Ayọ

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Ayọ


Img_capt = Ayọ in Monaco (August 2007)
Img_size = 150
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin
Alias = Ayọ, Ayo.
Born = birth date and age|1980|9|14
Died =
Origin = Cologne, Germany
Instrument = Guitar, Piano
Voice_type =
Genre = Folk, Soul, Reggae
Occupation = Singer, Songwriter
Years_active = 2001-present
Label = Universal/Polydor, Interscope Records
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.ayomusic.com/ www.ayomusic.com]
Notable_instruments =

Ayọ (born as Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin on 14 September 1980 in Frechen near Cologne, Germany) is an Afro-German singer-songwriter. She uses the Yoruba translation Ayọ or Ayo. of her first name "Joy". The name has to be written with a dot below or behind the o – without it, it would refer to a pitted board game [ [http://www.clarku.edu/~jborgatt/discover/1meaghan/ayo.htm Ayo: The Yoruba Game Board] ] popular among the Yorubas.

Her debut album "Joyful", which was first released in 2006, reached Double-Platinum status in France, Platinum in Germany and Poland, Gold status in Switzerland and Italy and Greece. The album was released in the United States on 20 November 2007 by Interscope Records.

She has a son "Nile", who was born in late 2005 with her partner, the Afro-German reggae singer Patrice. End of 2007 she moved with her family to the West Village, Manhattan, New York City. [cite news | title = The future looks bright for Afro-German singer Ayo | publisher = Home News Tribune | date = 2007-12-07 | author = Chris Jordan | accessdate = 2007-11-15 ]

Biography

Early years

Ayọ was born as the fourth child of a Nigerian father and Romani mother from Romania in Frechen, Germany but as a baby lived for a short time in Nigeria. She has one sister and two brothers. When she was about six years old her mother became addicted to heroin and spent some time in jail. After her parents divorced, she and two of her siblings spent periods of time in care and with foster families. When she was fourteen she was considered old enough by the authorities to live with her father again.

Musical career

At the age of six Ayọ played the violin for a short time, then turned to the piano and later taught herself to play the guitar. When she was about 15, she wrote her first song, which was about her mother, and which helped her to cope with her traumatic childhood. Her musical taste was influenced by her father's large selection of vinyl albums which included Pink Floyd, Fela Kuti, Donny Hathaway, Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. When her father, who worked part-time as a DJ while studying engineering in Germany, discovered her singing talent he recorded a first demo tape with her in a studio and allowed her to drop out of school at the age of eighteen.

At twenty-one Ayọ moved to London and later lived in Paris and New York. During her time in Paris her musical talent was noticed by a broader audience, and she gave her first solo concerts, opened 2002 for soul singers Omar and Cody Chesnutt, and signed a contract with Polydor Records.

Shortly after giving birth to her son Nile, she recorded her first album "Joyful" in January 2006 in the New York Sony studio. The whole disc was recorded in just five days under live conditions, with a group of musicians organized by her producer Jay Newland. The album was released in June 2006 in Europe and Korea and in November 2007 in the United States and Japan.

At the end of 2007 Ayọ started a concert tour through Germany and the United States. On her American tour she performed with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. [ [http://www.interscope.com/ayo/dates Interscope] ] On 10 January 2008 she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and on January 26, 2008 the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, performing her song "Down on My Knees". In June 2008 the singer started her second tour through the United States and Canada.

On 10 March 2008 Ayọ started recording on her second album "Gravity At Last" at the Compass Point Studios in Nassau on the Island of New Providence, The Bahamas. She is co-producing the album with Jay Newland. Her band includes Keith Christopherson (bass), Larry Campbell (guitars and other string instruments), Lucky Peterson (keyboards), Sherrod Barnes (guitar/vocals) and Jermaine Parrish (drums). The album with 13 tracks written and composed by the singer was recorded in only 5 days and will be released at the end of September 2008 by Universal Music France. [ [http://www.universalmusic.fr/artiste/ayo/ AYO revient avec un nouvel album, Gravity At Last] ]

Discography

Singles

* "Down on My Knees" (2006)
* "And It's Supposed to Be Love" (2007) (2008, US)
* "Help Is Coming" (2007)
* "Slow Slow (Run Run)" (2008)

Albums

* "Joyful" (2006)
* "Gravity At Last" (2008)

EP

* "Where Will I Be" (vinyl record, 2004)

Contributions

* "Liebe & Verstand" (with "Sister Keepers", 2001)
* "Confusion" (with "Chris Prolific", 2004)
* "Play Boy" (on album "PlayUp", 2006)

Music Videos

* "Down On My Knees" (2006)
* "Help Is Coming" (2007)
* "Life Is Real" (2007)
* "And It's Supposed To Be Love" (2007)
* "Slow Slow (Run Run)" (2008)

DVDs

* "AYO Live In Monte Carlo" (2007, from PBS [ [http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/10/28/ayo_live_from_monte_carlo_featured_as_pb Starpulse.com] ] )
* "Ayọ Live at the Olympia" (2007)

Awards

* European Border Breakers Awards 2008 [ [http://www.european-border-breakers.eu/2008_winners.html European Border Breakers Awards] ]

External links

* [http://ayomusic.artistes.universalmusic.fr/ Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/ayosound Ayọ] at MySpace
* [http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=AYO&sql=11:3pfqxqt0ldje~T0 Ayọ] at Allmusic
*
* [http://ayowiki.com/ Wiki with detailed biography and discography]

Sources

* [http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/story/0,,2143866,00.html The Guardian]
* [http://www.postonove.com/img/data/bios/ayo_biog2007_english.pdf Biography]
* [http://www.cosmopolitan-net.de/kultkultur/ayo.html Cosmopolitan] (in German)
* [http://www.flashmag.de/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=565&Itemid=50 Interview Flashmag.de] (in German)

References