Review: Asa’s ‘V’
one of the most brilliant musical minds of her generation
In this contemporary, post-militarised phase of Nigerian music, there are few artists as addicted to the thrill of immersive world-building as the songbird known as Asa is. A precocious singer who was raised on the lounging Jazz, Soul, and Afrobeat collection of her cinematographer father, Bukola Elemide emerged on the Nigerian music scene in the mid 2000s. She stood out immediately as her sound familiarly retooled the gut-wrenching lyrical signature of musical titans such as Aretha Franklin, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Marvin Gaye, and Diana Ross. While the influence of her stylistic forefathers is palpable, she also added the cinematic flair of her father’s work to create a brand of music that was predicated on excellent penmanship and character furtherance. In addition to all of this, Asa’s music presented vivid snapshots of her interpretation of Nigerian culture, fuelled dually by an abiding sense of nostalgia for a home she left behind, given that her she moved to Paris for a number of years.
Much of Aṣa’s earliest and most acclaimed works were lived-in interpretations on the human condition, grief, love, familial love, and betrayal driven by the singer’s natural inquisitiveness which would go on to birth some of the most foundational records in Nigeria’s Neo-soul canon. Standout songs in her catalogue such as “Fire On The Mountain,” “Bamidele,” and “Bibanke” are timeless gems that suggested a singer with clarity of thought. In going down this path, Aṣa became an institution unto herself, regularly heralded as a different kind of artist: one who has maintained her commercial edge without sacrificing her artistic licence.
Despite this view, the truth of the matter is that Asa has always been a shrewd operator, blessed with a prescient sense of the music landscape and steeped in the stylistics of Nigerian pop. Where the aforementioned “Fire On The Mountain” remains a high watermark of artistry off her debut album, “Jailer,” was the commercial heartbeat of her eponymous debut. Similarly, when she released her sophomore album, the leavened tone of ‘Beautiful Imperfection’ was counterbalanced by the jazz-inspired fiesta that was “Be My Man” while the cherry joyfulness of “Eyo” gave 2014’s ‘Bed of Stone’ its commercial heft.
All of this came to a head on her last album. After five years without releasing fresh material—the longest spell of her career—Asa’s music lacked the tangible connection to the heart of Nigerian music that all her previous efforts had despite their unique soundscapes. On ‘Lucid,’ largely inspired by Rock and Folk music, the ever-present sense of wonder and charm that made listening to Asa’s recounting of hurt and mild disappointment was swapped out for a hardened edge that engendered the feeling that danger was lurking at every corner. A tour was planned to help promote ‘Lucid,’ but then COVID-19 hit the world.
Something about the pandemic and its after-shock brought a sense of perspective to many around the world—isolating alone in almost-empty houses can have that effect. And so, the music that has sprung out in a world still making sense of COVID-19 restrictions has sounded like songs of yearning for freedom and letting loose. Not unlike many other people, Asa had surplus time on her hand to look within during the pandemic. Isolating in Lagos, a new album began to take shape in the 39-year-old’s head, and for the first time, she was going to record entirely in Nigeria, inspired by the sun, food, air, and vibe of her home country. True to her words, that album, ‘V,’ takes inspiration from the mood and bounce of Nigerian pop music.
‘V’ is Asa at her most light-hearted and unrestrained. There is a palpable sense of chromatic joy, playfulness, exuberance, and freedom to ‘V’ that is hard to find anywhere else in Aṣa’s oeuvre. Where its predecessor, ‘Lucid,’ gave expression to some of Asa’s most nihilistic thoughts and desires across its 14 tracks, ‘V’ possesses the narrative-laden wonder that makes Asa a brilliant listen. Nothing quite captures the scope of the singer’s vision for this project like the opener, “Mayana,” does. Aṣa has sang of love before, skirted around its borders in her songs, playfully requested for its glow but there’s a new depth to how her inquest is structured on “Mayana.” There’s an allusion to an island and living there for as long as possible with a love interest.
The floating sense of comfort that inspired “Mayana” is also at play on its follow-up, “Ocean,” where Aṣa makes a grand gesture comparing her lover to the boundlessness of the ocean. Gone are the mooning songs about complicated love or technically-structured verses that made her the patron saint of indie-pop acts across Nigeria, instead Asa’s focus is on wrapping love in silky euphemisms and similes. When she intently sings, “Boy you are the ocean,” drawing out the words to imprint the impulse that inspires it, there are no doubts to how she’s feeling.
In many ways, this is also an album about opening up Asa’s world to new people and influences as well as terrains that she hasn’t ventured into since we met her more than 17 years ago. Rising producer, P.Priime, was tapped to produce 90% of the album, supplying instrumentals largely built smoky soulish samples and minimalist percussions that suit Aṣa’s supple voice to a tee while nudging her to experiment with theme and topics. Blue-haired soul singer, WurlD, continues to be distinctly identifiable, writing with Asa on “Ocean” and contributing backing vocals.
The biggest collaboration on this project remains “IDG,” the Wizkid collaboration where both singers collide eras, sounds, and energies atop Priime’s ice-cool instrumental. Tackling a classic Afrofusion instrumental, Asa remains effortlessly cool, singing lines like, “nothing can break me, nothing can bring me down” with absolute belief in their potency, while Wizkid slides in with a relaxed verse about being able to tell real love apart from the fake version. It’s a collaboration that’s been over a decade in the making but both singers sound like perfect partners as they croon and swoon listeners over a funky track.
“Nike” is a curious choice to follow up “IDG.” On its distinct chorus, Asa gently recedes to the impulse of ‘Lucid,’ gently singing, in pidgin, “I no fit to love anyone anyone” with all the theatrical flair that she can manage; it’s a little off-message but it’s just a brief detour from the singer who is committed to love on ‘V.’ The next song, “Show Me Off,” is a creative scion of “Be My Man,” but the drums, regardless of how fleeting they are, bring Asa’s work into the realm of contemporary Nigerian pop, which is more visible on “Morning Man.”
After all these years of creating music largely on her own, on ‘V,’ Asa has also decided to seek out some of West Africa’s most inventive musicians to test her chemistry with and validate their admiration of her pioneering work. Highlife brother duo The Cavemen set the vibe of “Good Times,” singing about the validity of love in the context of friendship. The song’s mid-tempo pace briefly sees Asa make a return to the elegant ballads that she made a signature at the beginning of her career.
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Elsewhere, she experiments with a flow that blurs the intersection of R&B and Hip-Hop on “All I’ve Ever Wanted.” It’s one of the most subtly urgent songs on ‘V’, but it’s another example of Asa crossing over into the world of her collaborator who happens to be Ghanaian singer, Amaarae. (Asa has said that she started writing this song with Amaarae in mind.) It’s also the most experimental song here, and it manages to capture Asa’s fluid expressionism across genres.
The finale of ‘V’ is a would-be anthem, “Love Me Or Give Me Red Wine,” where Asa fits in lines like, “There’s no one else/You’re all I need” next to unclear lyrics that reflect the wanderlust of her heart. It’s the most forthright Asa, the solemn singer of “Iba” and “Murder In The USA,” has ever been about romance in her career, but maybe she’s just ticking off mental notes on her to-do list.
In the years since Asa first became a national star, her creative work has provided inspiration to countless people as well as nourished a listening base that would do anything to see her approach to arrangement and song-writing established at the heart of Nigerian pop. The emergence of writers like Buju, Fireboy DML, and Omah Lay has provided a synthesis of good lyricism and exciting melodies but none of these writers have a mastery of melancholy like Asa has and neither can they bend the tedious to their will as Ms. Bukola Elemide does. The singing and writing on ‘V’ is a brilliant fusion of Asa’s soul music and the cadence of Nigerian pop. If she already scaled the mountains with her earlier work, this is the summit of one of the most brilliant musical minds of her generation.
Listen to Asa’s ‘V’ below.
ICYMI: ASA RETURNED HOME AND TURNED IN HER BRIGHTEST-SOUNDING ALBUM YET
Luwa.Mp4 Releases Riotous Debut Album, ‘punKstA*’
Across the album’s 12 tracks, Luwa.Mp4 continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock,...
Rising singer and rapper Luwa.Mp4 has released his debut album titled ‘punKstA*.’ The underground star who has been on a release spree all year long, announced the imminent arrival of his debut only a couple of days ago with a cryptic trailer video and an Instagram caption that simply read ‘PUNKSTA* MONDAY.’
Before the arrival of ‘punKstA*,’ the rising fusion star had been showcasing his diligence and talent with a consistent output that has seen him put out over a dozen songs since the start of the year. A string of singles led to a 6-pack titled ‘lore skooL,’ while a deluxe version that housed 5 new songs came just a month later.
His debut album’s lead single, “pUNK FANTASY,” arrived in late July, setting the stage for what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the underground star’s burgeoning career.
Across the album’s 12 tracks, the eclectic singer continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock, Afropop, Hyperpop, and Rap into something uniquely different. Tracks like “Pure Water,” which was previously teased on Cruel Santino’s Subaru Live Stream, the abrasive, Tecno-influenced “pROMISED NEVERLAND,” and the more laidback “pEEp MY RIDE” put on display the sort of varied, autotune-soaked approach that has set him apart and helped carve a growing niche.
While Luwa decided to go solo on his debut, credited as the only recording artist, the album was brought to life by a cast of talented producers like frequent collaborator TOPSY, Emyboi, JTRN, 3CB, FVKK.ANDI and Jeremy Cartier.
Listen to ‘punKstA*,’ here.
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Shekhinah Returns With Surprise Album, ‘Less Trouble’
The South African R&B star is at her most assertive on her first album in four years.
South African R&B and Pop singer Shekhinah has released a new surprise album titled ‘Less Trouble.’ The Durban star, who had been quiet for most of the year, took to social media shortly before midnight to share the new album’s cover, synopsis, and tracklist, simply stating, ‘If you’re seeing this my album LESS TROUBLE is out now at Midnight,’ in an Instagram caption.
The soulful singer first began teasing ‘Less Trouble,’ her first album in over four years, about a year ago when she released its lead single “Risk,” a bouncy Afropop-inspired collab with Ghanaian star MOLIY. A few months after the release of “Risk,” she put out “Steady,” a dreamy pop number that suggested that something bigger was on the horizon. But then it was largely radio silence about a project until its surprise arrival at midnight.
If 2021’s ‘Trouble In Paradise’ represented a coming-of-age for Shekhinah, subsisting some of the dreamy, youthful exuberance of her debut album for more measured musings on themes like heartbreak and grief, ‘Less Trouble’ finds her at her most assertive, writing and singing with the acuity of someone who is grown, decisive and discerning. The delicate opener “Break Up Season” sets the tone for the rest of the album as she shows little tolerance for shady behaviour and toxic patterns.
Other standout cuts on the album like “Bare Minimum,” a sombre collab with fellow South African award-winning singer lordkez, the ethereal, in-your-face interlude “New Casanova,” and the percussive “What Are We,” where Shekhinah contemplates the nature of a relationship but ultimately demands all or nothing, all drive home a part of the album’s synopsis, which reads ‘A BOOK ON MORE HEARTBREAK BUT LESS HEARTACHE.’
Shekhinah invites a couple of new collaborators on ‘Less Trouble,’ featuring the aforementioned MOLIY and lordkez as well as multi-instrumentalist Mars Baby and Young Stunna across the album’s 11 tracks. Mpilo Shabangu handled the majority of the album’s production, while other producers like Michael Morare, her longtime collaborator, Mthintheki Mzizi, and Vuyo also contributed to the album.
Listen to ‘Less Trouble’ here.
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The NATIVE’s First Impressions Of Amaarae’s ‘Black Star’
‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for Amaarae, and The NATIVE team offer our thoughts after a...
Change has always been a constant theme in any discussion about the career of Ghanaian-American star, Amaarae. Since she emerged as a singular voice in the late 2010s, she has evolved from a sirenic Afropop-adjacent singer into a Punk-Pop firestarter with minimal fuss. ‘Fountain Baby,’ her 2023 sophomore album, was a sweeping departure from the lilting melodies and shapeshifing cadences of the hypnotic ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ emphasizing her commitment to charting new courses with her music.
In the lead-up to her new album, ‘Black Star,’ she has wholly embraced a Pop aesthetic and sheen that was reflected on the album’s promotional singles, “S.M.O.” and “Girlie-Pop!.” Now that the album has arrived, the singer has advised listeners not to go in expecting a continuation of the soundscape on ‘Fountain Baby.’ As keen followers of Amaarae’s career from its start, we are sure that ‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for her, and we offer our thoughts after a few listens.
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF AMAARAE GOING INTO THIS ALBUM?
Kemnachi: I had zero doubts that she would impress me again. Amaarae always comes correct. She is audacious with her choices, taking creative risks most artists would not dare to imagine, and somehow rendering them seamless, deliberate, and effortless. Her music has a way of enveloping me: it’s fluid, slightly dangerous, and yet irresistibly sensual. Every project feels like an immersive world she has curated down to the finest detail. With ‘Black Star,’ I knew it was not going to be a mere collection of songs but another meticulously constructed realm.
Bamise: I expected something fun, genre-bending, and sonically diverse in the fashion that Amaarae’s music typically is. I may have taken the album title a bit too literally, though, because listening made me realise I had an eye out for some Pan-African statements or something to spark discourse on African identity, but I didn’t quite catch any of that.
Boluwatife: Amaarae has largely delivered throughout her career, so I knew she was going to come correct again. She’s one of those forward-thinking artists who take the kind of risks most others wouldn’t, but she always manages to make it work. She’s proven to be a musical omnivore who constantly meshes her wide-ranging influences into something new, fluid, icy, and more often than not, sensual. I knew ‘Black Star’ wasn’t going to be any different.
WHAT SONGS STOOD OUT ON THE FIRST LISTEN?
Wale: I liked “Girlie-Pop!.” I feel like it captures Amaarae’s vision of pushing Afropop into the future. She’s also really grown comfortable with music and lyricism and will not dumb down her message for anybody. The instrumental for “Girlie-Pop!” is also a wonder; it’s so dense, but there are pockets for Amaarae to be emotive about her feelings. Top song!
Daniel Akins: I need to hear “B2B” at the next rave I’m at. Amaarae is in her Dance era, and I’m here for it. Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” with PinkPantheress is the collaboration I knew I needed, and I’m glad they finally linked up. It’s a clear standout on the project; their ethereal style complements each other.
Shina: “B2B” was the one that did it for me. That is my favourite track on the project. The number of times I ran it back was unhealthy for a first listen. It was also really fun to catch the Don Toliver “Best You Had” sample. I need to hear this outside!
HOW WELL YOU THINK THE GUEST APPEARANCES ENHANCED THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE?
Israel: The guest features on Black Star aren’t mere flexes. They’re strategic, theatrical, and sometimes emotionally resonant. They enhance, yes, but they do so on Amaarae’s terms. A standout for me was PinkPantheress on “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” The tradeoff is that a few songs feel like dazzling cameos rather than an integrated conversation, yet overall they enhance the album’s drama, texture, and bravado with precision.
Daniel Banjoko: Everyone showed up and delivered, no weak links here. Instead of just guest spots, they felt like vital pieces of a bigger puzzle. Charlie Wilson on “Dream Scenario” nailed his part especially, making the track sound exactly like its name promises.
Moore: The guest appearances on ‘Black Star’ feel very intentional; each one enhances the album’s world without overshadowing Amaarae’s vision. PinkPantheress’s signature airy delivery meshes with Amaarae’s experimental pop sound. Naomi Campbell’s commanding voice on “ms60” is an unexpected but powerful addition, adding drama to the track. Each feature feels carefully chosen.
WHAT SONG IS THE BIGGEST SKIP?
Bamise: Not to be a party pooper, but I don’t get the PinkPantheress collab, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” It feels like a PinkPantheress song with less pop in it, and just borrows the title of the iconic Soulja Boy song but has no other similarities. It’s between that and “ms60.” For me, the chorus of that sounds like something I’ve heard from Amaarae before, and I doubt its absence would have diminished the album.
Shina: I feel like biggest skip is a strong word for a solid project, but if I have to pick a song to skip, it’ll be “ms60.” I think it’s easily forgettable.
Wale: It’s hard to single out a song that stuck out to me, but hearing Naomi Campbell on “ms60” threw me off. It’s just too contrived to bear for me.
WHAT SONG HAS THE BIGGEST HIT POTENTIAL?
Boluwatife: My gut answer would probably be “She Is My Drug,” just because of how she beautifully reworks the melodies from Cher’s “Believe.” DJ remixes of this song could go crazy. But if I were to think a bit more logically, TikTok would probably lap up “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.”
Daniel Banjoko: “Kiss Me Thru the Phone pt 2” goes crazy. Amaarae and PinkPantheress are the perfect match. This collab feels like it was destined to happen, and it delivers in full. Honestly, I can’t believe it took this long, and now I just need more tracks from these two, ASAP.
Moore: “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” has the biggest hit potential on the album. The song has a nostalgic, sad party girl vibe that makes it appealing, and it’s also catchy and well-produced. PinkPantheress consistently performs well on platforms like TikTok, and her fanbase overlaps in a really interesting way with Amaarae’s. The collaboration feels organic and exciting, and will likely create a lot of buzz.
OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Wale: There is a very visceral quality to how Amaarae expresses desire that I don’t hear very often in a lot of music. It’s abstracted and warped in futuristic textures, but it’s very profoundly human, and it’s always great to hear that even as she advances the sonics of her delivery. I do, however, have an issue with the thematic scope of ‘Black Star.’ I thought there would be overt references to her experiences of navigating her Ghanaian identity, but those references are limited to samples and interpolations. It’s still an incisive listen and a triumph for finding ways to advance music from Africa.
Bamise: It’s Amaarae; she can never go wrong. But for me, this is the album that excites me the least from her catalogue. Other than how bass-heavy some songs on the album are, like “S.M.O.” and “She Is My Drug” among others, it feels similar to other projects I’ve heard from her in a way that’s not exactly refreshing or mind-bending. I may have gotten spoiled by how diverse and eclectic Amaarae’s music tends to be, but I wanted more from her. I expected more gangster, Hip-Hop Amaarae. Thematically, I didn’t get anything that gives the Black Star of Ghana, or black stars are ruling the world. Will I listen again and enjoy every bit of it still, though? Yes, I will.
Shina: So first off, this is a solid body of work. I love the fact that Amaarae stuck with the Dance, Electro-Pop route she was going with throughout the album. The features also played their part, adding their unique touches to each record. I would say, though, a feature I would’ve loved to hear on this project is 070Shake. I think she would have been perfect on “100DRUM,” but we don’t always get what we want, do we? Thematically, I think Amaarae could’ve leaned heavily on her Ghanaian heritage, seeing as the title and cover of the album are a nod to that. Maybe Amaarae just wants us to dance, and that’s what I’m just gonna do, and you should too.
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