Inspiring Creatives
‘Asa is currently one of the richest and most influential female artistes in Nigeria with an estimated net-worth of $3 million.’
Siaka MOMOH
Permit to state that the title of today’s Inspiring Creatives piece is classified information.The Siaka-Momohs once lived in the same close (24 Road, H Close, Festac Town, Lagos) with Asa (real name Bukola) and her parents – Mr & Mrs Elemide. Why classified information? Classified because the piece will reveal how the celebrity name ‘Asa’ came to be.
Bukola Elemide
Bukola Elemide was a swift young girl, what some will colloquially call ‘smart girl’. May be she is that swift because she is the only girl in a family of four. Whilst her three brothers and parents were sitting in the living room, watching television or engaged in some other relaxation chants, she would run out and in, in a jiffy. On one of such occasions, an observing uncle remarked – ‘Ayara Bi Asa’ (One Who Is as Fast as the Eagle). There and then, Buki adopted the name Asa (pronounced ‘Asha’ – the old Yoruba spelling for Asa. Asa grew up with Siaka Momoh’s first two daughters in Festac Town in mid/late eighties.
Aṣa grew up in Festac
Aṣa was born in Paris to Nigerian parents who were working and studying cinematography in France. Her family returned to live in Nigeria when she was two. Aṣa grew up in Festac Town, Lagos, in the south-western part of Nigeria, and 18 years later, after completing her primary and secondary education, returned to Paris, where her life as an artist took off.
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. These records featuring American, Nigerian and African soul classics, included musical greats such as Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, King Sunny Adé, Diana Ross, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba. Aṣa went on to draw inspiration from them. The Elemides worshiped in Celestial Church of God, 5th Avenue, Festac Town.
Career
In 2004, Asa met her manager and friend, Janet Nwose, who introduced her to Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo, who in turn became the producer of her first studio album Asa.
Aṣa returned to France to study at the IMFP school of Jazz music where she was told by teachers that she should go ahead and become a recording artist because she was ready and needed no schooling. Back in Nigeria, her first single, “Eyé Adaba,” was beginning to get airplay. Aṣa soon signed to Naïve Records. Partnered with Cobhams Asuquo, and with the new involvement of Christophe Dupouy and Benjamin Constant, she produced her first platinum selling self-titled album, Aṣa. The release of the album saw Aṣa charting radios across Europe, Asia and Africa and went on to win the prestigious French Constantin Award in 2008, when she was voted best fresh talent of 10 singers or groups by a jury of 19 music-industry specialists in Paris.
Sold 400,000 albums worldwide
In 2007, she made an appearance in ‘Kokoya’, the soundtrack to the film ‘The First Cry’. In 2011, she made an appearance in ‘Zarafa’, the soundtrack for the animation movie ‘Zarafa’
Her second album, Beautiful Imperfection, in collaboration with French composer Nicolas Mollard, was released on 25 October 2010, went platinum in 2011. The lead single from Beautiful Imperfection is titled “Be My Man” was released in late September 2010. It was reported that by 2014 Aṣa sold 400,000 albums worldwide.
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 went on a world tour from 2015 to 2017.
Net worth: $3 million
On 14 May 2019, she released a new single titled “The Beginning” and on 25 June 2019 she released the single “Good Thing”. On 11 September 2019, she announced on her Twitter page that her new album, Lucid, would be released on 11 October 2019. True to her words, the album was then released on 11 October 2019.
That Is ’s swift Asa for you. The Yorubas will say ‘Oruko re lonro”, meaning she is living her name.
Asa is currently one of the richest and most influential female artistes in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $3 million.
