UWindsor alum and Afro-soul artist Ayola performs in the CAW Student Centre Commons on Oct. 6, 2026.
| Photo: Arran Christie / LANCE
As the clock struck noon on Oct. 6, UWindsor alum and artist Ayola took to the CAW Commons stage for his “Back to School” concert, 10 years after discovering his passion for music on campus.
Featuring a mixed set of original and cover songs, the concert was a “full-circle moment” for the singer-songwriter: his first performance took place in that very same building almost a decade ago.
After graduating with a master’s degree in medical biotechnology, Ayola spent the majority of his professional career working in the pharmaceutical industry.
Despite releasing three albums, corporate demands limited his ability to develop his performance skills. In 2025, he decided to trade pharmacies for recording studios and pursue music full-time.
“I started feeling like, is this it? Is this life?” he told the Lance. “So I decided to quit my career and then go into music.”
As part of that transition, he returned to Nigeria to reconnect with his roots and the immense talent emerging from the local music scene, reinforcing his determination to make the most of the opportunities available to him in Canada.
For Ayola, becoming an artist required more than just writing songs and having a good voice: he saw his new career as a startup business that required consistent practice, self-improvement, and negotiation in order to succeed.
“I started seeing music less [as] something that your talent avails you on, but more of opportunities you create for yourself,” he said, describing how his perspective on the music industry has changed since last year.
UWindsor alum and Afro-soul artist Ayola performs in the CAW Student Centre Commons on Oct. 6, 2026.
| Photo: Arran Christie / LANCE
Ayola’s musical journey began in a household, where music was a constant presence.
“I did grow up in a very music loving household. [My parents] weren't musicians but they liked music,” he said. “I felt, like growing up, they're very strict, my parents are very strict. But music was that only space you see them listen to and feel like a kid, like a child.”
He often incorporates both Western and Nigerian elements in his songs, like his mixing of English and Yoruba in his lyrics. It’s a process that comes through naturally in his songwriting, he explained.
“[It’s] my native language, the language I was raised in, it's just part of searching. It's usually native to me. I was raised in Yoruba and English, right? So it's just natural for me to blend it.”
Looking ahead, Ayola plans to release new singles in the coming weeks and continue touring, with a European tour among his future goals.
“Expect singles, expect to go on tour more. I've been touring for quite a bit. But I do want to even open up more. I do plan to go to Europe to do a European tour, but I want to put out some singles so that can be the next stepping stone.”
Ayola’s return to the CAW Commons served as a reminder of how far he has come since his first performance at the same building.
10 years later, he is no longer a student whose only singing was within his family as a child: he is a professional artist building a career on his own terms.
UWindsor alum and Afro-soul artist Ayola performs in the CAW Student Centre Commons on Oct. 6, 2026.
| Photo: Arran Christie / LANCE