Rhema FM Newcastle was stoked to hang out with Ayiesha Woods recently!
Now to kick things off, for people who don’t know who you are, who is Ayiesha Woods?
I’m originally from the British Commonwealth of Bermuda, I lived there until 1987 when my family moved to the US. We lived in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii and then moved to Texas. I am a wife, a mother, singer, song writer, and servant of the Most High. I’m just doing life and enjoying the ride that God has placed before me!
When you describe all of the places you’ve lived, it sounds like you’ve gone on a dream trip around America and Bermuda. These are all places that people would like to go on holidays, so is it different living in holiday destinations?
As far as I’m concerned, living in tropical paradise, makes you want to live somewhere it’s really cold when it’s holiday time. Around Christmas and Thanksgiving you just have to be somewhere where it’s cold, otherwise it doesn’t feel like holidays. So when I have the opportunity to get away if I’m touring or visiting family, I eat it up! So that’s what living in tropical paradises has done to me!
Most of us remember you coming into the music scene around 2006 with your big smash hit single ‘Happy’. But how did music begin for you before that?
The music journey began for me by coming from a musically inclined family. My Grandfather was a professional musician, my Father played instruments and sang, plus I have Uncles and Aunts who have always been into music. So I grew up with music around me constantly. I began writing songs a a preteen – they were nothing spectacular by any means, but as I matured in my relationship with God and as a young lady, my songs evolved and I started to write about my experiences and other peoples’. I ended up recording an independent record back in 2002 and that’s what kind of brought me into the Christian music scene. The rest is pretty much history in the making.
If I can remember correctly, TobyMac said he was on a flight somewhere and heard your song and that’s how you got involved with Go T Records. What was it like having one of the biggest names in Christian music say ‘Hey, I love what you’re doing and I want to help you make more music!’?
It was bananas! I was at the time in school for a music business and we were studying music writers, and which writer did I happen to be studying? Well it was Toby!
So that week when we were studying and looking over them he happened to call. Apparently he had heard my independent project while on a vacation in Jamaica. I hadn’t even been to Jamaica before then… so how my music got there before I even did? Only God knows! Apparently it was something that was divinely orchestrated. So he called me and then we connected. Toby was on tour and I was living in Dallas at the time. So we connected while they were in Dallas, and that’s where our relationship began. It was pretty amazing. My Mother said to me “Some guy called Toby.. Mac called for you today”.
And I was like “WHAT! TOBY MAC?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!” She didn’t know who he was.. so it was a great thing and an absolute joy being able to work with Toby and develop a great friendship with him!
Has faith always been part of your whole life, or was there a big moment for you?
Yes well I grew up very conventional religious setting and I had the opportunity to visit a church that was the total opposite of what I was raised in. When I walked in there were people dancing, flags flying and an orchestra. People were loving on God, some knelt down at the pews crying and some people were laughing just enjoying the presence of the Lord. It was something that I had never seen before. When you looked around you could literally feel the presence of God. It was new to me and fresh! I was looking around at these people and they looked like they really knew and had a relationship with God. Whatever it was that they had, it was what I wanted. That was the night I gave my life to Jesus and it’s been an ongoing relationship ever since.
What’s your hope for your Music and what do you want people to get out of it? Why do you do what you do?
I hope that people will be challenged in their faith when they hear the words to my songs. I hope that those who don’t know Jesus would stop for a minute and would consider getting in a relationship with him. Because when it’s all said and done, that’s what matters the most. Only what I do for Christ will last, so I always keep that in mind and I hope that people experience Jesus when they hear some Ayiesha Woods.
