London-based singer and songwriter Ama Lou is known for her textural brand of R&B, blending garage, drill, and neo-soul elements into her own distinctive sound. Lou broke through in 2018, the year she released DDD, an understated and fluid EP that affirmed her place in a class of emergent English R&B artists including Mahalia, Ray BLK, and touring partner Jorja Smith. This led to her 2019 major-label debut, Ama Who? (featuring the single "Northside") and 2021's At Least We Have This, both of which showcased her mature, stylistically varied aesthetic.

Born Ama Louisa John, Lou grew up in North London, where she balanced listening to classic artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Gil Scott-Heron, and Billie Holiday with modern pop favorites like Justin Bieber and Hannah Montana. She was writing songs as early as the age of 11 and taking classical vocal lessons at age 13, but honed her writing, singing, and production skills for nearly a decade before she made her commercial debut. Her first four songs were independently released during 2016 and 2017. Greater strides were made in 2018 with the three-song DDD, touring in the U.S. -- as an opener for Jorja Smith -- and a Nez Rio-produced appearance on Creed II: The Album, executive produced by Mike WiLL Made-It.

Signed to major-label Interscope, Lou returned in October 2019 with the single "Northside." A collaboration with Frank Dukes, Murda Beatz, Jerald Coupe Cooper, and Foster, the track helped buoy interest in its parent album, Lou's EP Ama Who?, which arrived that November. In 2021, she returned with her third EP, At Least We Have This. ~ Matt Collar & Andy Kellman, Rovi