North African, LA-based singer-songwriter Ami Taf Ra delves deep into the making of her stunning new full-length, The Prophet and the Madman.
In The Prophet and the Madman, enigmatic Brainfeeder-signee Ami Taf Ra has delivered a quietly dazzling debut album. Boasting collaborative turns from industry heavyweights such as Kamasi Washington and Ryan Porter, the talent traverses Moroccan gnawa, gospel and jazz into a psychedelic and impactful melting pot. The album tells a sprawling tale, a fascinating journey into the artist’s unique gaze. Wonderland ask Ami to explain it firsthand in our latest track-by-track.
Listen to the LP…
Read the track-by-track…
“Speak to Us”
This song is the opening of the album. It introduces the themes we explore throughout the album. You’ll hear orchestra and choir in this track — they elevate both the sound and the message.The melody came to me like an epiphany one day, and the lyrics followed. I went to Kamasi to have a listen and he then arranged a whole orchestra composition around it. It took the messaging to a different level. During the recording in the beginning of the song, you can hear some of my personal vocal improvisation that I liked to add to give it that mystic vibe.
“How I became a Madman” ft. Kamasi Washington
How I became a Madman is a song that tells the story of “The Madman” — the moment he wakes up and discovers his mask has been stolen. Without this mask’, he saw the light and was liberated”. I remember that throughout my young life. My family in Morocco thought that I’m mad for pursuing a music career and being serious about it. To them it was a wild idea, to me it was simply knowing who I am and what I want in life. This song is deeply personal to me. Musically, we aimed for a very psychedelic feel. It’s inspired by The Beatles’ Tomorrow Never Knows, while my vocal delivery draws from Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit.We used heavily effected guitars, treated the drums with special effects, and added layers of processing to my vocals. With Kamasi playing his solo like “Slash” on the Sax! We recorded it all live in the studio in L.A. No, wait — it’s the young girl from North Africa, the one with the “mad” dream, now recording her debut album at the legendary Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles. I love this madwoman!
“The Prophet”
This song comes from the opening book of Khalil Gibran’ the Prophet. It’s a song about the people’s call to the fictional wise man, Al Mustafa, the melody draws from Joni Mitchell and Stephen Sondheim — we took a very storytelling approach to the music.We added an orchestra and choir to accompany me, bringing depth and emotion to the track.Brandon Coleman plays captivating beautiful synth solo — I speak English fluently but since it is my third language, I focused deeply on pronunciation. I downloaded an audio recording app on my phone and started to practise the articulation of the English songs on the album for a while before we recorded it.
“God”
This song starts the conversation between “The Madman” and “The Prophet” on this album. These words come from Khalil Gibran’s book “The Madman” in which he speaks of God. And this poem is saying that if we wish to have a connection with God, we must first see ourselves as already being connected to God.
“Love” ft. Ryan Porter
This is a song about the wise man Al Mustafa teaching the people of Orphalese about love — we started the demo with just guitar and synth, and Kamasi slowly built it up, layering in more instruments as it evolved.I love how the track carries a classic R&B and soul feel, reminiscent of groups like The Delfonics.There’s a beautiful trombone solo by the amazing Ryan Porter —his playing is incredibly soulful and with full of emotion. In this song, Al Mustafa speaks of love, and its overwhelming power and beauty. It’s also the first time I sing in Arabic on the album —which is my first language. We also added an orchestra and choir to give the song a big, cinematic feel, with layers of synth in the chorus to lift it even higher. This song is about love —and we hope that through it, the listener can feel and understand its deeper meaning.
“My Friend” ft. Brandon Coleman.
The words for this song come from “The Madman” and they speak on the idea of friendship.The music was definitely inspired by Kamasi’s love of Quincy Jones. His writing, arranging, and production has had a profound influence on us and how we hear and make music. Brandon Coleman delivers a powerful solo on this track.
“Children”
“Children” is a song based on words from Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet. It opens with one of the most powerful lines I’ve ever read: “Your children are not your children. They come through you, but not from you.” As a parent, that truth can be hard to accept —but it’s also deeply liberating. When we first recorded this song, it had a full band and a big, cinematic sound. But as we listened back,
we realized the heart of the song didn’t need all that. Sometimes, less, truly is more. So we stripped it down to just guitar —and in that simplicity, the message became even clearer. Woody Aplanalp joins me on guitar, playing a beautiful solo that really brings it to life.
“Gnawa” ft. Kamasi Washington
“Gnawa” is a beautiful tribute to my beloved Morocco and a tribute to immigrants. When I wrote this song I thought of my humble beginning. My parents were one of the first immigrants in Europe from Morocco. “Travelers” seeking a better life, this is what the song is about. “Gnawa” is the music of Black people of Morocco. I draw the style of my singing from the masters of the gnawa music. This track is a fusion of hard bop jazz and traditional Gnawa music — basically, Kamasi and me. A beautiful blend of cultures, separated by space and time, yet somehow, they feel like they belong to the same family. For the first time,you’ll hear the choir singing the chorus in Moroccan dialect. I went over the part with them a few times in the studio and they picked up the pronunciation incredibly fast. I couldn’t be happier with the result. And of course —Kamasi delivers a powerful saxophone solo on this track.
“Gibran”
You will always hear Kamasi playing on his grand piano in the music room at home. One day he was working on a film score while I was cooking dinner.I heard him writing this beautiful melody and it just spoke to me, I kept humming this melody for a few days. And fell in love with it. The melody kept haunting me as it knew it belonged to me and the lyrics followed. One day,I asked Kamasi about this piece of music and he was like oh they didn’t want that piece of music for the film so you can have it! And of course with no hesitation I made sure it did!
“Khalil”
We were both stuck in Amsterdam , in this tiny Airbnb apartment. We were expecting our daughter and I believe I was 8 months pregnant. When we worked on this first song that Kamasi and I worked on together. And it feels like it opened the door to a very special part of our relationship. A moment that I feel Khalil Gibran inspired, I’m so thankful for that. The words in Arabic that I am singing come from the poem that Gibran wrote about Praying. “When we all pray regardless of your religion, we all connect with one another at that very same moment during our praying” wow! How beautiful this poem is. And what the world needs to hear now more than ever before. Kamasi and I wrote the English chorus part of this song. And the last line of the chorus say’s: LOVE WILL FACE THEM ALL! I truly believe that.
“Speak to us”
This is a reprise from the opening song of the album with the same lyrics and melody. It reminds us that the search for enlightenment is a lifelong journey; it doesn’t end, it just grows deeper as the light of life shines brighter. You’ll notice richer instrumentation and expanded musical arrangements in this closing version, offering a more layered and resonant conclusion to the album.
