Alemeda remarked, “New Music Friday is my holiday, and I come here to celebrate, “But What The Hell Do I Know“. And to be honest, the title itself already shouts like a journal entry that I wrote at 3 a.m., as I doubt all the choices that I have ever made.
But that’s precisely the point. Alemeda is a bite of the gorgeous mess of your 20s that tastes of pop, rock, and indie, mixed with the gritty truth and the cynical sisterhood. She has you, should you need an emotional release or just a scream-sing on your way home.
The EP is Confusing, Cross-Cultural, Catharsis, and Main Character Energy.
The body of work she released after her explosive collaboration with the consistently brilliant Doechiii on “Beat A B!tch Up” (yes, the name is literally the name) is an exploration that goes deeper into her internal world. Remember that Highsnobiety described the track as a blast of early 2000s pop energy with an even more acute, unapologetic edge. They were not lying. The song was as though Gwen Stefani had been raised with TikTok and was in therapy.
Now, in “But What The Hell Do I Know,” Alemeda is more personal.
She said, “It reflects my development, and I look forward to sharing this EP.”
Same, sis. Same.
The project is a diary, sloppy, truthful, beautiful, and even scary. It discusses the essence of being a young black woman in a world of identity, love, and loss, as she tries to find her way in a late-night whirl of cultures.
Even if healing is messy, “Happy With You” is for the healing girls.
The highlight song, “Happy With You,” is a punch to the gut. Alemeda sings when she is afraid of letting you love her, when toxicity was something you were used to. It is sweet, it is hurtful, it is liberating.
She explains, “It is learning to trust in myself that I deserve good things… being responsible and finally finding the cure.
Since the issue is sometimes him, but sometimes it’s us, babe.
(Yes, have tissues.)
“Caught in the Middle, “Survival Made Me.”
Being the firstborn daughter of an East African family divided between Ethiopia and Arizona, Alemeda did not quite inherit the soft-life starter kit. Her silent way out was music. And, in fact, you experience that stratified experience in each of the songs. She is singing to the girls who received lessons from grown-ups at too young an age.
She’s not alone, though. Alemeda creates therapy-infused fight songs with the help of her creative sisters, such as Doechii and Rachel Chinouriri, both literally and sonically.
Festival Girl Era: Activated
If you thought Alemeda was understated, let me remind you that she has performed on almost every big stage this year. These include Ollapalooza, Outside Lands, Rock en Seine (Paris), All Points East, All Things Go, and Austin City Limits. This is a resume that most artists would aspire to have.
And within a week, she will be performing at The Camp Flog Gnaw festival, created by Tyler, the Creator. The grind is very real.
The tracklist is entirely a mood board.
- Happy With You
- Beat A B!tch Up ft. Doechii
- Losing Myself
- Chameleon ft. Rachel Chinouriri
- 1-800-F**K-YOU
- Stupid Little Bitch
- I’m Over It
Frankly, this ensemble reminds me of the emotional curve of all situationships that ever made me fall. And 1-800-F**K-YOU should be nominated for a Grammy just because of the title.
