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KABBA
KABBA in 2020
Background information
Birth name	Aminata Kabba
Also known as	A*M*E
Born	(1994-12-13) 13 December 1994 (age 30) Freetown, Sierra Leone
Origin	London, England
Genres	R&B pop hip hop soul dance
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Future Universal Epic
Website	kabbamusic.com

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.

On 9 December 2012, the BBC announced that KABBA – then A*M*E – had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll.

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

1994–2011: Early life

At 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. Growing up in the Catford area of south-east London, A*M*E was introduced to fellow teenage prodigy MNEK. 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.

2012–2018: Career beginnings: A*M*E

In 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.

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. 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 " insanely addictive choruses and K-pop inspired melodies" and that "it feels fresher than anything else on this week's chart."

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.

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

Through an Instagram post on 8 July 2019, A*M*E announced that she would rebrand as KABBA.

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."

Her debut EP KABBA was released on 14 February 2020.

Artistry

Influences

KABBA 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." 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

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Promotional singles

Guest appearances

Songwriting credits

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "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.
2. "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.
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. ^ "Sound of 2013 Profiles: A*M*E". BBC. 9 December 2012. Archived from the original on 12 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. Archived from the original on 12 May 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. ^ "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.
8. "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.
9. "Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear". Digital Spy. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
10. 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.
11. Stern, Bradley (7 August 2021). "KABBA, "Rather Be Single": A Dating Burnout Bop for the Summer". MuuMuse. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
12. 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.
13. "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.
14. "'Play the Game Boy' – A*M*E". iTunes. 11 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
15. 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.
16. "Discography A*M*E". Hung Medien. australian-charts.com/. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
17. "Discografie A*M*E". Hung Medien. ultratop.be/nl/. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
18. "A*M*E discography". Hung Medien. danishcharts.dk. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
19. 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.
20. "Discografie A*M*E". Hung Medien. dutchcharts.nl/. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
21. "Cheryl – A Million Lights". Discogs. 15 June 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
22. "A*M*E – City Lights feat. Bartoven". YouTube. 14 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
23. "A*M*E – Ride or Die". YouTube. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
24. "A*M*E – Play The Game Boy". YouTube. 24 September 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
25. "A*M*E – Heartless". YouTube. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
26. "KABBA – Rather Be Single". YouTube. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
27. "KABBA – Mood". YouTube. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

• 1994 births
• Living people
• Sierra Leonean women singers
• 21st-century Black British women singers
• Sierra Leonean emigrants to the United Kingdom
• Singers from London
• English house musicians
• English women pop singers
• People from Catford
• People from Freetown