WOMAD

Asa

From France, Nigeria

Soothing soul from Lagos via Paris

"It is normal for an African girl to take up the mother role. But I am a free soul and I spent a long time fighting for freedom." While demonstrably a woman on a clear path in life, artistically at least Asa is something of a slippery fish, at ease playing both the brooding, guitar-clasping singer-songwriter and the pop siren bouncing along on a radio-friendly Motown-ish groove. But whatever the context, her voice is the focus - a deeply attractive combination of smoke and honey that prompts comparisons with Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. But while there's an ambitious eye on multinational success (she's already opened shows for Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg and John Legend), Asa hasn't ignored her mother continent, collaborating with other Paris-based African artists like Manu Dibango and Tony Allen. And Africa retains the credit for her mindset. "In Nigeria, you learn to improvise, to become a survivor. You learn to think."

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2011)

Asa- Fire On The Mountain

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