Popular female artist, Amaarae, whose real name is Ama Serwah Genfi, has lamented her struggle with astigmatism, declaring she could go blind anytime soon.
The Ghanaian music act revealed this when she had a chat with Spotify as she was named the platform’s EQUAL Africa artist for August 2025.
“I’m one step away from being legally blind! My vision is a -7 and I have astigmatism,” she revealed to the popular streaming platform.
However, the 31-year-old artist is not allowing this to deter her from pursuing her music career and ruling the landscape, noting, “I navigate the music world with balance, willpower, and strength.”
“The challenges are real, don’t get me wrong, but I put my blinders on, lock into tunnel vision, and get to work. And when I come across another woman on the journey, especially a Black woman, I do my best to share knowledge, create opportunities, and lighten the load where I can,” Amaarae stated.
Speaking on why she chose music, she said, “When I moved back home to Ghana in 2009, I was learning how to make beats and record myself at the back of the computer lab. Someone had installed a cracked version of FL.”
she listed her inspirations in the industry as Daddy Lumba, Terri Bonchaka, MzBel, Abrewa Nana, Obrafour’s legendary album Pae Mu Ka, Sarkodie, and Kwadwo Antwi, among others.
Speaking on why she chosen as Spotify’s EQUAL Africa artist for August, the Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa at Spotify, Ms Phiona Okumu, said, “Amaarae embodies the spirit of boundary-pushing creativity that EQUAL stands for.
“Her artistry is bold, distinct, and unapologetically authentic – qualities that continue to inspire a new generation of artists across the continent and beyond.”
Amaarae was raised in Ghana and the United States and has consistently pushed the boundaries of sound and identity, with her unique fusion of alternative, pop, R&B, and Afrobeats cementing her place as a singular voice in modern music.
Her musical journey took a turn in a computer lab in Ghana in 2009, where she taught herself to make beats on a cracked version of FL Studio. That moment sparked the fire for a career that would go on to produce game-changing projects like The Angel You Don’t Know and global hits such as SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY.
Amaarae’s inclusion on Spotify’s Global Impact List for the first half of the year, highlighting the most-exported Ghanaian songs, was no surprise. She has become a symbol of how African music is travelling further, faster, and louder than ever before.
With her latest album Black Star, she returns to her Ghanaian roots with bold energy, crafting what she calls a “rallying cry for youth culture around the world. This album is bringing the alternative community to the forefront, and being fearless about that.”