“It all started back in 1985 to 1986 when I went to see Roy Ayers perform at Hammersmith in London as part of an event called NYC Jazz Explosion (Lonny Linston Smith, Jean Carr etc)”, says Wunmi. “I had become a regular on the underground dance scene in London. The music then was called rare groove, and Roy Ayers was the king! I, like most hungry club dancers, followed through word of mouth DJs and sound systems (i.e. Shaking Finger Pop, Trevor ‘Mad Hatter’ as he was known then and Soul2Soul to name a few) to warehouse parties. Music and dance was the sole purpose of the gathering and boy did we dance! Back to my Roy Ayers story, I got to meet him before the show started back stage, he found out I was a dancer and to my surprise, a few songs into his set he announced me as his special guest!”

My time with Roy Ayers helped me to accept that there was more to music than getting a record deal

“Soon, after this Jazzie B of Soul II Soul asked me to join his collective as their dancer. I was not surprised, I had this strong feeling I would be on stage dancing again though I thought and hoped it would be for Prince; I was a huge fan of his. By 1995/86 Soul II Soul had become my nickname, so to speak. As the group blew up, my face was everywhere as the image for the cover of both album and single. In the midst of this I was picked to become the face of the newly legal Kiss FM; soon after they won their license after many years of being a pirate radio! This was the funniest thing ever; everywhere I looked my face was plastered”, explains Wunmi. Her love for the arts, and her many talents, would soon come to bloom.

“During all of this I was still going to College at London College of Fashion studying Fashion and Design, while at night I went to clubs to dance, dance, dance. As my profile grew, record labels, and TV to dance on music videos, approached me. I also started touring around the world as a soloist performing at festivals with one DJ and one percussionist. I started incorporating vocals into my set as the program length grew and I needed to make costume changes. This was the first time I actually vocalised in front of an audience. Various record labels that were interested in me signing once again approached me. My first reaction was that no I don’t sing! To be honest I did not see me when I looked at them I saw dollar signs, which only made me feel uncomfortable because they did not really know who I was. In 1990, I accepted an offer to come to NYC to choreograph and style ‘PM Dawn’ a Gee Street recording duo. During this period, I finally allowed myself to go into the studio. I recorded a demo for Island records, but nothing came of it.” It was about this point I realised I’d be better off letting Wunmi speak for herself as once she gets started….

I went in and recorded what would become one of the major underground Afro house tunes, it was a combo of Fela’s ‘Expensive Shit’ and ‘Upside Down’. They call it ‘MAW Expensive’

“I was crushed but just like a fairy Godfather, Roy Ayers called me to come work with him on his upcoming album on BMG. This was his 1995 album Naste. I got to write and sing two songs with him and then tour the whole of USA promoting the album. This experience finally gave me the confidence to follow my heart,” she admits. “I initially had struggled with the realisation that I did not have a sound that was mainstream and to be honest labels were not looking to sign an act that did not fit formats. There was no denying my heavily Afro twine. My time with Roy helped me to accept that there was more to music than getting a record deal! During my time with Roy I started hanging out at a spot in the East village where musicians would come and jam. It was a wicked brew of funk and Afro. One day I finally had the courage to get up and sing lead. They were playing king of Afro beat Fela’s ‘Lady’. I chose to sing ‘Upside Down’ as I knew the lyrics inside out, upside down :O) and you can say the rest is history! Soon, I was getting gigs to play at small venues around town. I asked the same musicians if they would back me and they were all willing. Some of these cats are now some of the most sought-after musicians in NYC such as Didi Gutman of Brazilian Girls, Etienne Stadwijk aka ATN of Brooklyn Funk Essentials and Cameronian Richard Bona; I found myself playing out almost every week.”

And it wasn’t slowing down, as Wunmi confesses, “I became a regular at Neil’s, a popular club and live venue on West 14th Street. It was at one of these gigs that DJ Joe Claussell of Body and Soul saw me performing. It turned out when Masters At Work’s Louie Vega and Kenny Dope decided they needed a vocalist for their tribute to Fela Kuti, Joe told them about me. I went in and recorded what would become one of the major underground Afro house tunes, it was a combo of Fela’s ‘Expensive Shit’ and ‘Upside Down’. They call it ‘MAW Expensive’, to date it is still on DJs’ playing lists. We followed this with two more singles all underground smash hits that I co-wrote (‘Ekabo’ and ‘Time is Now’). I got to perform at MAW’s huge Winter Music party in the following year and this put a seal on my career as an Afro house dance music singer. Indirectly I found a market that I could be me with no apologies, the success of my singles with MAW, led to more production with other major producers in the dance music world such as Osunlade, with whom I co-wrote ‘Rader Du’ on his first album on Soul Jazz Records. This too became a smash hit underground especially in Jo Burg, SA. I then recorded with a Sona Kolletive artist RAS and toured extensively around Europe as lead vocalist with his band. Then came a request from West London’s crew Bugz In the Attic. They asked me to feature on their re-work version of ‘Zombie’ for the Red Hot and Riot tribute to Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

I do wish I could just be Wunmi, and her funny-ass self

“I continued to meet and collaborate with the cream of dance music producers, yet always there was the question when would I release an album? As a true believer that nothing happens before its time, my long-awaited solo album is out called A.L.A. I have trusted the Universe to guide me thus far and I continue to be open to all possibilities.

“I do wish I could just be Wunmi, and her funny-ass self, Ha! OK really, no matter how much I say it folks still label me as an Afro beat queen or diva. Maybe I should be glad folks see me as an icon of Afrobeat. Yet, at the same time I see this as limitation musically. Folks expect you to make them dance. If you’re recognised as a dance artist and as an Afro fusion artist, your music is not limited to the intellectual baggage of World music! Sometimes the labelling thing is more of a hindrance than a blessing! Enough said I think!”

Photo by Damian Rafferty