A Fresh Blast Of Afrobeat, Where Nigerian + Kung Fu Traditions Meet: Amayo's Debut Solo Album Lion Awakes Out Today

Stream Lion Awakes here: https://ffm.to/ml6w3j

 

Album Release Shows Confirmed:

Brooklyn Bowl (NYC) January 29 and Zebulon (LA) February 12

 

An immersive experience that’s as powerful, triumphant, and magical as any music could be. Amayo has brought mythology together with reality to form the sweetest of fusions” - TMRW Magazine

“A bold and visionary album that weaves together the vibrant energy of Afrobeat, the mystique of Chinese martial arts lore, and the hopeful spirit of Afrofuturism” - Afropop Worldwide

 

January 17, 2024 - - Amayo, the longtime former frontman of Antibalas, has helped to bring Afrobeat to a global audience for the past two decades. Today he has released his anticipated solo album debut, Lion Awakes, his first new music since Antibalas’ GRAMMY-nominated Fu Chronicles (2020). Inspired by his Kung Fu practice as a Lion Dancer - and honoring his indigenous Nigerian Edo customs and heritage - the Lion Awakes features 5 tracks of fierce afrobeat, unfolding over a series of movements that tell a story where myth meets reality.  The album has so far been featured as a KCRW Top Tune, an extensive interview with Afropop Worldwide, a forthcoming feature in Relix Magazine and a WNYC Soundcheck appearance.  

Listen to Lion Awakes here: https://ffm.to/ml6w3j, and previously released single “Black Magic Sister”

Amayo composed the album, performed the keyboard parts, and also illustrated the album artwork. His multi-lingual vocals, sung in Yoruba, Edo, pidgin English, and Cantonese, underscore his role as a bridge between cultures. The album’s rich textures of horns, keys, and rhythms draw listeners into its vibrant world.  Recorded and produced by Thomas Brenneck (Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, Amy Winehouse, Beyonce and Jay-Z) at his Diamond West studios, Lion Awakes also features contributions from longtime collaborators and members of The Dap-Kings and Antibalas. 

He explains, “This album honors my grandmother, Iyalawo (my Black Magic Shaman and medicine woman). The world is right side down. Only through honest collaborations can we find equilibrium.  Lion Awakes offers medicinal words and songs, layered in a new sound with fresh angles to deepen the experience of this timeless music reimagined story/symphony where Myth meets Reality.”

Lion Awakes performances have also been confirmed, for Brooklyn Bowl in NYC on January 29 and at Zebulon in Los Angeles on February 12. The evening will feature Amayo alongside an all-star lineup of musicians, including Eddie Venegas, Raja Kassis, Jordan McLean, and Nikhil Yerawadekar. This milestone concert marks Amayo’s triumphant return to Brooklyn—a creative hub where his work with Antibalas helped shape a thriving music scene that launched acts like The Dap-Kings and TV On The Radio.

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 - which Amayo composed and conceptualized, earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Global Music Album in 2020.

Raised in Nigeria, Amayo—whose name means “If you don’t go, you never know!” in the Edo language of Nigeria—came to the United States at age 17 to attend Howard University on a football scholarship, where he 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.  

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