Asa

Driving a motorbike. Swimming. Rollerblading. Or simply dancing at a ball. Asa admits that she’s never done any of this. Or at least the old Asa never did. The Asa before Bed Of Stone, the Nigerian singer’s third album that has just been released with Naïve music label and comes four years after Beautiful Imperfection, and seven years after the eponymous album that launched her career. A longing for life's simple pleasures- especially traveling - is at the heart of this new album. Indeed Asa spent the whole of 2012-2013 adventuring in Lagos, Berlin, London, Paris and the US. These trips forced her to grow up, meaning that whilst her two first albums are those of a girl, volume III is clearly that of a woman. However, at 32 years old the singer has in many respects stayed the same. She has kept her mixed style of soul, pop, reggae and folk intact, but this time her album is glossy, polished and tinged with a wisdom that makes it shine and truly stand out. The album contains surprising depths of maturity and was produced by the British Blair MacKichan, who has notably worked previously with the likes of Lily Allen and Will Young. Here, in an exclusive interview with Qobuz, Asa discusses the album’s origins, and proceeds to play an exclusive session including tracks Dead Again and Society. While we in the UK and Ireland continue to wait for Bed Of Stone, this should serve to keep you strong!

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