Ayo Jay has been looking for a particular girl’s number for a few years now, his smash hit “Your Number” has been remixed and released and remixed and re-released since 2013, but with or without her number, it’s time to move on. With 2017 opening up and with the success of “Your Number” in the US, the RCA’s signee has launched two new singles that sound like he has discovered a winning formula with his enchanting Afro-Carribean hybrid.
“Vibe” is a brand new record, while “Want You” was played on New York station Power 105 last year but is now available for streaming worldwide. The song (Want You) has a sunny island feel to it – now that Ayo has gotten her number, he lets his love interest know that his feeling for her are very real.
I want to spend time with you
I want to spend my money with you
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The influences of soca are strong and you can see the Caribbean community in New York where Ayo Jay lives gravitating to the sound. The record was produced by Melvitto, who also worked on “Your Number” so you can also see that One Nation aren’t going to allow a record contract, however large, break up a winning partnership. The second single “Vibe” is a little different though, this one is more energetic and is less about love and more about just having a good time. Boy Wonder, as he calls himself, sounds boisterous, encouraging ladies to get off the wall and get on to the dance floor, catch the vibe of the party and throw caution to the wind.
We’re gonna have a hangover tomorrow
But that was never gonna stop us tonight
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Ayo Jay has always fascinated me because unlike a number of his colleagues trying to go global, he doesn’t perform his lyrics with an affected American accent. The English is Nigerianized and when it is broken, it’s Nigerian pidgin, not patois by way of Oshodi. The instrumentation is Caribbean and takes its elements from the island but almost everything else contained in the music is gotten from the singer’s home country.
Neither of the new singles has a feature which means we are able to get a better feel of Ayo’s personality, which is something that has been difficult to do with his music thus far. Hopefully RCA put their money behind one or both of the songs so that the singer’s profile continues to rise. Ayo Jay’s debut project Coming to America is coming soon.