Track 4: Ayo Oya
Element: Air
Symbols / Themes: Spirit, breath, wind, sand, our higher selves/spirits, transformation, initiation, Ọya
Story: Ayọ̀ Ọya is a deeply personal invocation of transformation, wind, spirit, and self-trust. Representing the element of Air, this track channels the essence of Ọya, the Yorùbá Orisha of wind, change, storms, and ancestral connection—even before her name consciously entered the process. From the moment recording began on a rainy, blustery day, the presence of breath, wind, and unseen forces guided the sonic and emotional landscape.
The song’s origin unfolded with both creative flow and friction: as the lyrics and vocal melodies began to take shape, they were met with both doubt and revelation—externally and internally. The recording session paused after hitting a wall, only to reveal, later, a powerful lesson about grounding in one's joy and creative truth, even when others falter. This inner wind of clarity began shifting everything.
As the collaboration between Onyi and producer Tristan de Liège evolved, Ayọ̀ Ọya became a spiritual dialogue—between past and present selves, between human and spirit, between clarity and chaos. The composition's layered instrumentation (originally titled Dunes) evokes shifting sands, unseen forces, and the inevitability of transformation. Lyrically, it traverses imagery of breath, time, reflection, and sacred surrender. The chorus flips the traditional call-and-response, signaling a crossroads moment: a turning point where the seeker becomes the knower, and the question becomes the answer.
Though Ọya is never named outright in the lyrics, her energetic imprint pulses throughout the song—from its structure to the layered meanings of the vocal ad libs. The synchronicity deepened when Onyi realized that "Ayọ" (Yorùbá for "joy") is a palindrome of "Ọya," suggesting that transformation and joy are not opposites, but partners in sacred evolution.
This song also catalyzed a metamorphic movement practice, inspiring Onyi to work with choreographer Kara Mack. Through embodying the music physically, and embracing her intuitive capacity as a dancer, she was led further down Ọya’s path—claiming identity, expression, and power beyond formal titles or training.
Adding to the track’s emotional depth and cinematic feel is the haunting violin feature by Greg Allison, whose ethereal yet grounded playing weaves seamlessly into the airy soundscape, enriching the song’s spirit and elemental presence.
Ayọ̀ Ọya invites listeners into an elemental and spiritual journey of becoming—one that moves with the wind, speaks with the ancestors, and lands firmly in joy.
Track Credits
Written and Performed by ONYI LOVE
Produced, Composed, Written and Arranged by Tristan de Liége
Recorded and Mixed by Tristan de Liége
Mastered by Jodhi Mather-Pike (Cut Your Teeth Audio)
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