Aṣa, fondly called by her stage name was born Bukola Elemide on September 17, 1982. She is a famous Nigerian-French singer, songwriter, and recording artist.
Aṣa was born in Paris to Nigerian parents who then were working and studying cinematography in France. Her family relocated to Nigeria at her early age of two. Aṣa grew up in Lagos city, in the south-western Nigeria.
Asa later moved to Paris at the age of 20, where her musical journey began.
Educational Background
Asa had her primary and secondary education in Lagos respectively. She relocated to Paris, France where she later studied at the IMFP school of Jazz music, and was told by her teachers that she could go ahead and become a recording artist without delay because she was equal to the task and needed no schooling.
Her Musical Career
Asa began her musical career in 2004 when she met her manager and friend, Janet Nwose, who introduced her to Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo, who in turn became her first studio album producer, Asa (Asha).
Asa’s music influences grew over the years from the collection of great music her father had built up for his work as a cinematographer.
Top world soul classics like Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, King Sunny Adé, Diana Ross, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba also influenced her a great deal to attain strong footing in her music career.
Back in Nigeria, her first single, “Eyé Adaba,” was very successful and received mass airplay.
Aṣa thereafter signed to Naïve Records. She partnered with Cobhams Asuquo, Christophe Dupouy and Benjamin Constant to produce her first platinum selling self-titled album, Aṣa.
The release of the album, ‘Aṣa’ received the much popularity topping music chart across Europe, Asia and Africa and went on to win the prestigious French Constantin Award in 2008.
Asa was voted best fresh talent of 10 singers by a jury of 19 music-industry specialists in Paris.
Her second album, Beautiful Imperfection was also a success, an album she released in collaboration with French composer Nicolas Mollard, on 25 October 2010. It went platinum in 2011.
The beautiful, creative, hardworking and highly talented Star came up with a lead single from Beautiful Imperfection titled “Be My Man”. It was released in late September 2010 with the albums selling over 400,000 copies worldwide by 2014.
Asa’s third studio album, Bed of Stone, was released in August 2014. The singles are “Dead Again”, “Eyo”, “Satan Be Gone”, “The One That Never Comes” and “Moving On”.
She embarked on a world tour from 2015 to 2017.
On 14 May 2019, she released a new single titled “The Beginning” and on 25 June 2019 she released the single “Good Thing” and September 11, 2019 released another album Lucid.
Asa has also made several soundtrack appearances including:
• 2007: “Kokoya” – on the soundtrack to the film The First Cry
• 2009: “The Place To Be” – soundtrack for GTBank
• 2011: “Zarafa” – soundtrack for the animation movie Zarafa
Awards and Nominations
Asa’ brilliant work has so far received global recognition with a number of awards to her credit. They include:
• 2008 Prix Constantine Awards
• 2011 French Music Awards Victoires de La Musique nomination for “Female Artist of the Year” among others.
Her Net Worth
Asa is currently making waves in the Nigerian music industry, rated one of the richest and most influential with an estimated net worth of about $3.5 million dollars.