Ladies First: Amanda Reifer

Their talent is undeniable. Their contribution to the culture is indispensable. They’re the Black women in our playlists, on our screens and in our feeds. On Ladies First, Element Everest-Blanks talks with one of these remarkable women about their lives, their music and how they made their moment happen. Because it’s not about who’s next. It’s about who’s now.

I sat down with Amanda Reifer, a fearless creative force representing Barbados and one of the Caribbean’s most compelling artistic voices. Blending alternative R&B, soul, Caribbean influences and striking visual storytelling, she creates music that’s both deeply personal and impossible to categorize.

Many listeners around the world first heard Amanda’s unmistakable voice on Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, where her collaboration helped shape one of the decade’s most celebrated albums. Today, she continues to carve a path that has led to her latest album: The Reifer Files, an intimate look at an artist embracing vulnerability, experimentation and complete creative freedom on her own terms

We talk about that project, the power of collaboration, discovering your creative voice and what it means to build a career that’s authentic, intentional and uniquely your own.