyant savors, presenting practical questions that Amanie answers, providing a charming antiphonal episode.
Amanie Illfated has it going on! With “Halawa,” she offers a feel-good earworm of a song full of mischievous vibrancy.
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