Sitting on the spotlight today is our very own and one of Africa’s biggest musical exports. We are celebrating a music act on top of her game and making a difference with her craft. The guitar-wielding soul singer is a recording artiste of international repute who needs no introduction. She’s clearly one of the most exciting, electrifying and energetic Nigerian artistes to have emerged in the last decade.
It’s no other person but that personality with signature dread locks and quirky glasses winning hearts across the world with her soulful voice and in-depth lyrics. I call her sing Hawk – Asa! The Paris-based artist is renowned for her fusion of contemporary Jazz sound, pop and reggae with traditional Yoruba melodies. Born Bukola Elemide and universally called Asa. Asa is a Nigerian singer and songwriter born on 17, September 1982 in Paris to her Nigerian parents. Her real name is Bukola Elemide and her nickname Asa means “little hawk” because when she was young she often ran away and changed directions like a hawk. The name ‘Asa’ was a Yoruba nickname given to her by her grandma at a young age.
Asa started to sing at a tender age when she would be left to look after the house during her father and mother’s frequent absences (being the only female child in a family with 4 offspring). Her family moved back to Nigeria when she was 2 years old. She grew up in FESTAC as the only girl child with 3 brothers (although some reports claim she lived with her family in Alagbole, a border town in Ogun state near Lagos). Asa’s mother enrolled her in the prestigious Corona High school Lagos and went further to federal government college in Jos and moved back to Lagos to attend Lagos State University and was enrolled in the department of Theatre Arts and Music.
Basically, Asa spent her formative years in the city of Jos, Plateau State, in northern Nigeria before returning to Lagos at the age of 18 and twenty years later. She got admission to study as a diploma student which required her spending about 2years but Asa spent only about a little over 6 months and then left because it was clashing with her professional musical classes at the renowned saxophonist, Peter King’s Musical School in Badagry, where she majored in Guitar studies for a year.
It was gathered that she was rejected by choirs because of the deep tone of her voice but the desire to sing didn’t go away, carving out a permanent place in her soul as she always preferred singing to talking, improvising endlessly — until her mother made her stop! Finally Asa discovered music while rummaging through her father’s music collection and discovered classics such as Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja.
Aṣa returned to Paris to study at the IMFP school of Jazz music and her life as an artist took off. When she moved back to France she got inspiration from contemporary musicians like Erika Badu, D’Angelo, Rafel Saadiq, Lauryn Hill and Angelique Kidjo. She later went for an audition in France waiting 10 hours cold, hungry with fatigue hitting her from every side. She was tempted to go home but she didn’t. She was later called to perform for 2 minutes and her life was turn around.
About five record labels jostled to sign her. She got signed to Naïve Records, Partnered with Cobhams (whom she was introduced to by her manager, Janet) and produced her first platinum selling album, multi-platinum selling, self-titled debut album “Asa” (will be 11 years this year). Before info on Asa the album. No 4 coming through!
Fire On The Mountain is where R&b rubs up against pop, with reggae also making an appearance. FOM is the 2nd track but first track released from the album. It’s such barely-disguised metaphor for an ignorant and indifferent world.
Asa expresses her bittersweet point of view on the realities that move her in different forms, from daydream to nose-thumbing to SOS. Her aim is to transmit positive values, but also to put words to the things that hurt. Anyone who refuses to pay attention to the sparks will have no choice but to run when the fire breaks out. The fire, it’s the conflicts we neglect because there is no oil at stake, but it’s also the paedophiles, domestic violence and poverty on your doorstep,
The release of the album Aṣa the album charted across Europe, Asia and Africa and went on win the prestigious French Constantin Award in 2008, where she was voted best fresh talent of 10 singers or groups by a jury of 19 music-industry specialists in Paris. The album also bagged the 2008 Headies Awards for Album of the year.
On 25 October 2010, Asa’s second album, Beautiful Imperfection was released with lead single “Be My Man” on the album released earlier in late September 2010. The album went double gold in France in 2011. That year, she was also confirmed the new singer of soul, pop and reggae music and compared to Tracy Chapman.
In August 2014, Asa’s third studio album, Bed Of Stone was released. Bed of Stone The lead singles are ‘Dead Again’, ‘Eyo’, ‘Satan Be Gone’ and ‘The One That Never Comes’. She went on a world tour in 2015 to 2017.
In March 2015, the soul singer embarked on her tour of France after her third studio album ‘Bed Of Stone’ on the 25th of August, 2014 will embark. It was a two month tour of cities in France and end on 10th of April, 2015. She went on a world tour in 2015 to 2017.
In 2017 in an interview with Funmi Iyanda, she revealed that she lost her virginity at 28 saying she was ashamed to say I lost my virginity at 28, so don’t clap for me. Perhaps one of the reasons why I lost my virginity that late was because I was shy and somewhere else where I was too focused on my career that I didn’t even think about having sex.”
She also opened up on battling with depression, her preference in men, lesbianism allegations etc. It was a tell-it-all explosive interview with Funmi Iyanda.
Eyé Adaba, released 2007 (off the album Asa): Asa has stood a test of time for over a decade now and still making history. That was her first single, “Eyé Adaba,” which actually began to get multiple airplays back in Nigeria.
Jailer reinterprets the old adage “you reap what you sow”. This emblematic song with its irresistible refrain opens the album by denouncing modern slavery in all its forms.
2018- Asa is not ready to quit music anytime soon. The French-Nigerian singer in a tweet earlier in January wrote that she will keep singing until she attains the old age of 80 I will sing tillI’m 80. Way up girl! She came into the country with a peculiar style of music that was widely accepted by all.
FACTS
She confirms “Lagos is the New York of Nigeria. If you want to get anywhere in music, that’s where you’ll find the best opportunities, as well as the worst pitfalls.”
After her tours, she stays away from any music-related activities, preferring to reconnect to normalcy through books, friends and road travel.
She prays in Yoruba: Asa who speaks French admitted to praying in her native tongue as she believes ‘God listens faster in Yoruba’
Only drinks water: When asked what the worst rumor she’d ever heard about herself. She revealed that it was the fact that she took drugs.
SINGLES: Jailer (2009), Be my man (2010), Why can’t we (2011), The way I feel (2012, Ba mi dele (2012), Dead again (2014), Eyo (2015), Satan be gone (2015). A couple of Soundtrack appearance.
ALBUMS
- Aṣa (Asha) 2007
- Live in Paris 2009
- Beautiful Imperfection 2010 Produced by Naive
- Bed of Stone In 2014, it was reported that before the release of Bed of Stone, Asa sold 400,000 albums worldwide. and peaked at number 38 on the French album charts.
She once admitted that she had serious doubts about her 3rd and 4th album and decided to give up singing at some point even going as far as enrolling in the University of London to study something else. She recorded “Bed of Stone” the album twice due to a few challenges faced. She had to record it twice because the first one didn’t feel true to her.
The title ‘Bed of Stone’ was inspired by her dead dog: She said while writing the song ‘Bed of Stone’, she got the news that her dog, Fifi who she’d had since the time of the release of her first album, passed away plus the fact that she’d gone through a lot of challenges in recording the album informed her decision to title the album
AWARD/Nomination
2015, Headies Awards, she was nominated in the “Best “R&B/Pop Album”, “Best Alternative Song”, “Best Vocal Performance (Female)”, and “Best Recording of the Year” categories
2011, French Music Awards, Asa was nominated for “Female Artist of the Year,” a
Prix Constantin 2008
2008 Hip Hop World Awards Album of the year- Asa
2008 Hip Hop World Awards Recording of the year- Bibanke
2008 Hip Hop World Awards Best Vocal Performance (Female)- Bibanke
2006 Hip Hop World Awards Next Rated- Asa.
CONCLUSION/Wrap Up
Asa is clearly a talented writer/musician who has established herself as an international artiste playing in major concerts all over Europe and beyond. Asa’s music will undoubtedly cross all frontiers, not just geographical, but also those of the heart and soul bringing together the best of Western and African music in a funky fusion that opens hearts and minds and paves the way for deeper understanding.
Yeah! Through her art, Asa spreads the message of love, positivity, and optimism while her songs are evergreen. She said “I want my music to touch people. As an African, I want to give hope back to my people, but also to speak in their name. I want to show the world that something beautiful and positive can come out of the black continent and inspire young people all over the world.”
