A*M*E

Pop singer A*M*E (Aminata Kabba) was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. At the age of eight, she moved to London, England after her mother's hair salon was destroyed by a fire. Shortly after her relocation, she formed an informal pop group and quickly realized that she'd be more comfortable on her own. She crossed paths with songwriter/producer MNEK years later and recorded some collaborative material, including "City Lights." Take That's Gary Barlow heard that particular song and signed her to his Universal-affiliated Future label. The bouncy dance number, inspired by early house music and K-pop, was issued in 2012, as were "Ride or Die" and "Play the Game Boy." The same year, she co-wrote "Beautiful Stranger" for K-pop group f(x), who took it to number one in their native Korea. The BBC long-listed the rising star for their Sound of 2013 poll. ~ Andy Kellman