The Puerto Rican artist Ama used her physician’s desk because the background for her video entry to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest. Her tune is about her restoration after chemotherapy.
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
Over the previous couple of weeks, we have been profiling a number of of this yr’s finalists within the Tiny Desk Contest from NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “AMARRA”)
AMA: (Rapping in Spanish).
ELLIOTT: The tune is known as “Amarra,” which suggests, pull your self collectively, by Puerto Rican artist Ama.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “AMARRA”)
AMA: (Rapping in Spanish).
ELLIOTT: She wrote and produced the tune whereas present process chemotherapy for leukemia. Although she is in remission now, she says her sickness compelled her to take a brand new method to music. NPR’s Hiba Ahmad has this profile.
HIBA AHMAD, BYLINE: Within the music video, you see Ama standing over a colourful launch pad, laptop computer, with a drumstick in her hand. The setup and the tune itself feels a bit misplaced. That is as a result of it is in her oncologist’s workplace.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “AMARRA”)
AMA: (Rapping in Spanish).
AHMAD: Ama, whose full identify is Amarilis Rios Rosa, says she knew the music video needed to be shot in that room at her physician’s desk as a result of that is the place a lot of her life had modified.
AMA: I advised him, I need to make a video on this desk that each laborious determination has been made on this desk. Each worst and excellent news has been on this workplace. So he is like, yeah, please do it.
AHMAD: Ama was identified with leukemia in 2021 and spent a full yr within the hospital doing chemotherapy. It is throughout this time the place she developed her id as a solo digital artist.
AMA: It was a therapeutic expertise doing music throughout chemotherapies.
AHMAD: She educated as a vocalist and multi-instrument percussionist, enjoying various kinds of drums and chimes on the identical time – so a number of motion. However the chemotherapy took a toll. She says she will be able to’t carry out the best way she used to.
AMA: My physique has been actually harm, so it is not the identical as earlier than. So I’ve to make adjustment. To start with, I can’t play percussion for, , these exhibits that you just make like two units of percussions. It is actually laborious. It is a bodily instrument, and I would like to search out methods to cope with my new low stamina and what higher than digital music?
AHMAD: That is the place the launch pad is available in. Image a board with a number of sq. buttons, all completely different colours. Every button is programmed with a special instrumental or digital sound. Within the video, you see her shortly tapping the buttons on the board whereas additionally hitting an digital drum to her left, all whereas singing right into a microphone.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “AMARRA”)
AMA: (Rapping in Spanish).
It is like a metamorphosis. I am simply looking out any technique to be a musician. We’re inventive folks as a musician, so we’ve to search out inventive methods to help.
AHMAD: Ama says writing the songs helped her course of among the ache she felt.
AMA: I really like them as a result of that was occurring on my head throughout chemotherapy. We undergo from chemo mind and we’ve blurriness. We’re, like, forgetting issues. In order that was occurring throughout that course of. And it was crucial to me to go away it like that.
AHMAD: She’s nonetheless recovering, however stays hopeful and wanting to make extra music.
Hiba Ahmad, NPR Information.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “AMARRA”)
AMA: (Rapping in Spanish).
ELLIOTT: You possibly can watch Ama’s submission to the competition at tinydeskcontest.npr.org.
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