Jill Newman Productions presents Bilal / Ayo (Co-Bill)
Bilal “Philadelphia born, Soul Singer, Bilal is one of the most dynamic artist of our time. Bilal is an eclectic–drawing from gospel, jazz, soul, blues, and hip-hop. Bilal made his major label debut with 2001’s First Born Second. The cd sold over 300,000 copies and announced that Bilal was an artist to watch. Bilal’s sophomore recording Love For Sale leaked to the internet before its official release and would enjoy over half a million downloads. 2010 saw Air Tights’ Revenge, which yielded the Grammy nominated “Little Ones”. In Feb 2013 Bilal released A Love Surreal, which has already garnered critical acclaim being named as one of “People Magazines” top ten albums of the year.” And in 2015 he released his most celebrated project of his career, “In Another Life” produced entirely by retro soul producer Adrian Young. Followed by the him earning he first Grammy Award for his participation on the critically acclaimed, “To Pimp a Butterfly” by Kendrick Lamar
Ayo It’s not typical for an artist to self-title their fifth album. That’s normally meant for debut records. But, while Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Ayo has four records under her belt, it’s actually quite fitting that she chose the eponymous title. The 14-track record, which exquisitely blends folk reggae and pop with soul influences and a dash of hip-hop, marks many firsts for the artist and serves as her musical rebirth.
Born Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin in Cologne, Germany to a Nigerian father and Romani gypsy mother, Ayo (which means “joy” in her father’s Yoruba language) has sold 1.5 million records in 40 countries with her four previous releases on Polydor, Universal France, and Interscope Records. Her debut album, Joyful, hit Top 10 in four countries, while Essence magazine compared her to the great Nina Simone. She’s performed with Babyface, won prestigious European music awards, has appeared stateside on Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and even fortunate enough to open for the funkiest man on the planet, James Brown on one of his last big shows.
