Aminata Kabba (born 13 December 1994), also known by her stage name Kabba (stylised as KABBA), formerly A*M*E, is a British singer and songwriter. KABBA was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on 13 December 1994. In 2011, A*M*E was scouted and signed by Take That frontman Gary Barlow to his label, Future Records.[1][2][3]
KABBA | |
|---|---|
 KABBA in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aminata Kabba |
| Also known as | A*M*E |
| Born | 13 December 1994 Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | kabbamusic.com |
On 9 December 2012, the BBC announced that KABBA – then A*M*E – had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll.[4]
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. The Duke Dumont single "Need U (100%)", featuring A*M*E and MNEK, topped the UK Singles Chart on 7 April 2013.
Biography
edit1994–2011: Early life
editAt the age of eight, A*M*E moved to England 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 south-east London, A*M*E was introduced to fellow teenage prodigy MNEK.[1] The pair bonded over a mutual love of '90s pop music 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]
2012–2018: Career beginnings: A*M*E
editIn 2012, A*M*E released a string of promotional singles called "City Lights" (featuring Bartoven), "Ride or Die" and "Find a Boy", which she co-wrote alongside Emeli Sandé and producer Naughty Boy.[7]
It was announced by The Guardian in September 2012 that A*M*E would release her first commercial single, "Play The Game Boy", in November 2012.[8] 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."[9]
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 number one and remaining there for two weeks, and earned her a nomination in the Best Dance Recording category at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
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?", CamelPhat's "Paradigm", MK's "My Love 4 U", Tough Love's "Closer to Love", Shift K3Y's "Entirety", as well as appearing on M-22's "White Lies".
2019–present: KABBA and debut EP
editThrough an Instagram post on 8 July 2019, A*M*E announced that she would rebrand as KABBA.[10][11]
KABBA announced the first single from her self titled debut EP on 12 July 2019. It is titled "Glue" and features Bartoven, who previously appeared on her song "City Lights". The song was first premiered on COMPLEX on 24 July 2019. In the article, KABBA explained the reasons behind her rebrand, stating: "KABBA is a Sierra Leonean name and part of my identity that is so precious to me. Now that I'm entering a new phase in my career, I'm free to fully embrace KABBA."[12]
Her debut EP KABBA was released on 14 February 2020.
Artistry
editInfluences
editKABBA has been heavily influenced by K-pop, saying "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."[13] KABBA cites Beyoncé, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Big Bang as her influences, she also cites Janet Jackson as a major influence calling Jackson her idol.
Discography
editExtended plays
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| KABBA |
|
| Note to Self |
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "City Lights" (featuring Bartoven) |
2012 | Non-album singles |
| "Ride or Die" | ||
| "Play the Game Boy"[14] | ||
| "Heartless" | 2013 | |
| "Glue" (featuring Bartoven) |
2019 | KABBA |
| "My Work Is Done" | ||
| "Muscle" | 2020 | |
| "Rather Be Single" | 2021 | Note to Self |
| "Mood" |
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [15] |
AUS [16] |
BEL [17] |
DEN [18] |
IRE [19] |
NL [20] | |||
| "Need U (100%)" (Duke Dumont featuring A*M*E) |
2013 | 1 | 40 | 17 | 31 | 27 | 20 | 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 | – | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Closer to Love" (Tough Love featuring A*M*E) |
2017 | – | — | — | — | — | — | Past Present Future |
| "Entirety" (Shift K3Y featuring A*M*E) |
2018 | – | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
Promotional singles
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Find a Boy"[7] (A*M*E featuring Mic Righteous) |
2012 | Non-album single |
Guest appearances
edit| Title | Year | Artist | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "One Thousand"[21] | 2012 | Cheryl Cole | A Million Lights | Un-credited backing vocals |
| "Future X Girl"[citation needed] | 2014 | Neon Jungle | Welcome to the Jungle | |
| "WTF (Interlude)" | 2017 | Brayton Bowman | 22 Minutes Later | Un-credited speaker |
| "All In" | 2018 | Throttle | Non-album single | Writer and un-credited lead vocalist |
| "White Lies" | 2019 | M-22 |
Songwriting credits
edit| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Co-written with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | f(x) | Electric Shock EP | "Beautiful Stranger" | Mich Hansen, Jason Gill |
| 2013 | Samsaya | Bombay Calling | "Stereotypes" | Sampda Sharma, Iain Farquarson, Fredrik Ball |
| Duke Dumont | Non-album single | "Need U (100%)" (featuring A*M*E) | Uzoechi Emenike, Robbie Bergin | |
| 2014 | Neon Jungle | Welcome to the Jungle | "Future X Girl" | Anita Blay, Benjamin Berry |
| 2015 | Duke Dumont | Non-album single | "The Giver (Reprise)" | Adam Dyment, Hal Ritson, Kelli-Leigh Henry-Davila, Uzoechi Emenike |
| 2016 | JKAY | "Stranger" (featuring Shola Ama) |
Jonathan Keep, Marvin Humes, Uzoechi Emenike, Caroline Furoyen, Sinai Tedros | |
| 2018 | Mike Williams | "Give It Up" | Michael Willemsen, Stevie Appleton | |
| Throttle | "All In" | Uzoechi Emenike, Robbie Bergin | ||
| 2019 | Ryan Ashley | "Familiar" | Ryan Campbell, Roberto Manfredi | |
| M-22 | "White Lies" | Andre Nookadu, Andrew Bullimore, Frank Sanders, Matthew Humphrey | ||
| 2020 | Sleepwalkrs | "More Than Words" (featuring MNEK) |
Roberto Manfredi, Thomas Hollings, Samuel Brennan, Uzoechi Emenike | |
| KSI | All Over The Place | "Really Love" (featuring Craig David and Digital Farm Animals) |
Olajide Olatunji, Craig David, James Murray, Mustafa Omer, Nicholas Gale, Eugen Nwohia, Ronald Nwohia, Michael Ashley, Paul Newman, Steve Wickham | |
| Amun | Non-album single | "Done Me" | Uzoechi Emenike, Raoul Chen, Alexander Montell, Amun Ahmed | |
| 2021 | Like Son | "One Night Only" | Conor Blake, Joseph Paul Murphy, Nathan Richards, Samuel Brennan, Tom Hollings | |
| Joel Corry | "I Wish" (featuring Mabel) | Harlee Jayne Sudworth, Jess Glynne, Joel Corry, Lewis Thompson, Mabel McVey, Neave Applebaum, Paul Harris, Poppy Baskcomb, Robert Harvey, Uzoechi Emenike | ||
| Amun | No Ceilings | "Press Delete" | Tyler Hotston, Amun Ahmed |
Music videos
edit| Song | Year | Artist | Director | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "City Lights" | 2012 | A*M*E (featuring Bartoven) | Ashur Yelda, Aram Antabil, Ashley McDermott & Chantelle Fiddy |
[22] |
| "Ride or Die" | A*M*E | [23] | ||
| "Play the Game Boy" | Patrick Killingbeck | [24] | ||
| "Heartless" | 2013 | [25] | ||
| "Rather Be Single" | 2021 | KABBA | Amaka Lin | [26] |
| "Mood" | Oliver Marshall | [27] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Organisation | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | BBC Sound of 2013 | Sound of 2013[4] | Nominated |
| 2014 | Grammy Awards | Best Dance/Electronic Recording: "Need U (100%)" | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "New music: A*M*E – City Lights (Fuller Refix vs Gold Top Remix)". The Guardian. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "Gary Barlow Advises A*M*E 'To Avoid Getting Sidetracked' After Number One Single". Entertainmentwise.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c "Sound of 2013 Profiles: A*M*E". BBC. 9 December 2012. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "Catford Sedgehill teenager A*M*E keeps anti-Thatcher song from number one spot". News Shopper. 15 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
- ^ "Sedgehill Students sign record deal". Sedgehill School. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Release information: A*M*E – Find a Boy featuring Mic Righteous". Euro Solution. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "New music: A*M*E – Play the Game Boy". The Guardian. 25 September 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear". Digital Spy. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ A*M*E Announces Rebrand as KABBA: "A*M*E Announces Rebrand as KABBA > 8 July 2019". KABBA. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021.
- ^ Stern, Bradley (7 August 2021). "KABBA, "Rather Be Single": A Dating Burnout Bop for the Summer". MuuMuse. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ Emerging R&B Singer KABBA Shares Booming, Bass-Heavy "Glue": "Emerging R&B Singer KABBA Shares Booming, Bass-Heavy "Glue"> 24 July 2019". COMPLEX. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ "A*M*E interview: 'I call Gary Barlow Uncle G'". Digital Spy. 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "'Play the Game Boy' – A*M*E". iTunes. 11 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ Peak positions for the featured singles in the UK:
- For "Need U (100%)": "Chart Archive > 13th April 2013". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "Discography A*M*E". Hung Medien. australian-charts.com/. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ "Discografie A*M*E". Hung Medien. ultratop.be/nl/. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
- ^ "A*M*E discography". Hung Medien. danishcharts.dk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ Peak positions for Ireland:
- For "Need U (100%)": "Irish Chart Track > Week 16, 2013". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ^ "Discografie A*M*E". Hung Medien. dutchcharts.nl/. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ^ "Cheryl – A Million Lights". Discogs. 15 June 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
- ^ "A*M*E – City Lights feat. Bartoven". YouTube. 14 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "A*M*E – Ride or Die". YouTube. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "A*M*E – Play The Game Boy". YouTube. 24 September 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "A*M*E – Heartless". YouTube. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ "KABBA – Rather Be Single". YouTube. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "KABBA – Mood". YouTube. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.