Second Story Garage: Ayo Awosika

Ayo Awosika performs “Another Kind of Mission” at Second Story Garage music video studio in Boulder, Colorado.

Ayo Awosika is based in New York these days, but Colorado music fans will recognize her for her work with Front Range acts such as The Motet. She lived and made music in Colorado for five years, and her connections with Mile High musicians keep her coming back regularly to the state.

She returned in May, in fact, to release her debut solo album with a show at Denver jazz club Dazzle. Titled “We Best Not Wait,” the album proves Awosika an emotionally vulnerable songwriter and a powerful singer. It’s no criticism of her writing to say her vocal talents elevate the “singer” in her singer-songwriter job description.

Awosika was born to a Nigerian father and American mother, and the soundtrack of her childhood home features disparate styles, including the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti, the sultry jazz of Billie Holiday and the pop exuberance of Madonna. Such early influences touch her own music, a mix of jazzy soul and pop.

She brought her band to the Garage when they were in the Denver area. The band included Nick Jost on bass, Sean Mullins on drums and Lizzie Dudash on backing vocals. They performed the songs “We Best Not Wait,” “Another Kind of Mission” and “Superman,” then Awosika sat down with Quentin to dig deeper into the meaning of “Superman.”

What she brought us: A clock, a symbol of “We Best Not Wait.”

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