Ayo, a Yoruba word meaning Joy is what Dija, a onetime street musical diva in Nigeria calls her new single. Dija is talented but what everybody including me have not understood is her level of inconsistency. Dija has the potential to become a massive international star because she has the lyrics, looks and rhythm to compete but she prefers to make music in her own terms. It is a cool idea but staying relevant in the Nigerian music industry is hard work of day and Night. Dija Ayo, is a good song which has lots of international potential. This song can slide into any country’s charts and make it to the top, but the singer of this song lacks the consistency power to make it happen. Gross inconsistency is the biggest enemy of Dija and her songs and that will affect the popularity of this song.
THE MESSAGE
This is a song which Dija uses to admonish people who are feeling like failures. She tells everybody who has fallen to rise and keep working hard. In her word “fall a million times, Rise a million ways”. She tells people to hold on to their faith and not let it go claiming that he who fights and runs away; will always live to fight another day. The hook has her telling people to live their life with no regrets.
She switches to the second verse dishing some more motivational quotes. In her words every one trying to become great has to try a million time. Acknowledging that trying time and time again is tiring, she admonishes everyone that that there will be better days because the night season of everyone’s hustle will alwsys be over. She tells everyone that there is always going to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
In the pre-chorus, she tells everyone that together everyone will eventually become happy because with the trials come experience and strength. She claims that with time as a team people become stronger because of their will power and desire. Hence everybody ends his or her life in joy (Ayo).
THE BEAT
Using a beat that sounds like what Major Lazar did in their song that features Party Next Door and Nicki Minaj, Dija vocal’s a universal song. This is the most complete song I have listened to this year. It was produced and written to have all the parts of a song. It has two verses; one bridge and Hook respectively; and Three Chorus. Most Nigerian songs do not make use of all the parts of a songs because it becomes boring but Dija’s Ayo broke that norm.
The beat is not made with the regular Afropop sound that Nigeria is associated with. Instead she makes a song with RnB and Caribbean sound influence especially when you think about the keys and the transitions of the beat. Nigerian songs do not transition in such ways hence Dija made a song that can be really appreciated outside Nigeria.
POSSIBLE VIDEO
For proper impact of this song, a high budget video is important. A crowded video of people working in various field of life is need to make this song live in motion pictures. Mixing work scenes and energetic dancing will make for a video suiting the energy of the song.
