Ezra Collective, winners of the 2023 Mercury Music Prize Award, have returned with their first single of the year, "Ajala".

Interpolating the sounds of Afrobeats and Highlife with Jazz, the single nods to the nomadic spirit of the infamous Olabisi Ajala, the Ghanaian-Nigerian world adventurer who ambitiously took on touring the world on his scooter, covering 87 countries.

"Ajala the Traveller is a journalist from Nigeria whose story is really beautiful. He decided that he wanted to travel the whole world on a moped and what ended up happening was his name became slang in Yoruba," says Femi Koleoso. "'Ajala travel’ is slang for someone that can't sit still. It's the way a lot of people would describe me, but for me it's also what a great drum beat does, it's what great music does to me, it means I can't sit still and I just want to move. Ajala is all about that movement."

In addition to becoming the first ever Jazz act to win the Mercury Prize in its 31-year history for their critically-acclaimed album, Where I’m Meant To Be, they sold out their entire UK/EU/US tour (including their Hammersmith and Royal Albert Hall headlines), won Best Jazz Act at last year’s MOBO Awards, held one of the most revered sets at Glastonbury, and performed at Quincy Jones’ star-studded birthday party.

Continuing to make historic feats, they will become the first UK Jazz act to headline London’s OVO Arena Wembley on 15 November.

from www.thelineofbestfit.com