Ayo

A singer and songwriter whose output has moved fluidly across contemporary folk, reggae, and retro-infused pop-soul, Ayọ surfaced in 2006 as one of the most prominent new pop acts on the European scene. Born Joy Ogunmakin near Cologne, Germany, to a Nigerian father and a Romani mother, she absorbed the musical heritage of both sides of her family along with American soul, reggae, and Afro-beat, all of which filled her father’s large record collection. She began her instrumental studies on violin before shifting her focus to piano and guitar. At age 21 she moved to London, later splitting her time between Paris and New York City while gaining notice as an opening act for Omar and Cody ChesnuTT. Following the completion of a five-song demo, she stepped away from performing in late 2005 to welcome her first child. Early the next year she joined the Polydor roster, and in collaboration with producer Jay Newland she finished the album Joyful—the English rendering of her Yoruba name—in five days. Powered by the singles “Life Is Real” and “Down on My Knees,” the record appeared on Billboard’s Heatseekers and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, reached the overall Top Ten in multiple territories including France and Italy, and later earned a European Border Breakers Award.

Building on the momentum of her debut, Ayọ maintained her preference for brief, focused recording sessions with Newland. Her second album, Gravity at Last, was captured in five days at Compass Point in the Bahamas and topped the French charts in 2008. She extended her string of French Top Ten releases with Billie-Eve in 2011. Titled for her daughter, the project was again tracked in five days with Newland, this time across studios in New York and Paris, and featured additional contributions from Saul Williams and Lenny Kravitz associate Craig Ross. Her fourth album, Ticket to the World, arrived in 2013 to strong critical acclaim rather than broad commercial success and brought her a Globe de Cristal Award for Best Female Performer. Issued independently, Ayọ’s self-titled fifth album appeared in 2017 and was supported by the spare ballad “I’m a Fool” and the Paris tribute “Paname.”