There are some artists that take a while to grow on you and then there are those who get you open after just one listen. In the case of Toronto's Ayah, let's just say that she had many of us at "hello." Her music is straight up soul with a healthy dose of hip hop. In an unusual move for a singer, she released a mixtape to showcase her sound. That bold choice would prove to be golden for Ayah as it introduced her music to a new legion of followers.

With Ayah's Problem Woman being one of my favorite mixtape releases of this year, I had to talk to her to find out more about the project and the woman behind it. Ayah took me behind her groove and shared her musical inspirations, told me why she decided to release a mixtape and gave me some insight into her upcoming album, which, in my opinion, can't come soon enough.

Behind the Groove with Ayah

Click here to download the interview [Subscribe via iTunes]

Music from Problem Woman played during the interview: "Pusha Man" and "I Reminisce."