Asa
BORN in Paris and returning to her family’s home in Lagos, Nigeria, at the age of two, Asa found herself dreaming from an early age. She saw in her frequent dreams a star that would shine as the Aretha Franklyns, Diana Ross’s and Nigeria’s Sade Adu. As the only girl in a family of four, living in an African city that was both vibrant and turbulent, young Asa often sought solace in her thoughts. With a vivid imagination and dreams of musical stardom, “I often took to an imaginary stage with my imaginary microphone and perform to my imaginary audience”, she admitted.
Full of ambition and tenacity, she signed herself up to a music school when she was 18 where she learned to play the guitar and to shape her sound. Her songs are delivered in English and Yoruba for now, she plans to sing using the French language in future. For now, her songs come with a winning fusion of contemporary soul, pop, reggae and funk, complete with strong vocals and soul-stirring melodies. Asa eventually returned to France to cut her teeth on the Parisian music scene.
Being the only girl in the family, she had to share her parents, not often present, with three brothers. At a tender age she began to look after the house during her father and mother’s frequent absences. That is when Asa started to sing. The desire to sing came to her and didn’t go away, carving out a permanent place in her soul. So Asa sang her heart out. In the kitchen cooking, in the laundry, in her bedroom, even in the classroom, Asa would sing instead of talk, improvising endlessly until her mother made her stop. “Typical of an average Nigerian parent, my folks wanted me to face my studies. She did for a while but the propelling force inside her always brought music to the fore.
Over the years, Asa’s father had built up a collection of records featuring soul classics and Nigerian music. Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Haruna Ishola, Fela Anikulapo, were regular buys. “I would listen to these albums every evening when I was through with my homework, and then on Saturdays and Sundays. That was when the passion for music eventually grew.
She grew up listening to a diverse range of music from artists including Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Lagbaja, Michael Jackson and Lauryn Hill, among others. These musicians influenced Asa when she began to tread her own musical path.
Asa was a lonely child. The family, her brothers, Africa….and yet: she didn’t fit into the usual clichés and was often sad, feeling out of place in childhood, even more so in the world of adolescence. She was different, and music became an escape route as well as a daydream.
Asa would sometimes go to the park with her bothers to sing and dance, but more often, she admits taking refuge in an imaginary universe that was hers alone. Decked in different wigs sneaked from the maternal treasure chest, a tube of cream or toothpaste serving as her mike, revelling in the freedom of no one watching, she sang Michael Jackson and Bob Marley hits intermittently, and was always applauded by an imaginary crowd.
“I was a tomboy in my teen. I was also very shy because people made fun of me and in my own way, I was already attracting attention because I never did things the way others did. People didn’t understand my low-pitched deep voice, even choir members didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I had to get to church first if I was to have any chance of getting near the mike.”
Asa fought back against rejection; against the ups and downs of a life to achieve what people call happiness, she had to sacrifice everything. She began to feel the wind of success blowing in her direction, strong enough to sweep her away. Soon, she was offered contracts, concerts and money, but Asa was determined to make her music just the way she wanted.
In 2004 she met her manager, Janet, who introduced her to Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo, who became her musical partner and enabled Asa, the free spirit, to find her bearings.
Her lyrics talk about her country, the things in life, and the things in her life, all delivered with feigned naivety and real irony. “I like writing or thinking about my lyrics on the bus, or the molue.
It was at this stage of her life that Asa finally returned to Paris. This was her chance to test out her talent on the French musical scene, playing with artists such as the Nubians, Manu Dibango, Doctor L and Tony Allen. In the meantime, back in Nigeria, her first single, Eyé Adaba, then Jailer, were beginning to get airtime. MTV chose her as the ambassador for South Africa, her popularity was growing and, when she went back, she opened for Akon, John Legend, Beyoncé and Snoop Dogg, amongst others.
“I want my music to touch people. As an African, I want to give hope back to my people. I want to show the world that something beautiful and positive can come out of Africa and inspire young ones all over the world’.
Following on from her self-titled debut album, released worldwide in 2007, the Nigerian songstress Asa personifies evolution with her sophomore effort. “The first album reflected my state of mind then” Asa says. “I had a lot to talk about social and political issues”.
About her new album, “this time, I want to create something that would help people come out of sad moods and feel uplifted,” she affirmed. One of the album’s single, Be My Man, an up-tempo rock-tinged track with hints of 1960s soul, sees Asa in romantic mode as she sweetly croons to her love interest. Guitar-driven Why Can’t We, laced with strong horns and beautiful harmonies, is undoubtedly a toe-tapper, while the feel-good essence of easy-listening track, Dreamer Girl, could easily cause listeners to close their eyes and get lost in Asa’s soft and floaty vocals.
“When you catch yourself dreaming, you can sometimes sense that people around could hear you, and suddenly you might feel like it’s a crime. But I’m actually the dreamer girl in that song,” Asa laughs.
With her dreams fully in motion, Asa was in a positive mind when crafting her new album, Beautiful Imperfection.
“It is different from the first album; it has more brightness,” Asa says of Beautiful Imperfection. One of the album’s stand-out tracks is the up-tempo Broda Olé, a song you can’t help but clap to.
The song attempts to deliver its message through comedy and irony. In addition to the upbeat tones of the album, Beautiful Imperfection also boasts of ballads with Baby Gone, Oré and the haunting, piano-driven song, Questions.
Reflecting on the album’s enchanting title, Asa says: “The world has many imperfections, but in many ways, that’s what makes it beautiful. As long as we accept that it is imperfect, it will make us strive to try and make it a better place.” Armoured with a strong sense of self and restored happiness, Asa has already made her mark in the music industry.
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