Tamaté

BIO

Tamaté is a Ghanaian storyteller, songwriter, and producer, born Philip Tamatey Ami-Narh in Accra. Blending the soft emotional tones of R&B and folk with the kinetic energy of afrobeat, dance and pop, Tamaté's music is defined not by adherence to genre, but by his singular narrative voice. His work intricately mixes Ghanaian Pidgin-English and Twi, infusing foreign intrigues with his West African roots to create a unique soundscape.
For Tamaté, who navigated speech difficulties growing up, music became the ultimate tool for fluent communication—a space to explore the human experience, from the nuanced engagements of the heart to the complex landscape of mental health and escapism. This passion for communication and cultural harmony fuels his mission to inspire curiosity and engagement through melody.
Tamaté's musical foundation began in the church, leading him from gospel exposure to a deep dive into R&B songwriting during his junior high years. His journey into artistry accelerated in university as he began self-producing, recording, and exploring various genres to overcome the limitations of his social network. This self-reliance defined his early releases, including the collection of soft, dark demos, YETA, and the diverse, story-driven EP, XXVII, which showcased his ability to shift between soul, folk, afro-fusion, and dance while maintaining thematic unity.
His unique ear for melody and production was further cemented through collaborations, including scoring the entire music soundtrack for the short film Paapa’s Life Lessons and the theme song for Let’s Do Drinks by The Creative Inc.
Tamaté's influences range from African legends like Fela Kuti and Kojo Antwi to Western pioneers like Michael Jackson and Frank Ocean, though he credits artists like Odunsi The Engine and Amaarae for inspiring his commitment to an anti-trend, multi-genre approach. Tamaté’s career has been marked by diverse creative output and high-profile collaborations. He was a featured artist on the album “Pepple Street” with MBA For Africa (now CBA For Africa) and other talented Nigerian and Kenyan artists, later releasing the single "Currency" with them, featuring Wendy Kay.
His production and sound design capabilities were highlighted in the short animation A Web of Tales, for which he composed, reproduced, and arranged the score. His most recent release is the single, “Houghmagandy (Abena),” an Afro-soul love song about infatuation, produced by TRAPODETRVP (and co-produced by Tamaté). This track is the first offering from an upcoming EP—a compilation of diverse, yet cohesive alternative sounds that will continue to explore the soft, emotional, and liberating facets of his signature artistry.