AŞA
From: Nigeria/France
On stage: Sat 15 Apr 23:10
Since 2007, and following the release of her first album, Aṣa has traced a unique path in African creation in general, and Nigerian creation in particular. Aṣa (pronounced Asha, which means Falcon in Yoruba), who was born in Paris in 1982 before moving to Lagos at the age of two, adapts her music to her time and to the time, composing in accordance to her current aspirations and concerns.
"V," her fifth album, was recorded in the midst of the pandemic. The cutting edge of Nigerian R&B is represented on the album, which was published at the end of February 2022. It features the up-and-coming artist Wizkid and the trendy producer P.Prime, who has been nominated for a Grammy Award. Asa creates a steamy groove with positive vibes that fuses highlife and afrobeat, building a link between Lagos and the London full of diversity. She explores fusion genres while offering music for the body & the spirit, dance and trance.
The true synonym of fresh and exciting sound in R&B says "When I write a song, I usually produce melodies with snippets of words here and there. "Mayana" was kept. I had no idea what it meant. Normally, I would look for another word, something meaningful, that would convey something positive to the person I was speaking to. When I looked it up, there it was! Mayana simply means "to heal, tomorrow".”
Aṣa's lead-off track, Mayana, which was released in December 2021, showcases her smooth blending of delicate vocals and rhythmic percussion at the nexus of pop, soul, afrobeat, and RnB.
When she gets her jazz groove on in Bimpé and Be My Man, you wish the songs would never end