Aṣa

Aṣa (pronounced "Asha", English IPA: [ˈæʃə], Yoruba: [àʃá], French: [aʃa]) is a French singer and songwriter of Nigerian origin (born Bukola Elemide, January 1st 1970, Paris).

Nicknamed Aṣa (little hawk) because she often ran away and changed directions as a youngster, she returned to Lagos with her family at the age of two. Her mother was a shopkeeper and her father shot video reports for weddings.

Settled in Paris in 2004, she worked with [a=Manu Dibango] and has been influenced by pop, reggae and African traditional sounds, more particularly by [a=Bob Marley] and [a=Fela Kuti]'s songs. Her manager Janet introduced her to [a=Cobhams Asuquo] in 2004, who in turn became her musical partner. Signed to [l=Naïve], Aṣa recorded her debut album with producer [a=Christophe Dupouy], which has been hailed as one of the best African albums of 2007.