Meet: Beckah Amani

From the Gold Coast comes a beautiful ray of sunshine Beckah Amani and her incredibly soulful folk-pop tunes captivating audiences and listeners alike. Having just received the 2022 APRA Professional Development Award for Popular Contemporary, and the coveted QMA Award for Emerging Artist of the Year in 2021 presented by triple j Unearthed, Beckah teams up with producers Josh Fountain (BENEE) and Tony Buchen (Troye Sivan, G Flip) for her first release of 2022, Lebeka Leka - a powerful self triumphant anthem reminding the young singer-songwriter to let go. 

Finding inspiration for her songwriting in admiration of her family, the Tanzania born artist shares that “Family reminds me to let go of my fears and go for what I want”. For this particular track, Beckah goes a little deeper, explaining “My mum calls me Lebeka because that’s how you pronounce my given name Rebeca in my language Kirundi, she always says 'lebeka leka’ which means ‘Rebeca, let go’. I was particularly thinking about fear, how we often get so caught up in it that it kind of distorts everything that we want.” With this heart-warming message in mind, the track flows effortlessly, oozing with lush soundscapes, buoyant rhythms, and incredibly up-lifting vocals that wrap you up in swirls of harmonies and catchy melodies. 

Out today, let Lebekah Leka hit you in the feels, as you get to know a bit more about the emerging star below:  

Tell us about yourself? (age, location, hobbies/passions, what you do outside of music etc?)

Hi! My name is Beckah Amani. I am an artist currently based in Yugambeh Gold Coast Australia. Outside of music I love spending quality time with my friends and family, hiking, watching any and every political drama series I can get my hands on, finding the best local cheese cake and chai latte’s wherever I am and upcycling old clothes.

When and why did you start playing/writing music?

Music started with family for me. My dad was a choir conductor growing up and my mum played the guitar and sang. My formative years were spent around bonfires and family dinners singing and listening to a collective mix of music. At the age of 10 my dad taught me the basics on the guitar, I took piano lessons for 2 years and I ran with it. It wasn’t until I was 12 that music became my own and that I fell in love with songwriting! That’s when my relationship with music changed. My why for music and song writing evolved when I realised listening to music and writing songs was the only place I went to authentically express my thoughts, feelings and process life. Songwriting is where I go to vent and process love and heartbreak, growing up, the mess that is high school and my identity. Music is therapy for me and telling stories inspired by life’s ever changing landscapes is how I get through. 

Tell us about your creative process? 

My creative process changes depending on how the lyrics come. One way I write is just by free styling or jamming out on the piano or guitar and once a melody stands out, I find lyrics for the melody. The second way I write is by writing poems and lyrics in my journal. This is usually when I have something specific I want to say in a song and have specific feelings I was to explore. Once I’m happy with the lyrics or poem I then jam out on the piano or guitar until I find a melody for the lyrics that I love. From there I work with a producer to bring the song to life. 

Tell us about your new release? (Perhaps something not covered in press release)

My new release, “Lebeka Leka”,  is a love letter to family and friends who make living worth it and diving head first into our dreams, less doubting. “Leka” means to let go in my native language of kirundi. “lebeka” is also how you pronounce Rebeca in kirundi. A while back, I called I my mum to vent to her how much I was struggling to get a song that I was writing right. She told me “lebeka leka, you are more than capable of doing this. Fear is just here for the ride - ignore him!”. That's when I knew what this song had to be about - breaking up with fear! The “him” I actually reference in “Lebeka Leka” isn’t a guy - it’s fear. I want listeners to know that they can break up with fear and go for what they want. That fear is just an extra in their movie!  The only voices that matter are those of our friends and family who only see the best for us and encourage us to see ourselves the way they do. My dream has always been to London - it’s actually wild to be following through with that dream. I couldn’t have made that leap of faith without my friends and family to encourage me to leave no rock unturned when it comes to fighting for my dreams. Fear is just there for the ride. 

How can fans best support your music?

Fans can best support my music by streaming and sharing my music. Storytelling is my goal with music so another way that fans can support me is by coming out to my shows and experiencing the stories in real time!  

What's coming up for the rest of the year?

Well per the bridge of “Lebeka Leka” - I’m heading to London. I’m keen to write and play live shows in the place I’ve been dreaming of. I’ve also been working on my first  body of work - so I’m looking forward to finally releasing that project later in the year and touring it! 

Who have you been listening to lately?

Ummmm good question! I’ve been listening to a lot of Arlo parks, Adele’s new album, SZA and I kind of never stop listening to Rihanna’s Anti album - it’s a recurring theme in my life.

Bekah Amani’s new single Lebeka Leka is out now via The Orchard. 

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