Aṣa
(...) Soul, pop, world music, folk, funk, jazz... (...) Her ever-present acoustic guitar strumming fronts arrangements that combine elegant strings, drums, percussion and Hammond organ to create a record whose unique cultural fusion effortlessly blends underground/niche credibility with broad mainstream appeal... (...) Aṣa (pronounced "Asha" ; born 17 September 1982) is a Nigerian French singer, songwriter, and recording artist. Her stage name "Aṣa" means "Hawk" in Yoruba. Born Bukola Elemide, Aṣa was born in Paris, France to her Nigerian parents. Her family returned to live in Nigeria when she was two. Aṣa grew up in Alagbole, a border town in Ogun state near Lagos, in the south-western part of Nigeria. Twenty years later, Aṣa returned to Paris where her life as an artist took off. Whenever Asa came home from school in Nigeria, she discovered musical acts like Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, Lauryn Hill, Femi Kuti and A...