Ayiesha Woods
Encyclopedia
Ayiesha Woods is a contemporary Christian music
ian signed to Gotee Records
. She has released two studio albums on Gotee: Introducing Ayiesha Woods (2006) and Love Like This (2008). Woods is known for the hit songs "Happy
" and "Big Enough
" from her debut album. Her musical style is a distinct mix of several genres, predominantly including pop
, soul
, urban and rock
.
After having an interest in musicianship and singing during her childhood, Ayiesha Woods released an independent album in 2004, What You Do to Me, and went on to receive three Gospel Music Marlin Awards that year, including "New Artist of the Year". Gotee Records
manager TobyMac
discovered her music while visiting Jamaica
, and Woods was eventually signed onto the record label. Her Grammy Award
-nominated debut album, Introducing Ayiesha Woods, was released in June 2006. The album's single "Happy
" garnered popularity on Christian radio in the U.S.
, and Woods received a Dove Award nomination in 2007, as well. She appeared at several major Christian music festival
s during mid-2008, and soon afterward her second album, Love Like This, was released in September.
, Georgia
, Hawaii
, and Texas
; she spent a portion of her childhood growing up in Bermuda
, as well. Woods was surrounded by music while growing up, and was the granddaughter of a professional musician. Throughout high school
she sang in chorus and played in the school's band, sang harmony
in her church choir, and learned to play instruments such as the guitar
, keyboard
and percussion.
manager TobyMac
was visiting the area for an interview, and heard her song on the local station Love 101. After Caribbean Hour host Arnold Kelly played a few of Woods' songs for him, TobyMac obtained her contact info and called her as soon as he returned to the United States
. Initially in disbelief upon receiving the call, Ayiesha Woods said, "I wasn’t home when he first called ... I couldn't believe [it]." A few weeks later he invited Woods and her family to a concert he was slated to perform at in Texas, where they met in person. She was soon signed onto his record label, and went in studio to record material for a new album.
" was released in 2006, and soon became a hit on Christian radio
. The song was used in an ad campaign for the DVD release of the 2006 film A Good Year
. The song was also used in the 2009 movie "My Life in Ruins" starring Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Her debut Gotee Records
album, Introducing Ayiesha Woods, was produced by Chris Stevens, Otto Price, Ric Robbins and David Mullen. It was released on June 6, 2006 and reached number 39 on Billboard
's Top Heatseekers
chart. The album was Grammy Award
-nominated for the category of Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007. Two additional songs from the album were released as singles: "Big Enough
" and "Beauty". At the 38th GMA Dove Awards
of 2007, Woods received a nomination for the New Artist of the Year award.
's Revolve Tour, an annual conference for teenage girls, in February 2008. Her second album, Love Like This, was recorded around early 2008, and its approximate release time of "late summer" was announced in May 2008. The album's lead single
, "Love Like This", was released to contemporary Christian
radio in June 2008. Ayiesha Woods performed at several major Christian music festival
s over the next few months, including Creation East, Creation West, and Lifefest, as well as the 2008 Christian Music Boat Cruise. Love Like This was subsequently released on September 9, 2008 through the Gotee
label. It debuted at #20 on Billboard
's Top Gospel Albums chart. The album's latest single is the track "Alive".
Woods has also recorded and released a Christmas
album entitled Christmas Like This
, which was released on November 10, 2009.
locale, which has given her music a Caribbean
and dancehall
sound. Her musical influences include Stevie Wonder
, Commissioned
, Fred Hammond
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Lauryn Hill
and India.Arie
. Her musical genre is generally defined as Christian pop
and soul
, although it contains much variety on both of her albums, including R&B and urban styles. Woods has said, "I don't want to be placed in one specific category. I think I represent a lot of different styles of music". Her debut album Introducing Ayiesha Woods has been labeled as having "something for everyone", and critics have compared her singing voice to Tracy Chapman
and Tasmin Archer
. Love Like This is also a multi-genre project, "subtly adding jazz infusions" on the song "Take Me There", although Christian Music Todays review said that it was "not as soulful" as her previous album. Her music includes rock
influences ("Big Enough
") as well as the contemporary worship style in her songs "Love Like This", "Refine Me", and her originally-independent track "What You Do to Me".
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
ian signed to Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
. She has released two studio albums on Gotee: Introducing Ayiesha Woods (2006) and Love Like This (2008). Woods is known for the hit songs "Happy
Happy (Ayiesha Woods song)
"Happy" is 2006 song by Christian artist Ayiesha Woods, from her 2006 debut album Introducing Ayiesha Woods.-Charts:...
" and "Big Enough
Big Enough
"Big Enough" is a single from Christian singer Ayiesha Woods. It was released to Christian radio stations around late 2006. The song features singer and producer TobyMac.-Charts:...
" from her debut album. Her musical style is a distinct mix of several genres, predominantly including pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, urban and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
After having an interest in musicianship and singing during her childhood, Ayiesha Woods released an independent album in 2004, What You Do to Me, and went on to receive three Gospel Music Marlin Awards that year, including "New Artist of the Year". Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
manager TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
discovered her music while visiting Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and Woods was eventually signed onto the record label. Her Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated debut album, Introducing Ayiesha Woods, was released in June 2006. The album's single "Happy
Happy (Ayiesha Woods song)
"Happy" is 2006 song by Christian artist Ayiesha Woods, from her 2006 debut album Introducing Ayiesha Woods.-Charts:...
" garnered popularity on Christian radio in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Woods received a Dove Award nomination in 2007, as well. She appeared at several major Christian music festival
Christian music festival
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music...
s during mid-2008, and soon afterward her second album, Love Like This, was released in September.
Early life and family
Ayiesha Woods was born on July 2, 1979 in Long Island, New York. She has lived in a variety of locations, including FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
; she spent a portion of her childhood growing up in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, as well. Woods was surrounded by music while growing up, and was the granddaughter of a professional musician. Throughout high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
she sang in chorus and played in the school's band, sang harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
in her church choir, and learned to play instruments such as the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and percussion.
Musical career
In 2003, Ayiesha Woods wrote and recorded an independent album, What You Do to Me, which was released in 2004. In 2004, she was the first female musician to receive the "Producer of the Year" award at the Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin Awards. She also received Marlin's "New Artist of the Year" and "Contemporary Vocal Performance of the Year (Female)" awards that year. "Crazy", a song from the album, was being played on local Christian radio where she lived in Jamaica. Gotee RecordsGotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
manager TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
was visiting the area for an interview, and heard her song on the local station Love 101. After Caribbean Hour host Arnold Kelly played a few of Woods' songs for him, TobyMac obtained her contact info and called her as soon as he returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Initially in disbelief upon receiving the call, Ayiesha Woods said, "I wasn’t home when he first called ... I couldn't believe [it]." A few weeks later he invited Woods and her family to a concert he was slated to perform at in Texas, where they met in person. She was soon signed onto his record label, and went in studio to record material for a new album.
Introducing Ayiesha Woods (2006–2007)
After recording the album, Woods' first single "HappyHappy (Ayiesha Woods song)
"Happy" is 2006 song by Christian artist Ayiesha Woods, from her 2006 debut album Introducing Ayiesha Woods.-Charts:...
" was released in 2006, and soon became a hit on Christian radio
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
. The song was used in an ad campaign for the DVD release of the 2006 film A Good Year
A Good Year
A Good Year is a 2006 British romantic comedy film, set in London and Provence. It was directed by Ridley Scott, with an international cast including Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish and Albert Finney...
. The song was also used in the 2009 movie "My Life in Ruins" starring Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Her debut Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
album, Introducing Ayiesha Woods, was produced by Chris Stevens, Otto Price, Ric Robbins and David Mullen. It was released on June 6, 2006 and reached number 39 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart. The album was Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated for the category of Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007. Two additional songs from the album were released as singles: "Big Enough
Big Enough
"Big Enough" is a single from Christian singer Ayiesha Woods. It was released to Christian radio stations around late 2006. The song features singer and producer TobyMac.-Charts:...
" and "Beauty". At the 38th GMA Dove Awards
Dove Awards of 2007
The 38th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 25, 2007 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2006. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Brian Littrell, Natalie Grant, and Donnie McClurkin...
of 2007, Woods received a nomination for the New Artist of the Year award.
Love Like This (2008–present)
Woods guested on Women of FaithWomen of Faith
is a Christian women’s organization that has been holding non-denominational conferences at various locations around North America since 1996. According to their Web site, Women of Faith is a faith-based women’s organization encouraging women of all ages and stages in life to grow in faith and...
's Revolve Tour, an annual conference for teenage girls, in February 2008. Her second album, Love Like This, was recorded around early 2008, and its approximate release time of "late summer" was announced in May 2008. The album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, "Love Like This", was released to contemporary Christian
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
radio in June 2008. Ayiesha Woods performed at several major Christian music festival
Christian music festival
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music...
s over the next few months, including Creation East, Creation West, and Lifefest, as well as the 2008 Christian Music Boat Cruise. Love Like This was subsequently released on September 9, 2008 through the Gotee
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
label. It debuted at #20 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Top Gospel Albums chart. The album's latest single is the track "Alive".
Woods has also recorded and released a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
album entitled Christmas Like This
Christmas Like This (album)
Christmas Like This is the first Christmas album by Christian singer Ayiesha Woods. It was released on November 10, 2009.-Track listing:-Awards:The album was nominated for a Dove Award for Christmas Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards....
, which was released on November 10, 2009.
Musical style and influences
Ayiesha Woods grew up in a variety of cultures including the BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
locale, which has given her music a Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
sound. Her musical influences include Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Commissioned
Commissioned (gospel group)
Commissioned is an American Gospel group. The group recorded twelve albums over a period of seventeen years.-Group composition:Originally from Detroit, Michigan, the six original members were Fred Hammond, Mitchell Jones, Keith Staten, Karl Reid, Michael Brooks, and Michael Williams formed a...
, Fred Hammond
Fred Hammond
Fred Hammond is a gospel music singer, bass guitar player, and record producer.-Musical career:Hammond has been active both as a member of the gospel performing group Commissioned, and as a solo artist...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
and India.Arie
India.Arie
India.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
. Her musical genre is generally defined as Christian pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, although it contains much variety on both of her albums, including R&B and urban styles. Woods has said, "I don't want to be placed in one specific category. I think I represent a lot of different styles of music". Her debut album Introducing Ayiesha Woods has been labeled as having "something for everyone", and critics have compared her singing voice to Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
and Tasmin Archer
Tasmin Archer
Tasmin Archer is an English pop singer. Her first album, Great Expectations, spawned the hit "Sleeping Satellite" which reached number one in the United Kingdom and Ireland.-Biography:...
. Love Like This is also a multi-genre project, "subtly adding jazz infusions" on the song "Take Me There", although Christian Music Todays review said that it was "not as soulful" as her previous album. Her music includes rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
influences ("Big Enough
Big Enough
"Big Enough" is a single from Christian singer Ayiesha Woods. It was released to Christian radio stations around late 2006. The song features singer and producer TobyMac.-Charts:...
") as well as the contemporary worship style in her songs "Love Like This", "Refine Me", and her originally-independent track "What You Do to Me".
Albums
- 2006: Introducing Ayiesha Woods
- 2008: Love Like This
- 2009: Christmas Like ThisChristmas Like This (album)Christmas Like This is the first Christmas album by Christian singer Ayiesha Woods. It was released on November 10, 2009.-Track listing:-Awards:The album was nominated for a Dove Award for Christmas Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards....
Singles
- "HappyHappy (Ayiesha Woods song)"Happy" is 2006 song by Christian artist Ayiesha Woods, from her 2006 debut album Introducing Ayiesha Woods.-Charts:...
" - "Big EnoughBig Enough"Big Enough" is a single from Christian singer Ayiesha Woods. It was released to Christian radio stations around late 2006. The song features singer and producer TobyMac.-Charts:...
" - "Beauty"
- "The Remedy"
- "Love Like This"
- "Alive"
- "Come Back"
Awards
- 2004: Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin Award for "Producer of the Year" – won
- 2004: Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin Award for "New Artist of the Year" – won
- 2004: Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin Award for "Contemporary Vocal Performance of the Year (Female)" – won
- 2007: Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album" (Introducing Ayiesha Woods) – nominated - 2007: GMA Dove Award for "New Artist of the Year" – nominated
- 201042nd GMA Dove AwardsThe 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 20, 2011 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show will be broadcast on gmc on April 24, 2011. It will be hosted by Sherri Shepherd from The Newlywed Game....
: GMA Dove Award for "Christmas Album of the Year" - nominated