AMÉMÉ INTERVIEW: Afro-House DJ & Producer AMÉMÉ, a native of Benin in West Africa, is known for his innovative sound and vibrant energy. Get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
African, Dynamic, Soulful, Rhythmical, Adaptable.
Tell me something unique about your creative process
I often record voice notes in my iPhone when I hear a song and if something creative pops in my head – a rhythm pattern, a vocal idea – it could also just be a framework of a vocal, or even a drum pattern.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
‘POWER’
What inspired you to make that song?
I met a random guy in Tulum Mexico who started to sing an indigenous chant to me when I told him my name was AMEME. That chant’s lyrics had AMEME all over which means power in their dialect. I had no other choice to record him with my iPhone and work on what I consider to be one of my most original classics.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
‘KALETA’, is the first song I featured my mother on. I was usually pretty good at separating my craft and art from my personal life, but when the idea came to my mind and I asked my mum to sing that childhood chant from Benin, I knew it was about to be something special. Every time I play it, I’m transported back to my childhood and can hear my mum loud and clear which keeps her close to me.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
WORST: someone that was standing and dancing on the deck’s table and fell from the stage onto the mixer and all the plugs went flying. I tried to find some that were laying on the ground and tried to manage but it was very intense as it was also during an Africa Burn sand storm, dark in the night. Probably the hardest time I have had to play. BEST: It was the first time playing right before Black Coffee in Tulum and shockingly to me, he stopped the music and gave me a round applause, I was in heaven to be acknowledged by such a legend, I think I cried.
What is your favourite song to perform?
‘POWER’ because the crowd reaction is priceless, it’s a journey track and they are very patient with it.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Bisso Na Bisso, ‘Racines’.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
My grandmother gave it to me, it means “The one that stands out naturally within a group of people.”
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I studied math and science and worked in Banking for seven years prior to my professional career in music. I would probably be a heart doctor or a banker.
What’s success to you?
The meaning of success has drastically changed for me within the last 12 months. In the past I wanted to be the biggest, have the biggest records, but now it’s more about being my most authentic self and being able to take care of my family and impact my continent in a positive way. I believe real authenticity is a currency that has depleted in the music scene, especially in the electronic music world and in the Afrohouse space.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
So far there are two moments, when I got fired from the bank and decided that I wanted to pour all my time on my creative self, and second when I decided to self manage myself last summer.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
INSTAGRAM; @amemedj
TIK TOK : @amemedj
SPOTIFY: AMÉMÉ
Photo by Nirvana.
