The world has heard touching stories of how people collided with storm and made it out in one piece, the rise to stardom of Tree Money Yard (TMY) Empire Records signee, Yeboah Emmanuel, professionally known as AY Poyoo, is both touching and inspiring.

Born on June 5, 2000, AY Poyoo grew with a special knack for singing and entertainment. However, circumstances surrounding his family would betray his ambition. He grew in a household starved of means of survival—and the situation soon got worse for him and his younger sibling after their father left their mum and picked another wife.

The hardship at home under his stepmother forced him to flee to his grandmother. AY Poyoo finished with the best BECE result in his junior high school, but his mother could only manage to register him at an automobile technical school. With lack of interest in the vocation, he returned to the streets in search of a miracle to launch his music career.

After the release of his first official song, “I’m a goat” (Aponkye ), in 2020, in his local dialect (Twi), which has garnered over 2.3 million videos on YouTube, he was turned down by the big-shots in the Ghanaian entertainment industry who could have helped boost his career. AY Poyoo was thrown back on the street after his contract was unjustifiably terminated.

“Fast forward, on 1st January 2022, I signed a contract with Aborga Records. We started working peacefully and happily. Work start. I don’t want to go much into detail because I’ve shared enough. On 1st January 2023, the record label sent me a terminated contract. I moved from the Record Label’s house to the street”, AY Poyoo recollected.

Continuing, AY Poyoo said, “Man has to survive so I moved on. A few days later I noticed the record label had related all my songs on the digital stores. Life started getting hard. No hope because they think I can’t do it again. They bullied me. Sakpa and see finish too join the journey. Life was tough, at some point giving up was an option but I needed to do this for my family. I met so many people who were not ready to help me. Some were just wicked and others think I’m a big brand so I have to provide money before they start working with me.

“I’ve not forgotten this After My former Label terminated my contract, I called my grandma to grow a male goat for me that is how I discovered Omeboy. I started getting attention again with Omeboy and on my way, I met Mr Emmanuel (Ghanaboy) who was also a comedian and a rapper. He has three kids and a wife. That man was a blessing to me. I remember countless times I slept on the street with Emma. I gave him access to all my social media handles then we started working as a team. The hope he always gives me keeps us going. What I faced on the street was horrible”.

AY Poyoo came to Nigeria in 2023, in the quest to rebrand. Timely enough, he fell to the right ground with Tree Money Yard (TMY) Empire Records.

“Long story short, God is so wonderful. After some weeks of battling with life on Lagos Street, I was finally signed under an Empire (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 because I come from a poor home—the maltreatment and the bullying, discouragement, and sabotage.”

Now, AY Poyoo is preparing for the release of his Rejected Stone album by TMY Empire Records on April 24.

“I just cannot wait for the day to come and see the whole excitement being fulfilled for me and my fans”, said AY Poyoo.