With the release of her debut EP Modern Wihegou, Ivorian-born storyteller and experimental jazz artist wordsofAzia steps fully into her voice; one shaped by ancestral echoes, matriarchal lineage, and a deep spiritual journey that spans continents.
Currently based between Paris, London, and Abidjan, wordsofAzia draws from the Bhété oral tradition of her people in Ivory Coast, weaving together spoken word, jazz, ambient textures, and indigenous rhythms. The result is a body of work that feels both ancient and futuristic, deeply rooted yet fearlessly forward.
“Each song is a dialogue with the women who walked before me – my grandmothers, my mother, my ancestors. I am their echo,” says Azia. Created across Dakar, Paris, London, and Abidjan using her portable studio setup, Modern Wihegou is an intimate, nomadic creation.
The project was mixed and mastered by UK-based sound engineer Eliade Krön, and features tape recordings, vocal samples from her mother and grandmother, and layers of minimalist percussion and ambient synths.
From the soul-stirring track Lagô, written in Dakar and inspired by prayer, to voice notes passed down through generations, Modern Wihegou is a sonic ritual. It’s music for stillness. For walking. For lighting a candle. For listening not just with ears, but with the spirit.
“The music is instinctive,” Azia shares. “Sometimes I start with one instrument, other times with my mother’s voice, or an archive of my grandmother singing. I’m building bridges, between generations, between worlds.”
Born in Ivory Coast and raised in Paris, wordsofAzia is a multidisciplinary artist blending music, spoken word, and visual storytelling to explore feminine divinity, ancestral power, and African identity. Her work lives at the intersection of Alternative Jazz, Afrofuturism, and oral tradition, resonating with audiences seeking depth, healing, and cultural immersion.
Visually, her work evokes the spirit of royalty and spiritual symbolism. Sonically, she lives in the same world as Mayra Andrade, Asa, Fatoumata Diawara, Blick Bassy, The Cavemen, and Kokoroko. Genre: AfroJazz | Alternative Jazz | Spoken Word | Indigenous Fusion | World Music
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