We don’t deserve Ammara Nury Brown, but we’ll happily take her, anyway. If you are up on the incredible, beloved icon and trend-setting barefoot diva — and chances are that if you’re reading this, you are — you know that her unique and bespoke musical blend has claimed a place of pride on the Zimbabwean stage ever since she debuted on the scene and made strings of national anthems of love like Kure Kure and Mukoko. At 31 now, this titan of work ethic and saccharine vocals can’t stop because she has a contractual obligation with National Institute of Satisfying You not to.
We love to see it. In case you missed it when the sky parted, angels descended from the clouds, and confetti rained from the heavens last week; Ammara was kind enough to treat us with a video for her singular seasonal bop “Loyal” courtesy of Edible Elevens and Leoy V.
Set up in some rough-hewn place (yes, it is very unlike Ammara), the video is nevertheless peppy and cute. And for some reason, Acie Badboy Lumumba, who stars as her love interest, keeps on kissing her on the forehead and pinpointing some place at a badly calligraphed map. There is no doubt that the Ammara in this song has his back. She promises to stand by him, scars and all, and help him carry the burden that threatens to break him. And though she’s gone on record with relationship traumas in the past and has been vulnerable enough to confess that she’s been as susceptible as the rest of us to abuse and insecurities, she knows the value of unconditional love and she spells it out in this song.
This song just so happens to be on my A-list of favourite Ammara songs of all time in the history of forever. I love it with my entire heart; I often think of this song when I’m having a day that’s gray or lonely. I just stick up my chin and grin, and say,
“I am Loyal to love my love until until I will, I will defend the love I have for you until until I will…Always Loyal to love my love…”
Like I use it to express self-loyalty of sort.
I’m listening to this song as I write this and I’m pretty sure the guy sitting next to me wants to ask, so badly, what I’m listening to because of the shoulder lean I just hit right back into the seated-two-step-in-a-chair motion I have going. This song literally makes me move and there’s nothing I can do about it. It clocks in at 4 minutes and 23 seconds and the last 2-plus minutes are just music and if this is the last song I ever hear, well, mama, that’s alright with me.
It’s an arresting track with minimal instrumentation that allows you to appreciate the song’s weight and context. Her voice is gorgeous — creamy smooth and spectacular. She projects pure emotion into the sensuous, sharply swinging her mornas-esque oddity and briskly elevates her technical range with such awe. In all this, she makes all this seem effortless. There’s an intimacy in the way this jam was recorded, which makes it feel like it was delivered as a personal gift to you. It’s inviting, impressive in its musicianship, and the arrangements are a refreshing addition to the Zimbabwean repertoire. Alas, I know some don’t see it that way and that is very much subject to debate.
And because Ammara and dancing are synonymous, we can’t eschew the fact that there is a John Cole’s touch that deserves props. The barefoot diva still got it, y’all. Seriously, the precision! The way she hits every beat with a firm smoothness in this video is what makes her and her electrifying performances so iconic. She dances her ass off! There’s no one like her and likely never will be (in Zimbabwe) because her sensuality and sexual appeal is completely unmatched. Whew. Seriously, how is she able to effectively balance that cherub-cheeked innocence (her giggles are just adorable) and femme fatale-esque sex appeal without seeming like she’s trying too hard?! Mind you, there is a whole scene in the video where they throw a live/talent show at what looks like a forlorn school. It is magic, so is she.
“Loyal” video could not have come out at a more critical time, as the world is battling a gruesome war against COVID-19. While it’s been three years since she blessed us with her debut album Ammartia, it’s natural for her fans to get restless as they anticipate her next studio release. The single is well worth the wait as it marks yet another impressive milestone by the singer and since we’re practising social distancing and counting down the 21 days-that-feel-like-months during our self-isolation period, perhaps the soothing sounds of Ammara’s voice and her badass dancing will get us by.
Here is the video. Watch it and reflect.
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