Key Takeaways

• Alemeda’s genre-fluid sound reflects Gen Z’s emotional complexity and resistance to labels.
• Her lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, identity, and self-worth with unfiltered honesty.
• Collaborations with artists like Doechii and Rachel Chinouriri expand her sonic universe and cultural impact.

Top Dawg Entertainment has a reputation for giving the world some incredible women in music, from R&B powerhouse SZA to rap superstar Doechii. Alemeda, like the artist before her, refuses to let anyone label or limit her artistry. In 2024, the singer dropped her debut EP, FK IT, under the West Coast imprint.

The eight-track project explored relationships in all forms, whether friendships on “Guy’s Girl” or, more predictably, romance on “I already dug your grave.” What especially sets FK IT apart is its deliberate rejection of genre constraints. Alemeda exists somewhere between alt-rock and alt-pop, which is oftentimes hard to pin down. “People will actually go as far as to say alternative R&B, and it’s like, at this point, just punch me in the face. It’s the worst,” she told Rolling Stone.

In 2025, Alemeda followed up with But What The Hell Do I Know, home to songs like “Beat A B!tch Up” and “I’m Over It.” Whether you’re just discovering the Ethiopian-Sudanese artist or already a fan, here are 12 songs to get you started.

1. “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows”

“Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows” was the moment many early listeners realized Alemeda wasn’t going anywhere, at least not for a long while. In the video, she sets her ex's car on fire à la Angela Bassett in Waiting to Exhale before heading out on a grls' trip to clear her head. It’s wildly entertaining, brilliant, and especially impressive given she released the track independently.

2. “Guy’s Girl”

You’ve been there. We’ve been there. Honestly, everyone’s been there. On “Guy’s Girl,” Alemeda sings about a friendship that falls apart after one of her homegirls goes “boy crazy.” Even after he lies, she still goes back to him. To quote Alemeda herself, “I think that s**t’s lame.”

3. “Post Nut Clarity”

Released a few days after Valentine’s Day, “Post Nut Clarity” couldn’t have had a more fitting title. On the song, Alemeda sings about wishing she’d never let a certain someone in her bed, wishing she had stayed celibate instead. “I wanted you in me, but I wasn't thinking clearly / Are you done yet?” she croons over a dreamy, PinkPantheress-esque instrumental. She really spoke up for the girlies with this one.

4. “Chameleon”

Alemeda teamed up with another one of our alt-pop favorites, Rachel Chinouriri, for “Chameleon.” The duo delivered some much-needed commentary on how people — and lovers in particular — can switch up and change colors, just like the song’s title suggests. Tragically, their exes don’t even realize what (or who) they’re letting slip away.

5. “Don’t Call Me”

To whoever pushed Alemeda to make “Don’t Call Me,” your days are numbered. The FK IT cut finds her admitting she “ditched the Red Bull” and stopped taking her vitamins just to spend time with someone who clearly didn’t deserve it. Now, the Arizona-bred singer wants payback — so they'd better not call, send a single text, or even think about dropping by.

6. “Wish You The Worst”

Many artists have made songs wishing their exes the worst after a breakup, but few do it quite like Alemeda. “Wish You The Worst,” produced by Mike Hector (known for his work with SiR and Leon Thomas), was one of her very first releases. There might be plenty of fish in the sea, but Alemeda is one of a million.

7. “UR SO FULL OF IT”

“F**k your therapist, she didn’t change a thing,” Alemeda dishes out on “UR SO FULL OF IT.” That one’s got to sting, maybe even more for the therapist. Speaking with Spotify about the song, she explained, “It is about a relationship with a long-distance lover and how the distance just made everything so much more severe. It turned my sadness into anger.”

8. “Beat A B!tch Up”

For their first-ever collaboration, Alemeda teamed up with rap’s it-girl of the moment, Doechii, on “Beat A B!tch Up.” The song captures what it means to go to bat for the people you care about, even when that energy isn’t always reciprocated. “It’s more about how far I’d go to show up for people, even when it hurts me,” Alemeda explained.

“We even had a trained cat on set, per my request. Doechii looked stunning and brought such powerful energy,” she said of the visual companion. “She gave me amazing direction throughout. And I am obsessed with the firework scene.”

9. “First Love Song”

Alemeda’s ironically titled “First Love Song” is, fittingly, her first attempt at writing one. She reflects on running from love “like a 10K race” until finding someone who made her want to slow down and embrace it. As always, Alemeda’s greatest asset is the way the production swells around her angelic voice.

“I was an extremely angry individual, but since making songs about my actual experiences, I’d say [I’ve calmed] down,” she explained to Polyester Zine. “Writing a hate song is so much easier for me.”

10. “1-800-F**K-YOU”

Alemeda puts it all out there on “1-800-F**K-YOU,” another gem from But What The Hell Do I Know. Here, she sings about cutting someone off and never looking back: “Get my number out your damn phone / And if I ever see you / I'll treat your a** like a random.” It’s giving self-respecting queen.

11. “I already dug your grave”

“I already dug your grave” arrives at the halfway mark of FK IT, with Alemeda singing about an ex who’s as good as gone, at least in her world. Over the three-minute track, she wonders why she ever thought the relationship would last, considering he lied and she never even laughed at his dumb jokes. “I already dug your grave / I threw your s**t in the trash,” she declares on the chorus. I never wanna see your face / I just wanna leave it in the past.”

12. “Not Asking For Much”

Is having a shoulder to cry on or someone who’ll just listen really too much to ask for? Not according to Alemeda’s “Not Asking For Much.” Built around a softly strummed acoustic guitar, her voice drifts lightly across the production as she pleads, “I’m not asking for much, I just need you, I just need a little you.”