Asa Bukola Elemide popularly known as Asa is a Nigerian French musician, songwriter and a recording artist. She is famous for her melodious songs with her guitar. Her style of music is a mix of Pop, Jazz as well as Indie Pop.
Asa Background
Asa was born on 17th September, 1982 in Sign Virgo, Paris. At the time of her birth, her parents were studying cinematography in France. Elemide is the only female child in the family alongside 3 brothers. When she was two, her family relocated to Nigeria, so she grew up in Lagos state. After 18 years, she returned to Paris and began her music career.
Asa Music Career
The award winning singer drew her first music inspiration from her father’s music collection while he worked as a cinematographer. The collection included the music of Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, King Sunny Ade, Miriam Makeba, Diana Ross and Nina Simone.
Elemide attended Peter King’s School of Music where she learnt how to play guitar in six months.
In 2004, she met Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo, a songwriter and producer through her manager and friend, Janet Nwose. Cobhams thereafter became the producer of her debut studio album ‘Asa’.
At the age of 20, Asa went back to France to study at the IMFP school of Jazz music. To her surprise, her teachers told her to go on with her recordings because she was qualified and needed no schooling. In 2007, she took up the challenge and recorded her first single in Nigeria, ‘Eye Adaba’. Eye Adaba interpreted as dove is a solemn song full of hope, prayers and a cry for peace in the country. In no time, the song gained world-wide acceptance and applause.
Afterwards, Asa got signed to Naive Records. She worked together with Cobhams, Christopher Dupuoy and Benjamin Constant to produce her first platinum album named after her, Asa.
In an interview with Funmi Iyanda, Asa said that Angelique Kidjo is her mentor.
The Album ‘Asa’
The album ‘Asa’ which was released in 2007 was a major break for Asa. It saw her topping music charts across Europe, Asia and Africa. In addition to that, the album was voted the best fresh talent of 10 singers by a jury of 19 music-industry specialists in Paris.
Live in Paris
In 2009, Asa released another album titled ‘Live in Paris’. The album was a compilation of her live performances and include ‘Subway’,‘Fire on the Mountain’, ‘Awe’, ‘Bibanke’, ‘360 degree’, ‘Jailer’, ‘So Beautiful’, ‘Feeling Good’, ‘Speech’, ‘Lya’, ‘No one knows’ and ‘Eye Adaba’.
Beautiful Imperfection
Asa released her third album ‘Beautiful Imperfection’ on 25 October, 2010. She collaborated with Nicholas Mollard, a french composer to produce the album.
Bed of Stone
Asa released another studio album, ‘Bed of Stone’ in August 2014. The album contained 4 singles: ‘Dead Again’, ‘Eyo’, ‘Satan Be Gone’, ‘The One That Never Comes’ and ‘Moving On’. News has it that before the release of ‘Bed of Stone’, Asa sold 400,000 albums worldwide.
The Beginning
After a five year break off the music scene, Asa released another pop single on May 14, 2019, titled ‘The Beginning’. Asa advised that we all go back to the beginning when our affairs were much better and joyful.
Asa Quotes
“We will not put an end to extreme poverty if we do not give priority to education especially, girls education.”
“Universal quality education is one of the best antidotes to poverty”
“Always stay humble and kind”
“You don’t have to wait till you feel the pain. You can start right now. It’s not too late to be grateful.”
“When you just can’t see the future, when you just can’t see the light, you always got to put on a fight.”
“I know I can’t change the past, but as the river keeps flowing, I’ll keep on moving on.”
Asa Net Worth
According to celebstrendnow.com, Asa’s estimated net worth as at 2019 is $1.5m.
Asa Singles
- Fire on the Mountain 2009
- 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
- The Beginning, 2019
Awards and Nominations
French Constantin Award, 2008.
French Music Awards, Victories de la Musique nomination for “Female Artist of the Year’, 2011
Soundtrack Appearances
- The First Cry Movie, Kokoya”, 2007
- GTBank soundtrack, “The Place To Be”, 2009
- Zarafa Movie soundtrack, 2011: “Zarafa” , 2011
Business Lessons from Asa
1. Create Your Own Brand
Asa stands out as one of the Nigerian Artist that sings with a guitar. Also, she sings about the current happenings in the country. There are many people who may be playing in the same industry as you, but you can stand out by adding a little flavour.
2. Spice Up Your Brand
Apart from being an amazing singer, Asa entertains her live audience with beautiful dance steps. As a matter of fact, she sometimes remove her shoes when dancing and this gets her fan screaming and excited. To a large extent, innovation plays a crucial role in business growth.
3. Be Original
When you think about Asa, you remember home. From her hairstyle to her kind of music as well as her lifestyle, you will agree that Asa is simply original. In business, deploy your originality and you will be surprised at how effective it can be.
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