Becoming

In celebration of International Women’s Day, emerging artist Ayo-Dele Edwards will perform the premiere of her one-woman musical drama Becoming, an autobiographical story spanning south west Nigeria to south east London, about how everything that has come before us shapes the person we come to be.

Born in London, Ayo-Dele Edwards moved to Nigeria aged three, returning to the UK aged ten. After eleven years of single-handedly raising her daughter, she realised she’d been living life on autopilot; she needed to dig deep into her childhood and the people who helped shape it to understand who she is. Through live music and storytelling, she travels from a Peckham playground to the scorching streets of Lagos to relive a life marked by an elusive father figure, a desperation to fit in, and the clashing of two cultures.

Becoming has been researched and developed with Stratford Circus Arts Centre as part of its mission to champion unheard voices, and uses music that draws on Afro-soul, gospel and pop adapted from her debut album, Forever Becoming. It is a joyous and searching exploration of mothers, fathers, what we inherit and what we leave behind.