"Aye" (pronounced ah yay) is a song by Nigerian singer Davido. It was produced by TSpize, a record producer affiliated with Runtown.[2] The song peaked at number five on MTV Base's Official Naija Top 10 chart for the week of March 28 through April 3, 2014, and was primarily released to celebrate Valentine's Day.[3][4] "Aye" won several accolades, including Hottest Single of the Year at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and Song of the Year at The Headies 2014.
| "Aye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Davido | ||||
| Released | February 1, 2014[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Genre | Afropop | |||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | HKN Music | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Adeleke | |||
| Producer(s) | TSpize | |||
| Davido singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition
editIt was alleged that Davido bought "Aye" from Runtown, an artist who featured him on "Gallardo".[5]
Critical reception
edit"Aye" received positive reviews from music critics. Micheal Abimboye of Premium Times newspaper said the song's instrusmental is "reminiscent of beats made popular by kegite clubs" and that its "cool tempo makes it enjoyable and reminds one of an old school video of a generation past slow-grooving to high-life in a jazz club."[6] An editor for the website Fuse.com.ng characterized the melody of "Aye" as "charismatic" and said it "provides a sing along vibe that catches the lips of both old and young as they hold on to their head gear or do the Bata dance while singing happily".[7]
David Drake of Pitchfork said "Aye" is "perhaps the sweetest song of devotion yet written" and that its "thicket of rhythms eventually taking shape as clean, piercing guitar lines cut through to provide a melodic counterpoint."[8]
Music video
editThe music video for "Aye" was filmed in Nigeria by Clarence Peters. It was uploaded to YouTube on February 7, 2014, at a total length of 4 minutes and 11 seconds.[9] In the video, Davido plays a poor farmer who is physically attracted to a princess.[10] Davido took the unconventional route by shooting the video in a rural setting. The locality of the area where the video was shot complements the song's lyrics.[11][12][13] According to YouTube's first quarter report, the music video was the most watched video by Nigerians on the video sharing site.[14][15][16]
Accolades
edit| Year | Awards ceremony | Award description(s) | Results | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Headies | Best Pop Single | Nominated | [17] |
| Song of the Year | Won | |||
| Channel O Music Video Awards | Most Gifted Male | Nominated | [18] | |
| Most Gifted Afro Pop | Nominated | |||
| Most Gifted West | Nominated | |||
| Most Gifted Video of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Hottest Single of the Year | Won | [19] | |
| City People Entertainment Awards | Most Popular Song of the Year | Nominated | [20] |
Year-end lists
edit| Year | Publication | Rank | Country | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 | Nigeria | YouTube's 2014 Most-Watched Music Videos in Nigeria[21] | |
| YNaija | 4 | Nigeria | The 10 Best Songs of 2014[22] | |
| The Fader | 81 | United States | The FADER's 116 Best Tracks Of 2014[23] |
References
edit- ^ "iTunes - Music - Aye - Single by DaVido". Itunes.apple.com. 2014-02-01. Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "Aye: Test of staying power". National Mirror. 14 February 2014. Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ BlackHouse Media (BHM) (2010-06-22). "Davido's Past Is Better Than Some People's Future—Bovi Says On MTV Base' Official Naija Top Ten". ModernGhana.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "Music - Davido - Aye". thenigerianvoice.com. 2014-02-03. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "Davido Bought His "Aye" Song From Runtown | INFORMATION NIGERIA". Informationng.com. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "Review: Wande Coal, Davido "go slow" on new love songs, Plan B, Aye - Premium Times Nigeria". Premiumtimesng.com. 2014-02-04. Archived from the original on 2014-04-01. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "#4 REASONS WHY WE LOVE DAVIDO'S AYE | FuseFuse | Explosive Entertainment Everyday!". Fuse.com.ng. Archived from the original on 2014-04-05. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ Drake, David (17 December 2014). "The Most Essential Nigerian Afropop Tracks of 2014". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Davido's Aye Video Out Friday | Daily Times Nigeria". Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
- ^ "Hot new songs for Valentine's Day | Africa Magic". Africamagic.dstv.com. 2014-02-13. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "Davido Shows A New Side In "Aye" | Silverbird Television". Silverbirdtv.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "Davido releases new video, Aye « The Eagle Online - The Nigerian Online Newspaper The Eagle Online - The Nigerian Online Newspaper". Theeagleonline.com.ng. 7 February 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "FAB Video: Watch new Video Release, 'AYE' by Davido, produced by Clarence Peters « FAB BLOG". Fabmagazineonline.com. 2014-02-07. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ "Davido's Aye most watched YouTube Video". vanguardngr.com. 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Aye most watched YouTube video". bellanaija.com. 9 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Nigeria: Davido's 'Aye' Most Watched Video On Youtube". allafrica.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ Ochugba, Mary (10 October 2014). "The Headies unveils 2014 nominees". Business Day. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ Marshall, Rhodé (5 September 2014). "Channel O Africa announces Music Video Awards nominees". Mail & Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ "Nigerian Entertainment Awards; Full List of Winners". Daily Times of Nigeria. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Jasanya, Olamide (24 June 2014). "Who won what at City People Entertainment Awards 2014". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Archived from the original on 2014-06-28. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ Showemimo, Dayo (11 December 2014). "Davido's 'Aye' video is YouTube's 2014 most-watched music video in Nigeria". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Okiche, Wilfred (19 December 2014). "Aye, Johnny, Iyawo mi… These are the 10 best songs of 2014". YNaija. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Lahan, Tim. "The FADER's 116 Best Tracks Of 2014". The Fader. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.