Amayo Announces Lion Awakes Album Release Show at Brooklyn Bowl on January 29

Longtime Frontman of Antibalas To Release Debut Solo Album Lion Awakes January 17

Tickets and more information here

December 6, 2024 - - Amayo, the former frontman of Antibalas, announces a special record release show for his debut solo album, Lion Awakes, at Brooklyn Bowl on January 29. Lion Awakes, out January 17, captures Amayo’s unique fusion of Afrobeat, martial arts philosophy, and Nigerian cultural heritage. The Brooklyn Bowl performance will mark the first time these transformative tracks, including lead single “Black Magic Sister,” will be performed live in their completed form.  

Tickets and more information here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/00006173D315433F

Lion Awakes draws inspiration from Amayo’s training as a Kung Fu Lion Dancer and his Nigerian Edo roots, blending myth and reality into a sonic journey that uplifts and inspires. "Amayo" means "If you don't go, you never know" in the Edo language of Nigeria. The January 29 show at Brooklyn Bowl is more than a celebration of the album—it’s a homecoming. This marks Amayo’s return to the Brooklyn stage after his farewell from Antibalas in 2021 and his first NYC performance since his 2022 appearance at BAM Café.

This one-night-only event will feature an all-star lineup of musicians, including Eddie Venegas on violin and trombone, a member of the “Sweet Plantains” string quartet who also contributed to the album. Joining Venegas are former Antibalas members Raja Kassis and Nikhil Yerawadekar on guitars, Giancarlo Luiggi on shekere, and Jordan McLean on trumpet, as well as a roster of celebrated artists Tosin Aribisala on drums, Ray Mason on trombone, and Junichi Arima on bass. The ensemble will channel the Afrobeat magic and dynamic spirit that have defined Amayo’s illustrious career.

Lion Awakes was composed by Amayo, who is the featured lead vocalist and also performs on piano, Farfisa and Gbedu Spirit Drum.  Amayo sings throughout the album in Yoruba, Edo, pidgin English and Cantonese. The recording features a host of musicians that Amayo has collaborated with over the past two decades, including members of the Dap-Kings, Antibalas, and recorded/produced by Thomas Brenneck (Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, Amy Winehouse, Beyonce and Jay-Z) at his Diamond West studios.

Amayo’s music has been featured in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, the LA Times, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR and he has appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show to name a few.  As a member of Antibalas and as a solo performer, Amayo has performed across the globe, on the world’s finest stages and at the finest festivals.  His final project with Antibalas - Fu Chronicles - earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Global Music Album in 2020.

Raised in Nigeria, Amayo came to America to attend Howard University on a football scholarship at age 17 and majored in medical illustration. He eventually moved to Brooklyn, where he joined Antibalas, part of a fertile and influential creative community of musicians and friends in Williamsburg that would also form The Dap-Kings and TV On The Radio.  Amayo recorded 9 full length albums with Antibalas & performed 2000+ shows across five continents including four times at Carnegie Hall. He also directed the Antibalas music video for “Fight Am Finish” on location in Nigeria & NYC, about an African American returning home via the slave route.  2020’s Fu Chronicles was conceptualized and composed by Amayo; he also hand-illustrated the cover artwork.  With a move across the country and the birth of his second child during the pandemic, Amayo decided to branch out on his solo career, one dedicated to his rich Nigerian heritage and Chinese martial arts teachings.  

Amayo’s unique blend of styles creates a magical landscape of Chinese & African rhythms.  Amayo’s songs guide people through Kung Fu movements and stories of the Nigerian Edo & Ife Kingdoms. 

As an anointed Orisha “Awo,” Amayo sings traditional Nigerian spirituals and stories that have been passed down in a sacred lineage. Amayo has been a senior master (Sifu) of the Jow Ga Kung Fu School of martial arts since 1982 and performs traditional Chinese Lion Dance as a salutation ritual to begin his stage performances to bring good fortune to the audience.

Lion Awakes track list:

1. Black Magic Sister
2. Lion Awakes
3. Happy Lion 
4. Shadowless
5. Ascended Lion

MEDIA CONTACTS:

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Chris Taillie | ctaillie@shorefire.com

Casey Hansen | chansen@shorefire.com