In a world where art and sound have been forced to exist within clearly defined spaces, Ayoni has broken out of that mould to create music that explores several other possibilities beyond our usual realms of imagination. Ayoni is the epitome of genuine talent expressed in a grandiose package. Three years after her debut album, Iridescent, was released she sits down with us to chat about her new EP – Vision.
How much would you say your performances, style of writing and ‘journey to healing’ have evolved since your debut project, Iridescent?
I think I’ve matured considerably and I’m willing to take up more space. Iridescent was very much a coming-of-age project for me both personally and sonically. It chronicled my development as a woman and also the beginning of my relationship with producing. There was a lot more apprehension and discomfort with making decisions about my musical direction, even with encouraging collaborators, that I needed time to overcome.
Since then, I think the choices my newer music makes are a lot more informed but also a lot more fearless. Even though it was presented as such in Iridescent, I’ve also learned that healing is rarely linear, and often complex. I spend time exploring the nuance and complexity of early adulthood in this new music.
Which artists/groups have inspired you artistically?
So many! Remi Wolf, Dijon, Laura Mvula, Lianne la Havas, Tora-i, Rachel Chinouriri, Yebba, and most recently Ravyn Lenae and Steve Lacy.
It’s quite common knowledge that you resist the R&B tag and labelling in general but if you had to have your music described, how would you recommend the industry do so?
They could describe it as good music.
Have you struggled as a queer Black woman?
Honestly, not really, if I’m being honest. In the way of societal deprogramming, absolutely, I’ve had to uncover parts of myself that I was taught were bad or ‘inconvenient’ but I’ve always trusted my own point of view. I feel like as soon as I realised my own agency and my capacity to love, I loved. It’s in some ways my openness that informs my storytelling and with a beautiful Black queer community around me as well in LA, I feel a real sense of pride to be Black and queer and an artist of this time.
Do you see yourself as part of any particular subculture?
I think I see myself as part of the Black alternative wave. I’d love to believe I’m in class with creatives such as Tora-I, or Rachel Chinouriri who’s sounds are more expansive and experimental than genre-bound.
What was the inspiration behind your single, Before I Prosper?
An emotional rock bottom. I was isolated and grieving a relationship, two things I’d never done so deeply before, and that was the inspiration. It was also the first time I’d had to grieve a future with someone and I wanted to honor that but still frame the narrative in an inspirational way, that I’d choose to smile and believe I would prosper instead of mourning what could have been and being afraid to leap.
How are you feeling about the release of your EP, The Vision, and what are your hopes for the future?
Amazing! This is where I disappeared to after Iridescent and I hope people will just be open to it and as excited about it as am I. Industry-wise, I’m often being told the reasons my music isn’t marketable or is too genreless, or reasons why I should choose a simpler sound.
Ultimately, I just want people to play my records as open-minded human beings. See me. Hear my stories. Sit down, be present, and just enjoy the journey, even if you hate it. I don’t mind as long as you are truly open to the experience. That’s really all I can ask for these days, the chance to exist on my own terms. I hope this EP opens really big doors for me, and takes me further forward. I hope the music teaches me all the lessons. And I hope this project matters.
Interviewed by Cathy Ben-Ameh
Follow Ayoni’s Instagram and listen to The Vision here
