Amaal


Contact Agent
Submit an Offer
Request Info

Amaal`s music transcends language and religion and culture, tapping into the kind fundamental humanity and search for self that binds us all. She writes with a vivid sensuality, reveling in the power of both physical and emotional touch,and her performances are visceral to match, delivered with a mesmerizing intimacy that hints at everything from FKA twigs and Kelela to SZA and Jhené Aiko. More than anything, her songs are quietly revelatory works of self-actualization, bold, intoxicating declarations of female empowerment that, by their very existence, stand as radical acts of feminine liberation. "My music is an unapologetic celebration of my womanhood," Amaal explains. "It`s the sound of me reclaiming my power, my pleasure, myself." The fourth of ten children, Amaal began her remarkable journey in war-torn Mogadishu, where she and her family lived until they were forced flee as refugees in the early 1990s. Starting over fresh in Toronto, she embraced the poetic nature of her cultural heritage but bristled at the conservative strictures and customs that came with it, particularly the repressive expectations placed upon women. By the time she hit 20, Amaal had grown bold enough to begin making her own music, but she still felt limited as to what she could sing about, so she focused her creative energy on politically and socially conscious material inspired by the civil unrest in Somalia and the struggles her people faced as a result. It was powerful stuff, to be sure, but there was more to Amaal than being a refugee, and she longed to express the fullness of herself and her story in her art. In 2019, Amaal finally worked up the courage to step outside of her comfort zone with the release of Black Dove, a daringly vulnerable collection that found her reckoning with love and heartbreak and desire in her music for the very first time. Though it felt incredibly risky, the EP was a critical smash, garnering a Juno nomination for Soul/R&B Recording of the Year, racking up millions of streams online, and prompting rave reviews across the board. Complex hailed Amaal`s "airy and ethereal vocals," while Exclaim! dubbed her "an artist that demands attention," and Vibe proclaimed her a singer "like no other."