Amaarae has once again raised the bar with her new album Black Star. While listening to the record, it’s impossible not to catch a familiar tune on “She Is My Drug.” The track cleverly samples the timeless classic “Believe” by Cher. The original hit, known for its pioneering use of Auto-Tune and empowering message, forms a perfect backdrop to Amaarae’s fresh take on love and desire. Where Cher asks, “Do you believe in life after love? / I can feel something inside me say,” Amaarae responds in her chorus with a modern twist: “Do you believe in love off the drugs? / I can feel the rush and I lean into you.”
Amaarae herself has never hidden her deep appreciation for Cher and “Believe. in particular. “I remember being a little girl in Ghana hearing ‘Believe’ by Cher and immediately being entranced,” she revealed in an official press release. “The hard tuned vocals, the glittery dance beat, and that hook! Do you believe in life after love! What a sentiment. A true manifesto of life.” She also described “Fineshyt” as a “badass play cousin” or “evil twin sister” to Cher’s “Believe.”
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Beyond its sample, “She Is My Drug” emerges as a standout track from her highly anticipated album Black Star, released via Interscope Records—a bold fusion of alternative pop, R&B, Afrobeats, and global club sounds that reflect both her Ghanaian roots and international vision.
Black Star blends genres like ghettotech, house, baile funk, and techno with her signature hypnotic vocals and soft allure. The album serves as a rallying cry for Ghana’s alternative youth and Black creatives worldwide, reimagining African music through a futuristic and dancefloor-ready lens. The album features collaborators such as PinkPantheress, Naomi Campbell, Bree Runway, Starkillers, and Charlie Wilson.
On the other side, Cher’s “Believe,” released in 1998, is a dance-pop anthem that revolutionized the music industry with its groundbreaking use of Auto-Tune, creating the famous “Cher effect.” The iconic song topped charts in over 20 countries, including the US and UK. It earned Cher a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording and remains a definitive track in pop music history.
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