With her voice flickering soulfully, Ayo could melt stone. She has that kind of voice, entirely her own, that you will hear once and recognize instantly forever.

But as much as Ayo’s airy yet earthy chords are all her own, so too are her socially incisive lyrics, style and musical composition, which are transcultural to their core, drawing on her Roma and Nigerian parents, her Germanic childhood and her Parisian love.

Don’t miss this one. She’s opening the ground-breaking series, World Nomads, at the Alliance Francaise in New York next Thursday, May 1st.

Also up at World Nomads, which celebrates and interrogates world citizenship from Africa outwards, catch up with literary talents Nuruddin Farah, Abdourahman Waberi, and Chenjerai Hove; a stunning film series on legendary director Ousmane Sembène’s influence on African cinema; an intimate chat with Claude Grunitzsky, founder and Editor-in-Chief of TRACE; and the brilliant beats of DJ Spooky.

Check out of the full schedule of World Nomads here, Ayo’s talent here and DJ Spooky here.