Black Music Matters: On the Horn With Ayoni

To celebrate Black Music Month, KXSC’s Elle Davidson sat down with five Black artists at USC to talk about their musical journeys, and what being Black in music means to them. Senior Ayoni reflects on changing the world through music and the many different experiences she has had throughout her time at USC. Inspired by Adele, Bon Iver and Stevie Wonder, Ayoni has been making music since she was 12. Her debut single, “Divine,” is the perfect pop bop to bump all summer long. You can stream it, and more of Ayoni’s music, on our Black Music Matters Spotify playlist. Check out our interview below:

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Elle Davidson: How would you describe your musical style?

Ayoni: I do a lot of genre infusing. I think I’m trying to pioneer a new genre, or create a new sound. But I would probably describe it as—and it really depends from song to song—alternative pop. 

ED: What are you working toward?

A: I definitely want to change the world through music. Especially for Black women, it’s really hard for people to recognize us as pop. We kind of get pushed off to RnB or Urban music, which encompasses some of what we do, but right now with like, Bree Runway, and other incredible black women pioneering new sounds, one of my long-term goals is to reinvent the wheel a little bit in terms of what we can do, and I guess to inspire people to follow suit. I also want to be a really celebrated songwriter and producer.

ED: How has your experience at a predominantly white institution influenced your journey as an artist?

A: It’s been interesting. Pretty much my entire life, I’ve been in predominantly white places. I spent some years—I think 5 or 6—in Asia at different points in my childhood, so I was immersed into the international community, but I also did spend the majority of my life at this point in America and it’s always been interesting. It’s kind of been hard. When I was younger, it took me a long time to believe that what I brought to the table was beautiful, even though I didn’t see anyone else who looked like me. But once I was able to push through and come to love myself and appreciate myself for who I am, it definitely was a turning point in terms of caring too heavily of what people think. So being at USC, while pursuing music, has been interesting but the majority of the people I gravitated to and connected with were Black, and I found my community of people.

ED: Why is amplifying Black voices important at USC?

A: I think it’s crucial at USC because we are so overlooked. I really found myself struggling when my music came out to even be acknowledged in the music scene at USC. Besides my own music, there are insanely talented, incredible Black musicians and artists and dancers, but I feel like we just get overlooked. It’s a lot harder for people to even know that we are doing anything. I feel like a whole demographic of USC is invested in Greek life, which is a whole demographic of people that could listen to your music or interact with your art, and I feel quite disconnected from that. I feel like other people would follow suit and feel the same. 

There are just so many different versions of USC, and I appreciate that and I appreciate the diversity I get to experience and be a part of, but diversity can be surface level if there’s no real interaction going on. From international students, to Greek life, to arts, we should all be interacting more than we do. But in reality, a lot of us have whole lives at USC where we never connect except for in, like, a GE class. Black students in particular need help getting to those demographics, because people aren’t checking for us. People aren’t actively invested in the Black community unless they’re Black. Just being amplified and able to make those connections is crucial.

ED: Do you have any advice for other Black musicians at USC?

A: Just keep doing what you’re doing. It’s a pretty tight community, and it’s been really powerful to see so many beautiful musicians come from USC. I just want to encourage everyone to keep moving forward and keep doing what they do, because they’re doing it really well.

ED: Is there another USC artist that you admire?

A: There are a lot of USC artists I admire. I want to highlight Kabwasa, because I feel like there’s so much to appreciate in his art. He’s in the middle of a release cycle, he’s doing the work, he planned the USC march, he’s just an overwhelmingly positive, genuine, kind person. I would love to encourage people to check out him.

- Elle Davidson, Director of Publications

Our Black Music Matters Spotify playlist is linked here.