On November 1st, the talented singer Ayra released her latest single, titled “Jaguar”. The song’s title evokes a powerful combination, uniting the elegance associated with a luxury car with the savagery of the majestic jaguar, one of nature’s most formidable animals.
Ayra is an indigenous woman from the Dofurêm Guaianá people, and her artistic journey reflects a fascinating duality between her deep connection with her cultural heritage and the intensity of life in the metropolis. Although she grew up in Diadema, a city in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, she spent her childhood in Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, immersed in the rich caiçara culture of the village of Ponta Negra. Currently, her life unfolds between the bustling Baixada Santista and the bustling capital, São Paulo.
In addition to her incredible talent as a singer, Ayra is a true multimedia artist. Her creativity extends to acting, audiovisual, photography and fashion. She has collaborated on several campaigns for national and international brands, including starring in a jingle for Subway that was broadcast on television and in several other media.
Ayra not only stands out for her style, but also for the record label that supports her, Braba Records. Under the leadership of Rafael Dachuva, the label is home to a talented group of artists, including DJ Gio Marx, DJ Aline Puff and Dachuva himself. DJ Gio Marx, in fact, contributes to the track with his scratching skills.
Professionally, Ayra decided to dedicate herself to music about three years ago. After the release of some singles, she presented her first EP, entitled “PORTAL 03”, in the first half of this year. This EP features special appearances by artists such as Souto MC, Maryê, Arielly Porto and Roccha, whose contributions added depth to the tracks. Ayra mentions notable influences on her work, such as Criolo, Tássia Reis, Don L and Racionais MC’s. His latest release, “Merecedoras”, alongside ANABYA, Catarina, Souto MC and ninjanosbeats, set the stage for the arrival of “JAGUAR”.
“Jaguar” is an intriguing title for your new song. Can you tell us more about the meaning behind that title and how it relates to the song?
The name of the track comes from a line in the song: “The only roar I accept is that of the engine, by accelerating I’ll tame the Jaguar”, the idea here is to say that I don’t take any trouble home at the same time that I release the metaphor between the snoring of those who don’t want to see us moving forward, and the engine of a high-performance luxury sports car that bears the name of one of the strongest roaring felines in the jungle, emphasizing the fact that I will accelerate regardless of who tries to stop me and as a comparison of the card The strength of the tarot, I tame this feline, this strength does not pose a threat to me, with subtlety I work with it.
You mention your duality between your connection to your culture and city life. How does this duality influence your music and artistic style?
It is impossible for us indigenous artists not to bring our worldviews, our roots into our creations, no matter how much the city, other contexts and cultures form our repertoire. It is challenging to communicate our essence and multilingualism in a society and industry that sees in 3D, but we work exactly to break these paradigms and stereotypes
In addition to being a singer, you are a multimedia artist involved in various forms of expression. How do these different art forms combine in your career and influence your music?
Coming from audiovisual, working with fashion and now with acting and music, I feel very grateful for having trusted my intuition to explore the multilinguals of communication and art because today I am building a 360 view of my work. I understand all sectors and phases of a production and I know the creative path I need to take to tie together the artistic production of what I want to present. I can better express my concept to the professionals who work with me and I can more easily understand what they want to tell me. With this vision we also become more demanding, the budgets for what we want start to get bigger (laughs).
“Jaguar” mixes elements of trap and boombap. Can you share more details about the sound and message listeners can expect from this single?
When Braba Records invited me, we came together understanding that “Jaguar” needed to be a danceable, engaging single, but without losing the essence of street hip-hop, which is what we like and fight to keep within a scenario that is becoming liquid and gourmetized, with millions of stimuli being fired per second. That’s why I wanted to mix the flow of trap with that of boombap so that the change in flow within the track was clear, like someone who remembers to never forget the basis and essence of the culture.
The lyrics of “Jaguar” talk about empowerment and overcoming challenges. What are some of the messages you want to convey through this song?
In addition to what has already been mentioned, the track reinforces that we are on indigenous lands and that we will no longer accept crumbs in our own territory. We struggle daily, but we also have the right to celebrate and prosper.
You mention the A Braba Records label and your connections with other artists. What was it like working with this team and how did they contribute to “Jaguar”?
It was incredible to produce with them, to have this addition and exchange of musicality and references. We imagined this “Jaguar” universe together, we aligned expectations in a very fluid and sincere way.
Telling you a little more about your journey in music, you decided to dedicate yourself to it three years ago. What motivated you to follow this path?
Music has always lived a lot in me since I was 11 years old and I was already writing some things spontaneously, but in 2016, I realized that there was no way I could run away from hip-hop, it was what gave me gas, strength, the desire to go out. of the place. I already had several tracks in my drawer and, in 2020, I released my first sound in a very homemade way with the help of my family and my friend Jazline. I come from a very difficult reality, my mother always raised us alone and I always had to run around to help around the house and to have my breaks. I never cared about brands or expensive things, but having sneakers that didn’t tear every month because they were from a street vendor, having a cell phone, a computer to work with were dreams that seemed very distant and by going after them I made them come true. In 2019, I bought my first cell phone, in 202.0 I bought my first brand sneakers, it doesn’t seem like it, but it’s all very recent for me. It wasn’t an option when I was younger to invest in music, I didn’t see any paths so I went after other things first so I could have the initial resources to start producing, everything I started doing was thinking about that. Exchanging with other mines with the same purpose was also a boost, this industry is very cruel to women, and there were always those who motivated and supported me in this battle. The very jazline that I mentioned above, DJ Sophia, KEL, Souto MC, Mamagold, Catarina, Anabya were key pieces for me to continue and allow me to understand what we can. After my first launch, in 2020, I went after studying the bureaucratic part and making it happen in a more professional way.
His EP “PORTAL 03” was recently released. How does it differ from your previous music, and what is the central message of this EP?
Portal 03 is a very intimate EP. I’m very connected to numerology, I learned it from my mother. 3 is the number of singers, communicators, poets, I open this music portal with this first EP, attracting this universe, but also assuming this responsibility. He talks about family, struggle, society, strength and love. It is a frequency of healing and persistence.
What are some of your biggest musical influences that have shaped your sound and artistic style?
Negra Li, Criolo, Flora Matos, Karol Conká, Don L, Tássia Reis, Princess Nokia, Kaê, Souto Mc, The Weeknd, Iamddb, Jorja Smith, J Cole, Rihanna, Ari Lennox, Lilá Iké, SZA, Liniker, Yendry.
Can you share a glimpse of what your fans can expect from your music in the future and how “Jaguar” fits into that artistic landscape?
There’s a lot coming, I hope that my work can awaken in people the drive for movement, sensitivity and strength, that it can bring inspiration to everyday life and also excitement for leisure moments, possibilities of a new world that connects with its ancient sacred and profane.
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