Ayinke Martins profile

UK-BASED Nigerian jazz singer Ayinke Martins will perform tomorrow at the The Life House, at
Sinari Daranijo street, off Ajose Adeogun street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The charming, talented world class singer who fuses Yoruba and English vocal idiom with jazz,
African and soul styles to create a her unique brand of Afro jazz, has evolved over the years as a
musician. She has a juju Jazz gospel single Otise and an Afro jazz album, Ayinke Now. She is a song
writer and music arranger who has her own label, Ajeji Music.

Martins started her career in Lagos, Nigeria as a soloist with an Afro Funk group called the Grotto.
She is one of those who under the tutelage of Frances and Tunde Kuboye introduced jazz singing to
the Nigerian audience through her live sessions.
She has performed in some of the most prestigious venues both in the UK and Nigeria including the
Royal festival hall, the Queen Elizabeth hall, the Barbican, the Stratford theatre, the Muson Hall
amongst others. She names among her inspirations renowned Nigerian musicians such as I.K Dairo,
Ebenezer Obey, Victor Olaiya, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, King Sunny Ade. She is equally inspired by
foreign artistes like Louis Armstrong, Harry Belafonte, Sarah Vaughan, Donny Hathaway and Nina
Simone.

In a release to announce the performance, management of The Life House stated that the
organisation is honoured to welcome her to its stage and join the list of prestigious venues where she
has performed such as The Barbican, The Royal Festival Hall, The Muson Centre and The Coronet
Theatre.