Semper Azeez-Harris caught the rising Nigerian singer-songwriter live at her first London headline show
Asa is a singer-songwriter who fuses an array of sounds to produce music that actually has something to say. At a time of quick production music, which focuses more on a catchy beat rather than lyrical content, she is refreshing.
Born in Paris of Nigerian heritage, she spent her early days between the two countries. On seeing her, you cannot help but see some similarities with Tracy Chapman - the dreaded-locked hair, the ease with which she plays the guitar, songs that brim with meaning, and that laid back unusually deep voice. A hindrance and a turn off in most circles, it has propelled her deeply into the hearts of her fans and contemporaries, notably John Legend.
While she is becoming more popular, she is not as yet in the same league as Eryka Badu. So when you ask people if they know her, I am sure a good percentage will give you a slightly confused look. This also happened to me when Kwaku asked me to review her concert. My knowledge of anything she had done was a big fat zero.
Thankfully I went to the concert. Initially, an ignorant but willing participant, I came back a fan of this rather small but charismatic lady.
Arriving late, due to the fact that I was running on BMT, was a shame, but it still could not take way from the experience of seeing her at the Islington Academy. The venue helped to really draw the crowd in. Not separated by miles of pointless space, it was an intimate night which saw the fans rocking and swaying on every word of Asa.
She went through songss from her self titled album ‘Asa’, with star quality ease. And although difficult at times to fully hear her, due to some slightly dodgy sound engineering, the messages from her songs were inescapable - global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, and the hardships of life, are just some of the subjects she focuses on.
Some of the messages were however lost on me, since she sang in Yoruba (a Nigerian language). As a half Yoruba man, I am ashamed that I cannot even speak it. But for others in the crowd, it may have been slightly irritating. For the Nigerian massive* however, it was all good.
They danced and sang the night away. A particularly enthusiastic couple looked like they had not been out since the birth of the kids. They sang sweet Yoruba and danced like crazed young people getting as much as they could from the night before their parents came to take them home.
The highlight for me had to be the song ‘Jailer’. Sounding like ska and reggae mixed together, it had Islington Academy fans of some three hundred people, iincluding me, dancing in a Beyoncesque style. Lasting some ten minutes, it was brilliant. The energy it created however did not take away from the essence and seriousness of the subject matter regarding slavery.
Asa as a performer is brilliant. This whole year sees her traversing the globe performing in cities such as Tokyo. It must however be remembered that it is only in 2004 that she really started to pursue her passion.
While her album is great and her performance credentials are solid, I feel there is a lot more to come from Asa. Her musical style and the snippets of her character suggest that she will be here for a long time.
The fact that her contemporaries are raving about her means it will not be long before she reaches fantastic heights. I doubt however this is her main ambition. This is a lady about music with meaning and longevity, and I cannot wait to see her musical career develop even further.
*Indeed, I had never seen so many Nigerians, of mixed ages, especially the elderly types you know are not usual concert-goers, come out to support the Asa, and enjoy themselves – ed.