It’s new phase of life for AY Poyoo ahead release of Rejected Stone

Ghanaian Afrobeat crooner AY Poyoo has described the turnaround in his career since becoming Tree Money Yard (TMY) Empire Record signee as “a new phase of life.”

AY Poyoo, whose real name is Yeboah Emmanuel perfectly understood where he was from and the fresh breath TMY Record has brought to his career after signing up under the label in 2023.

The singer is without doubt one of the most talented of his generation. The 23-year-old was born in his village, Nkawkaw Amanfrom, in the eastern.

He was confronted with daunting challenges in life as a child. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulder as the eldest of two children who had to fend for themselves as soon as he knew himself.

Born on June 5, 2000, AY Poyoo and his brother were caught between severe poverty and a hostile relationship between their parents.

The situation quickly degenerated into a divorce that threw the entertainer into another terrible chapter of his life. Suffered abuses by his step-mother after his father remarried, he fled home with his brother to live with their grandmother. The challenges denied him the sort of education he wanted; however, they were not enough to steal his dream of becoming an entertainment sensation.

“Growing up was very tough for me and my parents; I came from a poor background. Mommy doesn’t have Daddy; he doesn’t care, Broken homes were ruling my family and me, and my junior brother ( Simon ) was on the street hustling for food to eat. You know the responsibility you have as the first son. A few years later, my little brother and I went to stay with my dad and my stepmother. It was horrible, so after some time we decided to escape from the abuse,” he said in an interview.

“After escaping, I went to stay with my grandmother to continue my education at JHS (Junior High School). Then I moved to Accra. I had the best (BECE) results, but because of money, I couldn’t go to where the computer placed me. My mom then discovered a technical institution where they teach everything about automobiles. So, I have to go. That was where the spirit of music found me. I didn’t like the school, but because I had the opportunity to showcase my talent as an entertainer, I was able to spend four years at the school. After school, all my friends went to do attachments for some companies, but I went back to the street to chase my music career.”.

But after the release of his first official track, “I’m a goat” (Aponkye) in Twi, his local dialect, which attracted over 2.3 million views on YouTube, he was grossly mismanaged by those who pretended to promote him and his music. After realising he had been badly exploited and thrown out to dry, he came to Nigeria to re-launch his career.

Destiny brought him in contact with TMY Empire Records, who signed a recording and distribution deal with him. The label is set to launch AY Poyoo’s album, ‘The Rejected Stone’, on April 24, 2024, with the best Afrobeat music sound engineers and producers: @solshynebeatz, @indomix, and @brainonthemix, all involved in the project.

“On the second of October 2023, we decided to go to Nigeria, so we started making inquiries. Because we were going with Omeboy, the journey became complicated. On November 15, 2023, we started our journey from Circle (Accra) around 6 pm. That was my first time crossing the border, so I was happy, but it was also a risk. On October 16, 2023, I landed at Murtala International Airport.

“I never knew I could not hide in Nigeria; that is when I realised who AY Poyoo was. Long story short,. God is so wonderful. After some weeks of battling with life on Lagos Street, I was finally signed under an empire (the Tree Money Yard empire), so I moved to Chevron.

“Business has begun, and things are moving on. Depression is gone; a new face of life. So many people took advantage of me because I come from a poor home. The maltreatment, the bullying, discouragement, and sabotage. Just to mention a few. I’ve learned a lot from this, and I know it is part of growth. And to achieve a great thing is not easy,” he said.

Now all is set for the release of AY Poyoo’s Rejected Stone album on April 24, with TMY Empire Records getting all the groundwork dusted up for the grand release to an expectant music audience.