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 Sierra Leonian-German reggae singer Patrice, from whom she is now separated. In March 2017, her third child, Jimi-Julius, was born. 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.
The French production company MK2 produced the film Ayo Joy, a 90-minute documentary about the singer and her life, in 2009. The film was directed by Raphaël Duroy.
Early years
Ayọ was born near Cologne, Germany as the fourth child of a Nigerian father and a German-Sinti mother. She lived for a short time in Nigeria as a baby.[citation needed] 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. She spent four years in a children's home in Schwalmtal-Waldniel where she learned to play violin and piano and became in 1992 a member of its music band "La Taste". When she was fourteen she was considered old enough by the authorities to live again with her father.
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. While she was member of the band "La Taste" during her stay at the children's home in Waldniel she and eighteen other young band members recorded during summer 1992 the CD Kido Musik at the recording studio "Man Made Noise". During that time she also appeared for the first time in May 1993 in a music video, La Maladie d`Amour, and performed at a public concert.
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 City. 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. On 10 January 2008, she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and on 26 January 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 that were written and composed by the singer was recorded in only 5 days and was released at the end of September 2008 by Universal Music France. The album reached number 1 on the French album charts in October. On 21. In November 2008, Ayọ started her promotion tour for the album in Berlin which includes around 30 concerts in five European countries.
In 2008, Ayo won an EBBA Award for her album Joyful. Every year, the European Border Breakers Awards recognize the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the past year.
Ayọ's third album Billie-Eve, named after her daughter, was recorded in New York City with the cooperation of musicians like Craig Ross (guitarist of Lenny Kravitz), the rapper Saul Williams, Matthieu Chedid and Gail Ann Dorsey, bass player of David Bowie. The album is first released on 7 March 2011 in France and Ayọ starts a promotional tour through France and Poland on 21 March 2011. Ayọ signed with MBM Records in 2011 in the US. Billie-Eve was released in the United States on 20 March 2012. At the end of 2011, the singer moved within the Universal Group from the Polydor label to the labels Mercury France and Motown.
In 2013, Ayọ started to record her fourth album Ticket to the World, which was released on 7 October 2013, with the producer Jay Newland who produced also her first two albums. The first single from this album, Fire, has been released on 10 June 2013. A second version of the single featuring the French rapper Youssoupha was released in August 2013. After the album release, Ayọ tours from end of October 2013 for several months through Europe. Most concerts take place in France but she also performs in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Germany, UK, and other countries.
Ayọ was asked by Arte to cover the classic song Sunny by Bobby Hebb as soundtrack for their 2013 Summer of Soul program. From 14 July to 18 August 2013, she presents every Sunday evening this program on the French TV broadcast. The soundtrack was released on 14 July 2013 in France on a special three CD edition by Fnac.
On 10 March 2014 at Le Lido, Ayọ won the category 'Best Female Singer' of the Globes de Cristal Award, which is bestowed by members of the French Press Association recognizing excellence in French art and culture. The other nominees in that category were Carla Bruni, HollySiz, Vanessa Paradis and Zaz.
In 2014, Ayọ organized in Paris undercover with an amateur choir a flash mob in the restaurant Rotonde de la Villette where she sang with the choir her song Who. The film about the action 'Mission Incognito: Ayo', directed by Lorenz Findeisen, was shown on the French-German TV network Arte in August 2014. Other episodes of this series featured the artists Rolando Villazón, Jim Avignon and Ulrich Matthes.
Ayọ was awarded the Grand Prize for SACEM repertoire abroad on 24 October 2014 at Olympia, Paris.
On 21 June 2015, Ayọ released a self-made music video on YouTube (renamed to Send This Message To All Your Friends on 22 June 2015) featuring the song Boom Boom, which she has written 10 months previously and so far only performed at live concerts, to react to the ongoing racial violence in the United States. She announced the release on her official social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
In an interview in July 2015 Ayọ said that she has left the label Universal after ten years of cooperation because artists become objects in the music industry and she wants to be free.
In 2017, Ayọ released two singles, each accompanied by a music video, from her fifth album announced to be released in October that year. The first single, "I'm a Fool", was released in June and the second single "Paname" (a nickname for Paris and its suburbs) in September.
On 6 October 2017, the fifth album of the singer was released which was named Ayọ after herself.
On 15 October 2019, Ayọ released her single Beautiful under the Wagram Music/3ème Bureau label, a song from her sixth album Royal which was released on 31 January 2020. A second single with the track "Rest assured" was released earlier in January 2020.
Acting career
In April 2014, Ayọ's concert tour was interrupted for several weeks as she played the lead role in the movie Murder in Pacot (Meurtre à Pacot) by the award-winning Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck, which was filmed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in April and May 2014. This is the singers first appearance as an actress in a feature film. The film describes how the life of a rich family in Haiti changes after the 2010 earthquake. Besides Ayọ the film features French actors Alex Descas and Thibault Vinçon and Haitian poet and novice actress Kermonde Lovely Fifi. The script was co-written by the Haitian novelist and poet Lyonel Trouillot and the screenwriter Pascal Bonitzer. The production is supported by the French TV channel Arte, the World Cinema Fund and the European Union. The film will make its world premier at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2014. The European premiere of the film was in the Panorama category of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on 7 February 2015. Ayọ, the other leading actors, producer Remi Grellety, and director Raoul Peck attended the second screening of the film on 10 February at the Zoo Palast after a photocall and press conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel.
Ayọ (Joy Ogunmakin) is part of the cast of the German science fiction drama VOLT written and directed by Tarek Ehlail which was filmed around Cologne and scheduled for release in 2016. The German-French co-production is produced by augenschein-Filmproduktion and Les Films D’Antoine. Ayọ plays the role of LaBlanche besides actors Benno Fürmann, Denis Moschitto, and Stipe Erceg. Ayọ Ogunmakin has been nominated in the category 'German Cinema New Talent Award: Actor' at the Filmfest München 2016 for her role in VOLT. The film has its world premiere screening in Munich on the 24. June 2016.
Only You
Ayọ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Say I promise I won't let you down
Say I promise I won't let you down
And I just want you to get to know me for me babe
No need to hear the lies I could tell by your eyes
Say you need some lovin' and I got that for you yeah
I want you to know I'm gone be there
Imma pull up to your house quarter of two
You can call it whatever you want bae
Imma take you around and put you in my space
If you with me then I'll let you be mine
And it feels so right don't wanna end this time
All I want is you, only you
So you better hit my line
And you're the only one I choose
And I think that this is a sign
Let them others hate when they speak about our business
Cause they know the past so you better keep your distance
Baby let me know if you think that I'm different
They don't know but I care about your feelings
I need you and I just miss you and can't wait to get with you
Another summer time we can just breeze through
See the water flow in the river with a nice view too
We can catch up on a late night
And let's be together so there's no reason to hide
Baby just put down your pride
I'm not gonna judge you it's about what's inside
When you gonna give that love to me
Tell them hop back cause you know you ain't free
Cause you rocking with me
And I love when you ride with me
And I just want you to get to know me for me babe
No need to hear the lies I could tell by your eyes
Say you need some lovin' and I got that for you yeah
I want you to know I'm gone be there
Imma pull up to your house quarter of two
Never felt this way cause I know that I love you
You can call it whatever you want bae
Imma take you around and put you in my space
If you with me then I'll let you be mine
And it feels so right don't wanna end this time
All I want is you, only you
So you better hit my line
And you're the only one I choose
And I think that this is a sign
It's only you, all for you
Bae came to in my life
Yeah it's only us you I trust
Ain't no surprise
You be on my mind all the time
When I think about you and the way that you shine
Imma say that's mine that's mine
Only you only you only you (woah)
And I just want you to get to know me for me babe
No need to hear the lies I could tell by your eyes
Say you need some lovin' and I got that for you yeah
I want you to know I'm gone be there
Imma pull up to your house quarter of two
Never felt this way cause I know that I love you
You can call it whatever you want bae
Imma take you around and put you in my space
If you with me then I'll let you be mine
And it feels so right don't wanna end this time
All I want is you, only you
So you better hit my line
And you're the only one I choose
And I think that this is a sign
The song "Only You" by Ayo is an expression of love and devotion to a significant other. The chorus emphasizes the idea that only this person can have the singer's soul and everything they desire. The love expressed in the song is all-encompassing, with the singer offering their heart, love, and everything they have to their partner. The lyrics use poetic language to describe the intensity of the emotions, comparing the partner to heaven on earth, the light of the singer's life, and the ruler of their heart.
The verses of the song further explore the depth of the singer's feelings. They attempt to explain the indescribable sensations that come with being in love through "worked melodies sincerest." The partner is portrayed as the source of the singer's happiness, turning their nights into days, and being the center of their thoughts at all times. The verse even describes how the singer wants to touch, smell, and hug their partner constantly throughout the day.
The bridge emphasizes that no matter what, the couple will always have each other's soul, heart, love, and everything. In summary, the song "Only You" is a heartfelt expression of deep love and devotion, with lyrics that use poetic language to describe the intensity of the emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Only you can have my soul
You are the only person who has access to the deepest part of me
Oh oh oh you can have it all
I am willing to give you everything that I have to offer
Everything you want, my heart, my love
I am willing to give you my heart and all of my love
To you baby love forever
I will love you forever
Let me explain how I feel about you
I want to communicate my feelings to you
First it's to easy to say I need, I love you
It is too easy to just say 'I love you' and 'I need you'
I will try to describe what I mean, how it feels like
I will attempt to express the emotions and sensations you make me feel
For that, I use worked melodies sinceres
To achieve this, I use sincere and well-crafted melodies
You were my heaven on earth, the light of myself
You brought light and joy to my life - you were my heaven on earth
Through you I gave birth, you made me a woman
Through our relationship, I have grown and become a better person
Every colour of my world, that's what you are
You bring vibrancy and color to my life
Like a lion rules the jungle you rule my heart
Just as a lion dominates the jungle, you have complete control over my heart
Thank you
Expressing gratitude for their presence in my life
You turn my nights into days
Your presence makes even my darkest moments bright
Cause every second and a minute of each hour I need to see your face
I constantly yearn for your presence, and every moment spent apart is unbearable
I need you, touch you, smell you,hug you,all through the day
I desire to touch, smell, and hug you all day long
Kiss you, hug you, smell you, touch you, teas you, please you and say your name
I want to shower you with affection and make you feel loved
No matter what we'll be, with you and me
Regardless of what happens, as long as we are together, we will be alright
You'll always have my soul, my heart, my love my everything x2
I will always give you my all and love you unconditionally
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Lisa Nguyen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mariesophiecebin5249
[Chorus:]
Only you can have my soul
Oh oh oh you can have it all
Everything you want, my heart, my love
To you baby love forever
Let me explain how I feel about you
First it's to easy to say I need, I love you
I will try to describe what I mean, how it feels like
For that, I use worked melodies sinceres
You were my heaven on earth, the light of myself
Through you I gave birth, you made me a woman
Every colour of my world, that's what you are
Like a lion rules the jungle you rule my heart
[Chorus]
Thank you
You turn my nights into days
Cause every second and a minute of each hour I need to see your face
I need you, touch you, smell you,hug you,all through the day
Kiss you, hug you, smell you, touch you, teas you, please you and say your name
[Chorus]
[Bridge:]
No matter what we'll be, with you and me
You'll always have my soul, my heart, my love my everything x2
@jelenadudukovic8308
Only you can have my soul
Oh oh oh you can have it all
Everything you want, my heart, my love
To you baby love forever
Let me explain how I feel about you
First it's to easy to say I need, I love you
I will try to describe what I mean, how it feels like
For that, I use worked melodies sinceres
You were my heaven on earth, the light of myself
Through you I gave birth, you made me a woman
Every colour of my world, that's what you are
Like a lion rules the jungle you rule my heart
Only you can have my soul
Oh oh oh you can have it all
Everything you want, my heart, my love
To you baby love forever
Thank you
You turn my nights into days
Cause every second and a minute of each hour I need to see your face
I need you, touch you, smell you, hug you, all through the day
Kiss you, hug you, smell you, touch you, teas you, please you and say your name
No matter what we'll be, with you and me
You'll always have my soul, my heart, my love my everything x2
Only you can have my soul
Oh oh oh you can have it all
Everything you want, my heart, my love
To you baby love forever
@mamaziha79
"Only You"
[Chorus:]
Only you can have my soul
Oh oh oh you can have it all
Everything you want, my heart, my love
To you baby love forever
Let me explain how I feel about you
First it's to easy to say I need, I love you
I will try to describe what I mean, how it feels like
For that, I use worked melodies sinceres
You were my heaven on earth, the light of myself
Through you I gave birth, you made me a woman
Every colour of my world, that's what you are
Like a lion rules the jungle you rule my heart
[Chorus]
Thank you
You turn my nights into days
Cause every second and a minute of each hour I need to see your face
I need you, touch you, smell you,hug you,all through the day
Kiss you, hug you, smell you, touch you, teas you, please you and say your name
[Chorus]
[Bridge:]
No matter what we'll be, with you and me
You'll always have my soul, my heart, my love my everything x2
[Chorus x2]
@pastrynuma8602
Sólo puedes tener mi alma
Oh oh oh que se puede tener todo
Todo lo que quieres, mi corazón, mi amor
A su bebé el amor para siempre
Voy a explicar cómo me siento acerca de usted
En primer lugar, a la fácil de decir que necesito, Te amo
Voy a tratar de describir lo que quiero decir, ¿cómo se siente
Por eso, el uso trabajado sinceres melodías
Tú eras mi cielo en la tierra, la luz de mí mismo
A través de vosotros me dio a luz, me hiciste una mujer
Todos los colores de mi mundo, eso es lo que se
Como un león de la selva normas que gobiernan mi corazón
Coro
Gracias
Que a su vez mis noches en días
Porque cada segundo y minuto de cada hora tengo que ver tu cara
Te necesito, tocar, oler usted, un abrazo que, durante todo el día
Besarte, abrazarte, el olor que, tocarte, tés usted, por favor, y diga su nombre
Coro
Puente:
No importa lo que vamos a estar con usted y me
Siempre tendrás mi alma, mi corazón, mi amor mi everything x2
@milicastijepovic8634
Ayo, Asa, Nneka are very talented and beautiful persons - artists. They are so strong and emotional at the same time. Love them.
@deemammajamma1293
Ayo Deserves huge recognition the world over🙌🏾 She is truly amazing❤👸🏾
@allthingsproject489
Beautiful music! Beautiful Ayo.
@margreetvanegmond1708
The most beautiful tribute by a Mum to her son... gorgeous song of a talented and beautiful woman...
@kenyodethegreat9197
To Zion by Lauryn Hill... check that out
@deemammajamma1293
This song is the One for my sons wedding!
@puppetken
So talent why aren't beautiful women with a heavenly voice be on top of the charts of the music industry!
@chariseadams189
Exactly 🙏🏽❤️💃🏽💯😍
@blindmang
I just love tripping around the tube and finding gems, such as this....g-man
@menysarah
I love this song...I love hearing and watching true musicianship...amazing..I love your voice too...amazing