My world, by asa
By FEMI SALAWU
Friday, February 15, 2008
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Asa
Pix: Sun News Publishing |
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Since her emergence on the music circuit, Bukola Elemide
popularly known as Asa (pronounced Asha) has continued to
win more fans and has earned critical acclaim within and outside
the country. Her hit single, Fire On the Mountain was released
in UK on February 11, while the complete album follows a week
later. The release of the 12-track album follows a series
of promotional appearances on various TV and radio shows in
UK, including Terry Wogan show, arguably the biggest UK radio
show with an estimated 7 million listeners.
"This is my country. I don’t want to be big abroad
and uncelebrated at home," she said recently adding:
" Yes, we’ll be spending a lot of time in Europe.
But we’ll also be spending a lot of time here too. That’s
why the album is released in Nigeria before it’s released
in Europe. There’s no way, I’ll abandon my motherland."
The self-titled album Asa, is a pot-pourri of different genres
including R'n'B, Funk, Reggae but predominantly Soul laced
with African folks and produced by award-winning music producer,
Cobhams Asuquo. Some of the tracks include: Jailer, 360, Bibanke,
Iba, So beautiful, Peace, Eye Adaba, Awe, Sub Way and 360.
"We took out time to record this album. Thanks to Air
France, we were able to fly (Cobhams, myself and my manager,
Janet) to France over five times. And during this period,
I knew I had to withdraw from circulation because I had to
have something to show to all those who believe in me",
she explained.
But the release of the album didn't quite come easy as an
initial disagreement with her estranged record label, Questionmark,
almost marred the release. Asa had walked out on her contract
with the Kelvin Luciano-owned music label which generated
a lot of media attention. Speaking recently on a TV show,
Asa claimed that there were certain things she was asked to
do by the management of the label which didn't go down well
with her.
Among other things, the label’s attempt to 'sexify'
or make her music more sexually appealing left a sour taste
in her mouth as she was even given dressess to wear. For Asa,
staying true to her convictions was more important than compromising
her standards to make her music more commercially acceptable.
Interventions by Nobel Laurete, Prof. Wole Soyinka, one of
Asa's fans to broker peace, among the feuding parties, did
not achieve much.
Meanwhile, Asa's immense musical talent and penchant for hardwork
has not gone unnoticed. Her performance at the public presentation
of Prof. Wole Soyinka's You Must Set Forth At Dawn earned
her a standing ovation. The platform also served as a public
endorsement for the musician by the Nobel Laureate.
As a child, the musican, who was born in Paris, the beautiful
French capital city, had cause to change environment frequently
as her father, an attachee with the Nigerian Embassy, was
moved to Nigeria. Her adventure continued as she had to leave
Lagos where the family resided for her secondary education
in Plateau, Jos. A particular incidence however, earned her
the name Asa, the Yoruba word for hawk. The restless girl
strayed away from home one day, panic gripped her parents
who feared she would never return. But much to the relief
of everyone the young girl appeared in the company of an old
woman who had found her loitering. Hence, in the confusion
and excitement that ensued, she was re-christened and nicknamed
Asa.
Like most musicians, Asa did not find it easy winning the
confidence of her parents to pursue a career in music. "
They hoped and anxiously waited for me to study the Law or
Medicine. But I refused," she recalled. She, however,
has an advice for reluctant parents, "I will advise every
parent, If you find a talent in your child, please help the
child develop it. I am a master in what I do. I will be a
flop if I had gone into Law because that is not what I want
to do."
Naturally, her inclination for music spurred her to pursue
a degree in Theatre Arts and Music at Lagos State University,
LASU, Ojo, Lagos. Asa also came under the influence of versatile
Jazzist, Peter King, whose College of Music in Badagry helped
sharpened her skills on musical instruments as well as her
knowledge of rudiments of music.
Yet, her unsatiable quest for excellence blossomed as she
took advantage of her French citizenship to seek further studies
on Music in Paris, France. This was over 20 years after leaving
the French capital with her father. " At the beginning
of 2004, I sent off a cassette to 'VISA' programme run by
AFAA, the cultural section of the French Foreign Ministry.
It was like throwing a bottle into a sea. But I was lucky
because somehow, I got my message heard."
Infact, it was more than that as she ended up studying music
in France which helped horned her skills as a professional
and enabled her to meet great musicians like Manu Dibango,
Richard Bona, Daby Toure, Toney Allen and sisterly double
acts Les Nubians among others.
Interestingly, the musician who shares striking semblance
with American soul music dive, Tracy Chapman, dismisses any
influence from the latter. Said she, "I have never really
listened to her, but just because I use the guitar and I have
dreadlocks,
people keep saying that I remind them of Tracy Chapman. Or
probably the content of my music. I do a lot of conscious
music, and she does that too."
Like Chapman, who has a series of recognitions and awards
to her credit, including the prestigeous Grammy Award, Asa
who has taken her music to various international fora, while
also promoting the Nigerian culture, may soon be among the
few Nigerian stars to dominate international music scene in
2008.
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