Q&A: Ami Taf Ra Releases “Speak To Us (Outro)” in New Brainfeeder Debut
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
Photography Credit: Sol Washington
AMI TAF RA HAS NEVER FIT INTO A BOX — and now, with her official signing to Brainfeeder, she’s exactly where she’s meant to be. The radically imaginative North African-born singer-songwriter joins the pioneering label as its newest voice—one that merges ancestral memory with celestial vision. Fusing Moroccan gnawa, Arabic scales, jazz improvisation, and gospel soul, Ami Taf Ra crafts music that doesn’t just defy genre—it transcends borders entirely.
To mark the occasion, she’s released a stunning new single, “Speak To Us (Outro),” produced by her longtime collaborator, the visionary saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington. Lush, cinematic, and spiritually stirring, the track is less of a song and more of a transmission—one that vibrates with longing, reverence, and the quiet call of something greater. Accompanying the release is a visually breathtaking music video that turns subtle moments into profound meditations on presence.
“‘Speak To Us (Outro)’ reminds us that the search for enlightenment is a lifelong journey; it doesn’t end, it just grows deeper as the light of life shines brighter,” Ami Taf Ra shares.
Joining the Brainfeeder roster marks a pivotal moment in her unfolding story. Known for championing boundary-pushing artists like Flying Lotus, the label is a haven for the creatively uncontainable. “I’m super excited to join the Brainfeeder family and to join the legacy of great artists they’ve released over the years,” she says. “Now, I’m looking forward to the future.”
Ami Taf Ra's musical identity is not only informed by sound but by lineage and experience. Ami Taf Ra continues to explore the intersection of languages, nationalities and spiritual traditions in her work. Singing in Arabic, French and English, she draws on her North African heritage while channeling a deeply diasporic spirit. Her voice feels like it carries centuries, yet floats effortlessly through modern sonic landscapes, from dusty jazz clubs to open-sky rituals.
At a time when global fusion can often feel surface-level, Ami Taf Ra dives deeper—into bloodlines, into spiritual inheritance and into the ritual of performance as communion.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
AMI: I grew up with a lot of music from the Middle East. My mom used to play music from around the region of North Africa and the Middle East throughout my childhood. Also, I grew up in Amsterdam, so I would also have a lot of music on TV, like MTV back in the day, and the 90s and 2000s radio that was played in the U.S. and Europe. My artistic style would be a fusion of these two core influences.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
AMI: In the beginning of my music career, I was drawn to the to the to the ambience of acoustic and smooth jazz. For this song, of course, I worked with Kamasi Washington and he took it to another level and made it sound huge. The sound definitely shifted before and after working with Kamasi.
LUNA: Congratulations on joining the Brainfeeder family. What does it mean to you to align with a label known for such radical imagination and genre-defying artistry?
AMI: First of all, this is my first record. It's amazing how I was an artist for just making art, and I was getting my music out there in my capacity, but having a label that really cares about the quality of music, and it really cares for the artists is such a huge support. I'm so humble and grateful for Brainfeeder at this moment to really believe in the music. This is my debut. I don't have a previous big career, so they took a risk in signing me. They really care for the music and go full in and support it.
LUNA: “Speak To Us (Outro)” is your first release under Brainfeeder. Why did you choose this track to mark this new chapter in your journey? What is the inspiration behind the single and what themes or emotions do you explore?
AMI: This song was inspired during the start of the pandemic. Kamasi and I were expecting our first child and my body was going through a lot of hormonal changes—that was at the beginning of 2020—and the world was lost. There was lockdown chaos. There was confusion about what's going to happen next, and when the time stops, you reflect on your life and on your future and past.
It was a search for enlightenment that was growing and growing in the time of pandemic. It's the beginning of the search and the journey of motherhood was aligned with each other. I think to start off with this song, or release a song, was a great choice because it's the beginning. The song doesn't really end. The beginning of the song is when the song finishes. What's happiness? Is there going to be an answer?
LUNA: The track is produced by Kamasi Washington, a longtime collaborator. Can you speak about the creative process behind this song and how your artistic chemistry has evolved over time?
AMI: Usually, when I write music, I just let music happen and it's like an epiphany. I articulate myself through melodies better than when I speak, and melody comes before the words. Usually how I work is recording a melody first and then revisiting the melody a few weeks later and seeing what works I can come up with to bring it to life. With this specific song, the melody and the words came together. It was so magical.
I went to Kamasi and said that this melody came within me. I hear a lot of instruments and voices around around his melody. Kamasi is a genius when it comes to music. He just made it a huge song. I had a lot of instruments—like the wind, strings, and instruments with it—and we had a huge choir and brought the song to another level, which I'm really, really grateful for.
LUNA: The accompanying video transforms ordinary scenes into deeply cinematic moments. What message were you hoping to convey through it and how was your experience filming it?
AMI: When it comes to visuals, I was listening to the music when we recorded and listening to it over and over again, closing my eyes and visualizing how can I capture not just the listener, but the watcher, the audience with this song. I just had a Spielberg movie scene when there's the moment when they look up in the sky and there's an alien. It's the moment of unraveling something new, which is what I call a Spielberg scene. When I wrote the treatment for the filmmaker, I was making a shot of each scene that I loved in movies, and my team did a beautiful job capturing those images.
LUNA: What is the ideal environment to experience your music? Is there a particular setting, mood, or time of day that enhances the listening experience?
AMI: I think each mood makes me feel too different. In the morning, I love to wake up and listen to Fairuz, who’s an iconic singer from Lebanon, and that's usually how I start my mornings off. Each week is different. For example, this week, I'm into Erik Satie, he's a French composer and pianist. My music environment is usually laid back, if you want to relax and reflect on your time or your journey, or you want to be taken away to a journey of different sounds of tradition—to the fusion of Eastern music and the West.
LUNA: As you enter this new chapter, what does success look like for you—personally, creatively and communally?
AMI: I think success is an ongoing process. I don't know where I heard it, but one time I read that when you have high expectations, there's a huge chance you will be disappointed, so lower your expectations and experience happiness. For me at this moment, success, if I can get listeners to hear my music, to me that's already a success.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would like to share with Luna?
AMI: It's really challenging, because I'm a mother now. I have a four year old and it's challenging to grow as an artist through motherhood. I woke up this morning and made her lunch for school. I dropped her off at school, and a lot of my time of the day goes to my child, and I have to create time for music. It's challenging but I love it. I love to be an artist as a mother. It makes me experience my artistry in a different way that I didn't know before. There’s a lot of joy too that I get from it. Also, hearing my child singing my songs, it's a crazy, crazy experience.
