Amaka, formerly known as “The Queenette,” is an alternative soul artist from Pickering, Ontario, located in the Greater Toronto Area. She was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where she found her love for music, grounded in community connection. This inspiration followed her when she immigrated to Toronto region with her family at seven years old. As she adjusted to her new life, Amaka searched for a creative outlet to navigate her sense of belonging in a new community. She experienced periods of isolation, as she was often the only Black girl in her class, while continuing to sing in her school’s choir, bands, and church performances. This gave her confidence, and at the age of 14, she wrote her own song for the first time.

Amaka’s talents also led her to attend nursing school at the University of Ottawa in 2018, a decision rooted in practicality and shaped by her experience as the child of immigrants, where stability, security, and making her family proud were deeply valued. Choosing nursing gave her a reliable path and a way to avoid uncertainty. The career fulfilled her and provided the financial support she needed to invest in her music, but she still felt pulled toward something more purposeful. Determined not to choose between the two, she pursued both paths as she formed a band with her best friend, Joshua Stanberry. That summer, she transformed her parents’ basement into a cozy recording studio. Just one month later, the EP Vacant (2018) was born. In 2022, she graduated and became a full-time nurse, while continuing to pursue and excel in both her passions.

Amaka’s soulful music has led to a wide variety of songs and recognition in the music industry. Her song “Won’t Make It” (2021) explores both romantic and platonic love. While she has built a growing audience on Spotify, she has also faced the challenges of self-promotion, finding traditional marketing discouraging and often unsuccessful. She currently has 21,891 monthly listeners on Spotify. These include “Want You More” (2021), reaching 459,380 streams, and “Call Him Yellow” (2021), as well as her live recording of “Want You More” (2025), generating 3.2 million views on YouTube. Her favourite song is “Ceilings” (2022); Amaka describes the outro of the song as a deeply transformative moment in her creative process, inspired by Frank Ocean’s “White Ferrari.” She continues to focus on genuine connection rather than perfection, navigating the industry independently. She describes pitching her music as humbling and uncertain, but she continues to persevere, expanding her reach while staying true to her artistry.