Ayo biography | Age

 Ayo biography

Ayọ Real/full name is Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin, born 14 September 1980, is a Nigerian-German singer-songwriter and actress. She uses the Yoruba translation Ayọ or Ayo. of her first name Joy.

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.

Ayọ was born in Frechen near Cologne, Germany. She has a son, Nile, who was born in late 2005 and a daughter, Billie-Eve, born July 2010, with the Afro-German reggae singer Patrice, from whom she is now separated. At the end of 2007, she moved with her family to the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan in New York City. At present she lives in Brooklyn, New York with her children.

Then-president of UNICEF
France, Jacques Hintzy, announced on 4 February 2009 that the singer
was named patron of UNICEF to promote the right to education for all
children in the world.

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The French production company MK2 produced 2009 the film Ayo Joy a 90 minute documentary about the singer and her life. The film was directed by Raphaël Duroy.
 ayo singer
Ayo’s a warrior… although that’s hard to believe when you see her, so
beautiful and frail with her guitar slung across her shoulder. Yet she
spends all her time on the road, on stage or in the studio, living the
life of a true artist – one who isn’t just playing at being a star, but
loves music more than anything in the world. “I never really work on
an album. I write songs all the time until, at some point, I realize I
have enough material for an album. Then I go into the studio. For the
last ten years, I’ve been on the road, traveling and making no
distinction between my music and the rest of my life. I just can’t do
it. Maybe pop artists can separate performing from their private lives,
but I can’t. Playing guitar and singing come naturally to me.”

 Ayo country singer

After selling one and a half million records in 40 countries, Ayo
again turned to the producer of her first album, Jay Newland, to make
her latest: Ticket To The World. Recorded live, its prolific collection
of sixteen songs breathes sincerity and elegance. Beginning with the
cover photo, taken (like all the liner photos) at the huge Château Rouge
African market in the heart of Paris: style in the ghetto. Turning to
the music, with the very first notes of “Fire” with its whiff of
folk-rock insurrection, the stage is set. This a revolution in a velvet
glove, inspired by passion and powerful emotions. “For me, it’s all
about the soul. I wrote “Fire” during my last stay in New York, just
when the riots were beginning in London, not too long before the Olympic
Games. Everything was changing… and not necessarily for the better.
Music isn’t just about entertainment, it can also be a weapon to fight
injustice. Used the right way, music can spark revolution.”

ayo

There’s a shift to country-folk music on “Justice”, a duet with
Clarence Greenwood aka Citizen Cope, a singer and songwriter (especially
for Dido, Santana and Sheryl Crow). Ayo admires him greatly. “He’s
one of my favorite artists and I wish people appreciated him as much in
Europe as they do in the United States. We became friends and I asked
him to write the duet. He brought a different touch to my music, a new
color.”

There are two covers on the album. One is “Sunny”, made famous by
Boney M in the disco years, but originally performed by Bobby Ebb in
1966. “I adore Bobby’s version, it’s one of my childhood memories.”
Ayo recorded it for Arte TV’s Summer Of Soul, a series she hosted this
year. The other cover is a song from an artist who returned to the
limelight after a long absence: Rodriguez. “I discovered him in the
movie Sugarman. I was on a plane going to Swaziland and I must have seen
it three times running during the flight! He made a real impression on
me, he’s a poet. Straightaway, I knew I wanted to cover one of his
songs. The director of Motown suggested “I Wonder”. It’s my favorite.
The tune is incredible, it stays rooted in your memory.”

She recorded all the songs with a team of remarkable musicians (Larry
Campbell on guitar, Ira Coleman on bass) in one of New York’s finest
studios: Avatar. With one exception. “I wrote ‘Who’ when I was in
Bulgaria,” Ayo remembers. “I was doing a concert there and I played it
on stage. It went down so well that I knew I had to include it on the
album. So I went back to Paris and recorded it in the studio. It was the
last track we laid down for Ticket To The World.” The album’s drummer
Charles Haynes and guitarist Sherrod Barnes are joining Ayo on tour,
where her songs take on a whole new dimension.

The album ends with a special version of ‘Fire’ featuring Youssoupha.
“Four years ago, the father of my child was recording in a studio where
Youss’ was working and told me about him. I watched his videos on
YouTube because I like to see new hip-hop artists. He had a fantastic
flow and plenty to say.”

“I’m Walking”, “Who, “I Need You”, “Complain”, “Teach Love” with its
Creole flavors… there are so many powerful tracks on this album, which
seems certain to be a success with the public. But that’s not really
Ayo’s concern. “I’m passionate about music. Songs are my therapy.
Music has powers – it can cure people and give them strength or faith.
Music is a divine instrument – it’s my religion. I don’t think about the
commercial side, that’s a passion killer. Every record is a success for
me and I feel very lucky that there are people who buy my albums and
come and see me perform. All that’s a blessing. The rest is a bonus.”

You can listen to some of here singles in her official site: Official website: http://www.ayomusic.com/

Article and photos from wekipedia and Ayo official website was used on this post