Amakiya – Archetype
Amakiya shares a new video today for ‘Running In My Dreams,’the new single from her forthcoming debut album.
The LP Archetype will be released by Spaceflight Records on October 16. The release is a solo debut for Amakiya (aka Chantell Moody) who previously released music with bands The Digital Wild and Fort Never.
“‘Running in My Dreams’ came out of a tower card moment in my life: a hard tour, a major surgery, and losing my grandmother, right as the world shut down. It sent me into a depression so deep, I felt like I was stuck in a bad dream. Writing this song is how I processed my grief and alchemized some of the hardest moments of my life.
“I learned that grief is love with nowhere left to go. It felt like I had to sit in fire and die to my old self so something new could be born in its place. So this song is my way of saying: don’t give up. Life can be worth living again, even after staring into the void.”
Amakiya talks about the album Archetype being the soundtrack to a transformative healing path: “Each song became its own archetype, a different part of myself I’ve had to face. Together, these songs take you on a journey: from the spiritual realm, down to earth and all the complexities of being human, into the depths of the psyche, and back out into wholeness and full self-expression.”
Austin-based producer and composer Croom produced the album and has worked across film, television, and recorded music, with credits including From Dusk Till Dawn:The Series, ESPN, and UFC. His recent film scoring work includes Realm of Shadows and Professor Kimmer’s Initiation. Croom’s music blends cinematic influences, analog and digital synths, and beat-driven electronic production. He says “I really just wanted to support Amakiya and give her beats that she could build on. We’ve been working together for almost a decade, so at this point we understand each other pretty well creatively. We both love film, art, poetry, and futuristic themes, and I think all of that naturally ends up in the music. She brings so much emotion and personality to what I make, and Archetype really feels like the place where all of those shared interests came together. Amakiya adds “Sonically, it’s alternative electronic with hints of trip-hop and R&B. There are whimsical melodies that give way to a bombastic, cathartic sound. This album has been my hero’s journey, and I hope it can be a companion for someone else’s journey.”
Amakiya grew up around a thriving music scene in Des Moines, Iowa. She says, “I was the alt-Black girl in my high school with a big mohawk, stretched ears, and combat boots, listening to everything from Korn to underground trip-hop music to artists like Endless Blue and folk artists like Kimya Dawson. I was definitely a glitch in the matrix as a kid.”
As a teenager, she found her way into poetry slams and the local hip-hop and breakdancing scene, inspired by the b-boys/b-girls and graffiti artists around the city. Hanging around scenes ranging from indie to metal to hip-hop, she learned a lot about herself through art and movement.
Amakiya started creating music in her late teens “Music was my best friend growing up. Music made me feel like I belonged and I remember thinking: what if I could write something that made someone else feel a little less alone? Honestly, that’s still why I do this.” Leaving Des Moines for Austin was a decision based on wanting to be around more musicians and creative free spirits. As a dancer she joined Crash Alchemy, an interdisciplinary dance and circus group that created stage shows using performance, music, fine art, and technology. She played the lead in their show Gratitud Infinita, directed by Agent Red. Years later the same director wrote a show called Praxis, which was a rock opera built around her previous band Fort Never’s music.
Amakiya is an interdisciplinary artist and producer creating immersive worlds through music, dance, and technology. She draws on elements of Afrofuturism and energy work to invoke the soul’s power to transform and alchemize pain into an immersive healing experience for herself and others. Her sound will compel you to dance, spell-bound, toward freedom.
Spaceflight Records is an Austin-based nonprofit record label supporting those who make music through physical releases, distribution, and hands-on release management. Its work focuses on creating sustainability by restoring record sales as a meaningful source of income for working musicians.
#amakiyamusic