Alemeda’s stylish pop-rock is worth getting to the show early
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On tour with Rachel Chinouriri, TDE’s latest signee checks in.
Nicole Cardiello
The Opener is The FADER’s short-form profile series of casual conversations with exciting new artists.
It’s not often I head to a show and the crowd is already spilling off the floor an hour after doors, but that was the scene at Manhattan’s Webster Hall last Monday, May 12, as I squeezed through swaths of teens who’d all arrived early to catch Alemeda. The Sudanese-Ethiopian singer-songwriter has been on the road for the past few weeks supporting U.K. musician Rachel Chinouriri but her set has emerged as a highlight in itself. Flinging her blonde hair along to “First Love Song,” she brought cathartic release with her stinging guitar anthems.
The 25-year-old star is the latest female signee from TDE, the record label that broke SZA and Doechii, which means you should get on the bandwagon while you’re still early. She broke out in 2021 with her dance-inflected bop “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows,” though her sound has since shifted with the release of her 2024 EP FK IT. On that project, she reintroduces herself as a searing disciple of the Avril Lavigne school of rock with all the style of a pop star.
Ahead, the singer-songwriter caught up with The FADER to share the latest songs she’s been spinning on tour, seeing Beyoncé in concert, and more.
What’s your sun, moon, and rising sign, and which is the most accurate?
Sag, Sag, Sag. And I think they all are but I’m a retired sagittarius.
Describe the first show you ever went to.
The first show I ever went to was a Beyoncé show and it was the most amazing thing I ever saw and set the bar high as hell.
Nicole Cardiello
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
I grew up in Ethiopia, Its was amazing. My whole family is there so I mostly have fun childhood memories there.
Name the last three songs you played/streamed.
“23:42” by Rachel Chinouriri
“THICKRICK” by Dominic Fike
“Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez
What would you be doing if you weren’t making music?
Working at a cat cafe.
Nicole Cardiello
What’s the best thing you’ve bought yourself recently and why?
A portable tea kettle because I love tea and I can make it anywhere.
Nicole Cardiello
Nicole Cardiello
Explain a lyric of yours that you think people don’t really get.
“Never took my vitamins cause I was playing your mom” [from “Don’t Call Me”]. The lyric speaks on the fact that I never took care of myself because I was busy caring for them.
Forward us the last meme that made you laugh.
What’s the last thing you wrote in your notes app?
My setlist for the Rachel Chinouriri tour I’m opening for.
Nicole Cardiello
What’s a motto that you think everyone should live by?
Life is too short to not live it for YOU.
Nicole Cardiello
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