Maverick Cellist And Vocalist, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Released New 4 Track EP, Colour War

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts magazine in the UK“, new EP from cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson contains four tracks expressing a message relating to her musical and cultural identity.

Colour War

Visionary cellist, pianist, composer, vocalist, producer and arranger Ayanna Witter-Johnson released her new EP, Colour War, capturing a moment in time in her musical journey. Each of the four tracks expresses a message relating to Ayanna’s musical and cultural identity, as she weaves her spellbinding storytelling and virtuosic instrumentation.

Each of the four songs, including title track ‘Colour War’, ‘Are You Listening?’, ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ and ‘Sing On Nightingale’ tell a story, sending a message like a sonic portrait. With its heady mix of eclectic soul and classical, it is an EP with a uniquely Ayanna sound and vibe, that speaks from the heart, and seeks to inspire, reflect and uplift.

Title track ‘Colour War’ reflects the injustice of colourism and feeling othered and is inspired by the events of 2020 up to now. The track is underscored by hope and the need to stand in your greatness, despite the challenges we face.

‘Are You Listening?’ simply asks whether our voices are being heard and are we being seen, especially as black women. In a world where the black woman is forever the marginalised one, through this song Ayanna demands for all our sisters to be heard.

‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ sees Ayanna cover Sam Cooke’s soul classic, recognising that we’re in a time and space where, across the nations, people are pushing to fight for equality and equity. With that push we continue to ask, who are the people that can really bring about change?

The final track ‘Sing On Nightingale’ is to inspire people to know that there is hope. Keep on singing. Just keep on.

Ayanna Witter-Johnson

It is such a gift to be able to express my unique experiences as a genre-fluid Black woman in this music industry through my songs, my singing and cello playing.  Creating this EP has given me freedom to express difficult subjects in a beautiful way, and collaborating with my band members on several of the songs has breathed new life into these precious and personal stories. I hope you enjoy listening.

-Ayanna Witter-Johnson

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a rare exception to the rule that classical music and eclectic soul cannot successfully coexist. A performer of extraordinary versatility, reflecting her musical prowess, mesmerising vocals, uncompromising lyrics, and ability to deftly reinterpret songs on the cello. Ayanna’s must-see live shows are intimate journeys that chronicle her experience as a female artist in the 21^st century.

The British-born second-generation Jamaican musician graduated from London’s prestigious Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and New York’s Manhattan School of Music with firsts. ‘Colour War’ is Ayanna’s fifth EP, previous EPs include ‘Truthfully’ , ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Ella, Reuben & Ay’. Ayanna’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Road Runner’ came out in 2019, and EP ‘Rise Up’ in 2021.

A celebrated performer, Ayanna has collaborated with many stellar artists, including Anoushka Shankar, Nitin Sawhney, Andrea Bocelli and Jools Holland. She has also toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the US and has recently completed a World Tour with Peter Gabriel.  In 2023 Ayanna was the winner of the Nordoff & Robbins O2 Silver Clef Classical Award.

Find more from Ayanna Witter-Johnson now:

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Apple Music: https://apple.co/457Oau3

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5W3j7g3ENFePzSLqoWfZxc?si=2433fb73d9594f15