Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Meet Ayo!

Meet Ayo
Meet Ayo--German's new singing sensation!

Click on PLAY to watch Ayo's cathy song, "Down on My Knees" live on Taratata. Her soul/folk/reggae sound reminds me of Sade-meets-Corrine Bailey Rae. Below is another video of Ayo performing live.
Part two of her performance on the show singing the classic "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman."

Ayo's Nigerian-German
So what is Taratata exactly?
"Taratata is a musical TV show showing quality rock'n'roll songs. It started in 1993, initially shown on France 2 and presented by Nagui since its début. This show has beautiful, live and surprising duets, with short discussions with the artists. Cancelled in 2000, Taratata returned in April 2005 on the network France 4 to be repeated partially by France 3. It is in Taratata that the French public could see, for the first time, artists such as Devendra Banhart, Katie Melua, and Ayo. It saw its chief lighting technician, Jean-Philippe Bourdon, being rewarded two Sept d'ors in 1994 and 1995. In Canada, this show can be seen on TV5."
{Source}
Quick Facts about Ayo as seen on myspace page:
"AYO is a German born artist, the offspring of a Nigerian father who had come to Germany to study in the 1970s, and sometimes worked as a DJ, and a mother who is a gypsy. AYOs rather unusual name means joy in Yoruba. Her rich cultural background is also reflected in her musical influences. She grew up amidst Pink Floyd and Fela Kuti, the Soul Children and Bob Marley, and many others.

AYOs nomadic lifestyle brought her to live between Paris and New York, two capitals that accurately sum up her musical identity. In Paris, word got around fast, and she held initial solo concerts with her guitar, opened for Omar, the British soul brother and jammed alongside Cody Chesnutt.

AYOs entire album, Joyful, was recorded in New York under live conditions. She cries, laughs and moves us with her simplicity. To accompany her, producer Jay Newland put together a group of open-minded musicians that, with a note on a B3 organ or with a stroke of slide guitar melodiously enter this unusual world, which is studded with a few words in Pidgin, the street language of Lagos, and unveils recollections of gypsy life. In addition to her parents, two other influences helped her set the tone of this album, which very well could have been recorded some 35 years ago. Firstly, theres mentor Donny Hathaway. Her other reference is Jimmy Cliff. Like her predecessors, she strives to naturally and sincerely share her stories and touch others, boosted solely by her life experience and her dreams."
{source}
Click here to visit Ayo's Official website!
Ayo

4 comments:

juiicySCOOP said...

I love ANYthing and EVERYthing German, I've lived there for 5 years and I embrace their culture whole-heartedly!!! Thanks for posting this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chi-Chi said...

You're welcome. Germany is one of the many places I plan on visiting one day.

Anonymous said...

Okay, as one of them I say, go german Nigerians.... Check our Nneka Egbuna, Ayo and her sound alike and their back grounds are so similar.

http://www.last.fm/music/Nneka

How I pray for the day when our people will be able to again find greatness at home (like the days of Achebe, Soyinka, Fela et al)

Anonymous said...

^Thanks for sharing....