Alemeda

One Liner:  Supposedly rock, but more like alternative R&B to me

Wikipedia Genre:  Alternative, indie rock, pop (???)

Home: Phoenix

Poster Position: Third Quarter - Line 15
Both Weekends.
Saturday.

Ladybird Stage at 1:45.

Thoughts: Rahema Shifa Alameda.  Why would she change the spelling of her last name to make her musician name?  That is weird.  But, she is signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, the home of SZA, Doechii, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul, and the prior label for Kendrick.  Oh wait, I found out why - she says that her last name is a very common name in Ethiopia, where her people are from, and so she changed the spelling so that people could google it.  She was inspired to make music by High School Musical, which is kind of hilarious.

Not that much music here, so I keep hearing the same tracks over and over again, which is bothersome.  Not terrible, even though I am never all that in love with the SZA-style R&B stuff.  Which also makes it funny that Wikipedia claims that her music is alternative and indie rock?  Just using a guitar does not somehow make music alternative... but she has appeared on several other peoples' albums - Ab-Soul, Reason, Ibrahim Maalouf - as the hook singer on their raps.  She sounds good on the Ab-Soul track.

No real album, just an eight song EP that came out in 2024.  The top track on it was her second single, released in 2021.  "Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows" has 14 million streams.

Like, that ain't no alternative rock that I've ever listened to before.  Sounds like that British drum and bass rap.  They actually torched a BMW SUV!  Got that Kendrick money behind the label!  The track is fine - not really my thing so it feels like something I won't recall in five minutes.

She was raised between Phoenix, Arizona and Addis Abada, Ethiopia, where her mother was from.  Her mom was a strict Muslim who kept her away from any pop music, and was reluctant to come to America (only doing it after her husband died).  She moved to America to avoid having to marry her deceased husband's brother.  Feels like a good reason.  But Alemeda and her mom ended up clashing, and mom kicked her out of the house at the end of high school because she wouldn't act like a good Muslim.  She enrolled at Arizona State, working multiple jobs, and then her first song found its way to the TDE co-president who flew her out to L.A.

Rolling Stone also says that her primary genre is rock.  Maybe there are secret recordings not on Spotify or something.  Her second-most streamed tune is the well-titled "Post Nut Clarity," with 3.6 million streams.

Uh, yeah, that still doesn't sound like a rock and roll song.  Right?  Am I taking crazy pills here?  "Don't Call Me" sounds like "Where is my Mind" each time it starts and it throws me off every time.  I guess that song has a guitar and drums and so you could try to shove it into a rock bucket?  I just hear her vocals sounding like R&B, and even with the band doing the work in the background it feels like she's still doing the same thing as those above.  Her quote in Rolling Stone makes me feel bad though, I am apparently a jerk and so she wants me to punch her in the face: “I love it, because it’s so easy, and on top of that, there’s such a scarcity of women who look like me doing it. I feel like I have a point to prove because even now people will keep trying to put me into the R&B [box]. People will actually go as far as say alternative R&B, and it’s like, at this point, just punch me in the face. It’s the worst.”

Also, with only 1.2 million streams, I wouldn't say this is taking off just yet.

I guess more rock and roll is a good thing, even if I don't hear it, but if we can get the youth asking to hear more rock music then maybe we get more of it that I can recognize.  I wouldn't go see this one, but keep kicking the door open for other folks!