I became shy �cos people made fun of me - Asa
Written by Tope Olukole
Saturday, February 20, 2010

Bukola Elemide, popularly known as Asa, in this chat with Tope Olukole says: �Lagos is the New York of Nigeria, if you want to get anywhere in music, that�s where you�ll find the best opportunities, as well as the worst pitfalls.�

[img]http://odili.net/news/source/2010/feb/20/tribune/images/20[1].jpg[/img]
Bukola Elemide, popularly known as Asa





Asa was the only girl in the family and had to share her parents, who were not often present, with three brothers. At a tender age, she began to look after the house during her parents� absence. That was when Asa started to sing.

The desire to sing welled up in her and didn�t subside, carving out a permanent place in her soul. So, Asa sang her heart out. She preferred singing to talking, improving endlessly until her mother made her stop!

http://odili.net/news/source/2010/feb/20/698.html


�I was a tomboy and when I was a teenager, I became very shy because people made fun of me. In my own way, I was already attracting attention. I got in the habit of never doing anything like everyone else. People didn�t understand my low-pitched deep voice; the choristers didn�t want anything to do with me. I had to get to church first, if I was to have any chance of getting near the microphone,�she reminisced.

Asa fought back against rejection, against the ups and downs of a life where, to achieve what people call �happiness,� she had to sacrifice everything. She was 12 years old when her mother sent her to one of the best schools in the country. But educational excellence had a bitter taste five years of studies and hardship. When she came back home, Asa discovered reigning artistes like Erika Badu, D�Angelo, Rafael Saadiq, Lauryn Hill, Femi Kuti and Angelique Kidjo, in whose footprints she dreamt of following.

At 18, she was very familiar with frustration. The university was on strike, the choir members were snubbing her. Nevertheless, she managed to get her voice heard on a few radio talent shows and her first applause brought her boundless pleasure. She then signed up, in secret, for the renowned saxophonist, Peter King�s Musical School in Badagry, Lagos, where she studied and learnt to play guitar for six months. She was insatiable in her desire to live life to the fullest, to meet people and to be immersed in music.

�At the beginning of 2004, I sent off a cassette to the �visa� programme run by the AFAA, the cultural section of the French foreign ministry. It was like throwing a bottle into the sea. But I was lucky because, somehow, I got my message heard,� she said.

In fact, Asa did more than that, she ended up doing a music course in France which helped her turn professional and allowed her to stay in the country for three months during which she met the likes of Manu Dibango, Richard Bona, Daby Toure, Tony Allen and sisterly double act, Les Nubians.

Asa, in her own opinion, is not a commercial product and not a sex kitten. She ran into some initial problems with her record label because of this. There were certain things she was asked to do by the record label which didn�t quite go well with her.Their attempt to �sexify� her left a sour taste in her mouth; she was given dresses to wear and some other things were requested from her which she felt would mean she wasn�t being true to herself and so, she refused to change to fit into what they taught she should be, in looks or sound. She wasn�t happy with everything that had transpired during her time with the record label and she decided to legally terminate her contract with them.

�I like writing or thinking about my texts on the bus, or the Molue, as we call it, with 49 seating and 99 passengers standing, as Fela described it. You know, everyone is squashed up together and mini dramas break out all the time and at the end of the day, we still manage to laugh; that�s where our strength lies,� Asa said.

MTV later chose her as the ambassador for South Africa as her popularity began to grow.

�I want my music to touch people. As an African, I want to give back hope to my people, but also to speak in their name. I want to show the world that something beautiful and positive can come out of the black continent and inspire young people all over the world,�she noted.

Yawn!!!!! errbody and they mama were always tomboys growing up, this is a recycled interview or ASA has a boring story to repeat thesame jist all the time,


And wat rwecord label was tryna make her a "sex symbol" LezBO plizzzz, for ya mind ASA,

aloy-emeka,

asiri.com