‘Neko’ takes A’mari to Africa

In what must surely be a bit of cosmic irony, a song blasting a deadbeat man who totally "mash up [her] life" is the very same song giving a new and exciting life to the singer, A'mari 'DJ Mona Lisa'.

The entertainer, given name Veneice Fung-Chung, is jetting off on a months-long sojourn to perform in Africa.

She tells THE STAR that she is surprised that her Neko single did so well, but most of all, she is "shook" at the dizzying pace at which things are unfolding.

On a visit to Jamaica, A'mari was arrested on August 7 for an alleged COVID quarantine breach. Days later she paid a fine of J$25,000.

But during that time, she released Neko, and the line, " Neko, yuh mash up mi life," was on everybody's lips.

Begging for an interview

"It was just crazy! All of a sudden, everybody wanted to interview me; people who I was begging for an interview before were now the ones reaching out, begging me to come on their programmes. Producers were reaching out to me with rhythms, and I got so many offers to appear on events, it was just unreal," A'mari shared with THE STAR. "It must be God."

She explained that promoters from Africa had reached out to her then, but she was in the middle of her weight-loss journey and wasn't quite ready to take on the continent just yet.

"I told them to check back in November, and they did. And here we are, me and David (her son) will be off to Tanzania in a couple of days. It means so much to me to be in ancestral territory following the footsteps of the great I-Threes and other female artistes whom I look up to," A'mari told THE STAR.

Since there is no 14-day quarantine in Tanzania, A'mari will hit the ground running with a media blitz, which will culminate in concerts starting in December.

"Africa embraced me long before Neko, and they know my catalogue. I have been recording for several years, and I have over 60 songs released of various genres," A'mari said.

Neko has registered close to one million views on YouTube and is inching towards the same number on Facebook.