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By : Itoro Oladokun
Date: 20 Apr 2025
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Since a heated argument with a lover, AyoX (real name Ayomide Bakare) has viewed music through a transformative lens. Fusing Street Pop, R&B, and Hip Hop with distinct inspirational messages, he has carved out a unique space in Nigerian music. With over half a million monthly listeners and tens of millions of online streams, his innovative sound is soon to be unveiled on his forthcoming EP.
AyoX’s view about music changed after a serious disagreement with his former partner. With over half a million dedicated monthly listeners on social media and tens of millions in online song streams, AyoX, real name Ayomide Bakare, has carved an identity with his distinct inspirational messaging and fusion of Street Pop, R&B, and Hip Hop.
“I noticed that whenever we had a heated argument, she always went back to listen to Juls and she felt better afterwards; Since then, I discovered that music actually has function,” he tells Guardian Music.
With his just-released duet with Juju music pioneer Yinka Ayefele, dubbed Ayo (Joy), still making the rounds, the young musician is gearing up for his EP release next month.
Growing up in a music-oriented family, AyoX has nursed his musical ambitions since childhood, releasing music from the age of 14. Since 2019, his records — including Last Son of A Widow, If Being Sad Is a Crime, and Walking Dead — have steadily found their way into household music libraries, championing his distinct sound.
Frequently collaborating with his elder brother, Olubunmi Bakare, who produces many of his songs and featured his mother as a spoken-word artist several times, AyoX’s work embodies a bridge between the past and present. His exposure to a myriad of genres, particularly indigenous Nigerian music, imbues his fusions with nostalgia, wit, and modern sound-engineering techniques.
After dedicating a tribute to the late Mohbad with the track Walking Dead, featuring Zlatan Ibile, AyoX gained significant popularity around 2023, especially as the song was recorded a year before Mohbad’s death and was released just after the musician’s passing. The Walking Dead EP, which also houses the tribute track of the same title, cemented his status within mainstream Afrobeats as a profound lyricist and a distinctive voice in the street-pop scene.
Catching up with Guardian Music, the 25-year-old singer unpacks his creative artistry, detailing his exciting new jam, Ayo, his inspirations and creative process, and his ongoing mission to create music for therapeutic purposes.
Tell us about how you made the song with Yinka Ayefele.
I recorded it one night last year. I went to my producer’s place—my producer is my older brother—and he was playing me this beat. After I recorded the first beat he played for me, I was in a very weird mood. I wasn’t happy, just numb, not feeling much emotion. He played this beat, and I didn’t even write it. I just started singing based on how I was feeling at that moment because I had just gone through something, and I overcame it.
This song is about triumph over enemies, about victory. After recording, I kept listening to it and felt it suited Ayefele’s style, since I grew up listening to him. I reached out to him, he sent me his number, I called him, and he said, “Let’s do it.” Before I knew it, in less than 24 hours, he sent back his part. That was one of my easiest collabs ever.
Have you been connected to Ayefele’s artistry before?
I got to know about him through my uncle’s wife (God rest her soul). She played a lot of his songs for me when I stayed with her. After she died, I stopped going to church because I used to go with her, and I’ve had this love for Ayefele ever since. When you’re a kid and you love someone, whatever they introduce you to, you love it too. Having someone I hold in high esteem respond to my message, send me his number, talk to him on the phone, and get his voice on my song—above that, he calls me, it’s like a dad to me. That’s a very big dream come true.
How did you feel overall working with Ayefele?
Most of my dreams are coming true. Isn’t that the core message in my music? I always talk about motivational stuff. I won’t even say I’m in the industry yet. I’m still trying to find my way, my own place. I feel like there are still so many places I’m supposed to be seen in the industry that I’m not yet. My first song was recorded in 2014. I started music in school, singing for my classmates. After secondary school, going to uni, I started taking music more seriously. I’d say 2018 was when I started music professionally.
How did you get started with music?
I come from a musically inclined family. My dad loves music, and my mom knows how to sing—she was on my first project and will be on my next. Nobody does it professionally, but my brothers love music too. My older brother manages a studio and was working on being a producer. I discovered I could sing, so I started making music with him right from my last days in secondary school. That’s when music started for me, professionally.
Were you releasing music as of then?
It took me two years before I told my brother I could sing. I started writing in junior secondary school, my second year. I was a rapper, doing rap battles in my classes. I became popular in school. I was like the Star Boy of my school, Aquinas College. Even with all that, I couldn’t find the courage to tell my brother I could make music. One day, we were playing music in the house, and I just let it out. My classmates were my first fans.
When did you start releasing music?
My first single dropped in 2014 through a platform called Naija Olofofo, back when streaming platforms weren’t a thing. My brand of music tilts toward inspirational music, with R&B, some street pop. I don’t enjoy trap music because it just doesn’t sit right with me. I listen to all kinds of music: gospel, evergreen songs from Orlando Owoh, Elaine Murat from Ekiti State, old legends. Growing up in a family where my dad listened to folks like that, my brother listened to P-Square, my auntie played Ayefele—it’s like different genres were stored in my head before I started writing my own songs. My melodies come from listening to all these different songs.
Do you like to sample classics then?
When it comes to sampling, I don’t use someone else’s melody. I’d rather use the exact words, like in Walking Dead, where there’s an Orlando Owoh song. Another person might use the melody with different words, but I believe in creating my own melody. If I use words from a legend that fit my song, I put them in.
Is there a reason you make inspirational music?
I’ve collaborated with Nigerian stars like Otega and others who make music to inspire. One thing I figured out early was the impact music has on people’s lives. In secondary school, I didn’t understand the purpose of music—I thought it was just for enjoyment.
After I lost my dad in 2016, music comforted me. In 2020, I lost my friend to cancer, and music was there for me again. I noticed my ex, a Juice WRLD fan, would go back to his songs whenever we had issues, and she’d feel better. I realised music is beyond just listening—it can be your friend, your therapy. That’s when I decided I’m not just going to make music because I can sing. I’m going to tell my own story, hoping the world relates to it. I call it Afro-inspiration—it gives you good energy to jam up all day.
Any collaborations on your radar?
Going forward, music has no boundaries for me. I’ll collaborate with anyone if it aligns with my childhood dreams. I wanted Beautiful Nubia on my first project, but he wasn’t available. Now that I have the exposure to propose collabs, it’s about how I feel toward the artist and their music. I’d love to work with Omah Lay, Bnxn, Beautiful Nubia, and Brymo—people who make inspirational songs.
What is next for you?
My next project is dropping May 8, a seven-track EP titled Where Nobody Is Watching. It features Qing Madi and Yinka Ayefele. It’s a soulful project, not as upbeat as you might think. I want a project you can go back to when you’re not in a good mood. Soulful projects are scarce now—we need them like mad.
You tributed Mohbad with your song, Walking Dead. What was your relationship like with him?
I met Mohbad before he passed, and though I wasn’t a very big fan like I am of Bella Shmurda or Seyi Vibes, I knew he was exceptionally talented. His death hit hard because I’ve been in the game for a while, and I know how much I’ve put in. I can’t imagine dying just when I’m starting to succeed. It’s sad, not getting to experience everything you’ve worked for. Shout out to him—he was an OG and inspired a lot of great men.
What is your favourite social media app?
I’m on WhatsApp because I love communicating with people I’m close with. [But] my favourite social media is X.
Favourite colours to dress up in?
My favourite colours to dress in are black and white.
What is your favourite thing to eat after making music?
After recording music, I love to eat moi moi.
If you had to describe yourself in one word?
Mysterious.
Finally, what is your vision for AyoX?
In the long run, I just want to grow the Loners brand. I want my fanbase, the Loners, to be as big as, even bigger than, Wizkid FC or 30BG. That’s the vision for AyoX.
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Rutam House, Plat 103/109, Apapa-Oshodi Express Way, Isolo, P.M.B 1217 Oshodi, Lagos, Nigeria.
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