AYONI

Ayoni is a pop-soul powerhouse whose voice can’t be denied. The 25-year-old singer, songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist is deeply reverent of what came before her, and she uses that respect to build toward her own sound and future. Ayoni’s voice, larger than life while still under the artist’s meticulous control, is a central character to all of her songs. ISOLA, her debut album, is further evidence of this. Thematically, Ayoni focuses on the experience of overcoming isolation (“isola” means “island” in Italian). But her expansive, impressive vocals and keenly vulnerable lyrics bring the bigger picture into focus. “I started writing this album when we were in lockdown in 2020,” Ayoni explains. “At the time, I thought it was going to be more of a social commentary on loneliness, isolation, what can really be created in moments of solitude. But as I began to evolve the album, in my life, I went through a really world-shifting breakup. I had to become a different person on the other side of that. ISOLA feels so soulful and like such a space that just honors that time in my life.”

A reflective artist by nature, Ayoni delves into her own life experiences as a means of propelling her music forward. In addition to being a native of Barbados, Ayoni has lived in far-flung areas around the world, from the multicultural hub of Singapore to the pop-obsessed Jarkarta, and also impactful music regions in the U.S., including Miami, the Bay Area, and Ayoni’s current home of Los Angeles. Her time in each area has informed how she operates as a musician, a key element from all of these locations seeping into her singular sound. Even more specifically, Ayoni’s intracultural influences are at the root of her compellingly rousing music. “I think the ‘soul’ for me is just this Black tradition of storytelling, whether it’s blues or jazz,” she says. “There’s just a rich, rich history of Black singers marking their times and their lives through song. For me, as much as I want it to be fun and relatable, I think I’m always making sure that in my storytelling and performance as a singer, that ‘soul’ is going to be present every time.”

Ayoni first began making music at the age of 10, not only relying on her innate songwriting abilities but also creating an accompaniment on piano. At age 12, she picked up guitar, and by her teen years, she became more curious and passionate about production and sound design. That shift in focus was thanks in large part to three albums Ayoni considers to be contributing factors to the foundation of her sound: Rihanna’s ANTI, SZA’s Ctrl, and Lorde’s Melodrama. The genre-aversiveness of these records, expressed through arrestingly malleable voices and cascading, multitudinous sonic terrains, has shaped Ayoni’s approach—but her individuality is unmistakable, heard most clearly across ISOLA. “This album is about coming full circle,” Ayoni says. “Not only am I creating music and records that speak to my personal experience, I’m creating them with the intention of reaching as many people of different walks of life, ages, gender, sexual orientation—just wanting the music to resonate on the most soulful, human level. I think it has to come back to where it started for me.”

ISOLA’s light and layered lead single “San Francisco” doubles as an ode to the Northern Californian city and a mirror for Ayoni to see herself for who she truly is post-breakup. “2” sees Ayoni exploring her own interpretation of grit and growl inspired by the blues legend Big Mama Thornton, whom Ayoni studied at length in college. “It Is What It Is,” an anthem for anyone at their wits’ end with their reality, is Ayoni’s opportunity to present strikingly honest storytelling about an imperfect trajectory and disappointing relationships. But faith is Ayoni’s superpower, and “Dancing on the Ceiling” is a self-observed lesson in believing in a higher being. “There’s an element in the song where I’m saying, when you’re anointed, there’s no one that can stop you,” Ayoni explains. “And truly believing that if God has a plan for your life, you’re going to experience it, you’re going to feel it. So that song for me just makes me feel young. It makes me feel how I felt before I graduated and turned 22. It’s just that feeling of not knowing what’s on the other side of a ride that you’re about to go on—but knowing that it’s going to be beautiful and glorious. You just have to see and trust that it’s going to be a show.