KABBA

Aminata Kabba, professionally known as KABBA, was born on December 13, 1994, in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She moved to England at the age of eight. Growing up in southeast London, she connected with MNEK, and their shared interest in 90s pop music led to collaborations. Her early work, including the track “City Lights,” attracted the attention of Take That frontman Gary Barlow, who signed her to his Future Records label in 2011. This initial support marked a significant step in her professional music career. In 2012, she released promotional singles such as “City Lights,” “Ride or Die,” and “Find a Boy,” the latter co-written with Emeli Sandé and Naughty Boy. Her commercial single “Play The Game Boy,” produced by Electric, received positive reviews for its addictive choruses and K-pop influences.

KABBA’s career continued to develop with her nomination for the BBC Sound of 2013 poll in December 2012. Following Barlow’s closure of Future Records, she signed with Sony Music’s Epic Records in January 2013. A turning point came with her collaboration on Duke Dumont’s single “Need U (100%),” released in March 2013. This track reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and earned her a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014. She released her second official single, “Heartless,” in July 2014, produced by Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. Over the following years, she featured on tracks by other artists, including CamelPhat’s “Paradigm,” MK’s “My Love 4 U,” and M-22’s “White Lies.”

In July 2019, she rebranded as KABBA, reflecting a decision to embrace her Sierra Leonean heritage more fully. Her first single under this new name, “Glue,” featuring Bartoven, premiered on COMPLEX and was released in 2019. This rebrand highlighted her personal and artistic growth as she moved into a new phase of her career. Her self-titled debut EP, KABBA, was released on February 14, 2020. She released another EP, “Note to Self,” in 2021. Throughout her career, KABBA has cited influences such as K-pop, Beyoncé, and Janet Jackson, demonstrating a broad artistic scope. Her work as a songwriter extends to various artists, including f(x), Samsaya, and KSI. These achievements illustrate KABBA’s sustained involvement and contributions to the music industry.