aaamusic | On 11, Jun 2011

ASA [Asha] ANNOUNCES KOKO SHOW
Tuesday 25th October 2011
Tickets £20 / Doors 7pm
www.koko.uk.com 08444 771 000

‘Dreamer Girl’ – The new single released 27th June 2011
From the album ‘Beautiful Imperfection’
On Dramatico Records

“She’s going to be a star” – The Guardian

Following sell-out shows at Barbican and Indigo2, and with a performance at WOMAD on the horizon, Asa [Asha] will return to London in October to headline Koko, performing songs from her well-received new album ‘Beautiful Imperfection’ as well as her eponymous debut.

“’Dreamer Girl’ assumes the folk-funk of Linda Lewis, borrows the flutey mellotrons from Strawberry Fields Forever and weaves them into a production so breezy you might reasonably whisper ‘new Sade’” – Guardian Guide

Asa’s latest single ‘Dreamer Girl’ is now play-listed on Radio 2; a lazy summer melody for the daydreamer in us all – her sighed vocal delivery is intoxicating and the poppy chorus is perfectly crafted. Talking about the song, she notes, “When you catch yourself dreaming, you can sometimes sense that people nearby could hear you, and suddenly, you might feel like it’s a crime. But I’m actually the dreamer girl in the song.”

Asa’s second album is a beautiful and critically acclaimed record that was made Radio 2’s Album of the Week upon its release in April. Meanwhile, the irresistible first single ‘Be My Man’ was A-listed on radio stations nationwide – a fine slice of irresistible soul-snapping retro marshalled by an astonishingly self-assured vocal turn, it is one of the many highlights on ‘Beautiful Imperfection’. Opening with the joyful ‘Why Can’t We’ and including three songs in her native Yoruba language, it is an immediate record that embraces the listener with an infectious warmth and vigour running throughout its 12 tracks. Asa is due to perform at WOMAD on the 29th July.

Born in Paris, Asa returned to her family’s home in Lagos, Nigeria at the age of two. As the only girl in a family of four, living in an African city that was both vibrant and turbulent, young Asa sought solace in her thoughts. Music was a prominent aspect of her childhood life with Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill, Fela Kuti and the music of her homeland all playing a part in shaping Asa’s inimitable sound. With a vivid imagination and dreams of musical stardom, she would often take to an imaginary stage with her imaginary microphone and perform to her imaginary audience.

‘Dreamer Girl’ is another winning song from an artist whose ability to effortlessly combine reggae and soul with European chic and pop nous marks her out as a true original.

Praise for Asa and ‘Beautiful Imperfection’:

**** – Mail on Sunday

**** – The Guardian

“Asa has the potential to springboard into the big time” – **** – Record Collector

“Stunning from start to finish” – Daily Record

“One to check out wherever you are coming from musically” – Daily Express