Ara

Said to be Nigeria’s first female talking-drummer, Ara (Aralola Olamuyiwa) hails from Ondo, a state in Nigeria’s Southwest region. She, however, had her primary and secondary school education in South-south town Warri. After spending some time at the University of Ilorin in North-central state Kwara, she completed a degree in English Language at Ambrose Alli University in Edo state.

Ara wrote her first song before age 10, nurtured by a music-loving family. She counts Michael Jackson, James Brown, Diana Ross and Bonnie M as influences. She picked up the talking drum after seeing a number of festivals such as the Ileya Festival and Ogun Festival, and related events.

She has since worked with renowned artist Stevie Wonder and has performed for fomer Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Queen of England and ex-POTUS Bill Clinton among others. After a lengthy break, Ara collaborated with Puffy Tee on the single 'Your Love' (2015).