Aṣa On Working With Amaarae, Wizkid And The Cavemen

Nigerian-French singer-songwriter Aṣa joins LootLove via FaceTime on Apple Music 1 to talk about her latest track, “IDG (feat. Wizkid).”

She also discusses her new album, ‘V,’ getting out of her comfort zone, moving to Lagos in 2020, and gaining fresh experience as a producer.

Aṣa on moving back to Lagos for her new album ‘V’

When Covid struck, we had to cancel the tour and so I took one of the last planes—at that time—back to Lagos, and that was when I was kind of connecting, re-connecting with people in Lagos, creatives. Since ‘Aṣa,’ the first album, I didn’t have enough time to stay long enough at home – I was always traveling, always living outside the country and then come back home, stay for a year or three months – but this time it just allowed me to connect, and that was when the album was being made. I didn’t think it was going to be an album, I was just vibing and making friends, and along the way we were making songs.

Aṣa on getting out of her comfort zone

Everything changed. The world stopped for a bit and everyone had to look inward, and be more creative. You had to think smart, you had to think out of the box… You know, not do what you have been doing, change gear. For me that was a time for getting out of my comfort zone, getting out of what Aṣa can do in her sleep and just do something else, and when I say “something else”… This album at the time was produced by an 18-year-old, and I was asking myself “Oh my god, what do I do? What’s gonna happen?” So it was a time to stop, change, look inward and arrange house.

Aṣa on the shorter wait for her new album ‘V’

I didn’t want to do another ‘Jailer,’ I didn’t want to do another ‘Bibanke.’ I wanted to be inspired, and I wanted it to be real. I’ve lived that [already], and I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, I’m just going where life takes me.

I probably will never wait that long [between albums] any more, I don’t want to wait that long any more because also I wanted to live normally, I wanted to live like everybody else. My life is on the road, on the stage, and then when you stop, bam! The tour is over, then you start to act like a zombie, you don’t know where your passport is, because on the tour there’s a timing, a schedule, and then there’s need for time to recover. But this time it’s different.

Aṣa on working with Amaarae, Wizkid and The Cavemen

Before we do a song, I want it to be honest. Let’s have a connection. With all these collaborators, that was what we did, there was friendship. I haven’t met Amaarae in person – we only spoke over the phone – but the music was done out of friendship, from a good place. We both love our works, I admire what she does, she told me she loves my song.

With Wizkid, there’s a friendship. Before the music, we sit down, we have a drink and just talk about all kinds of things – animals, just normal things about his life. And The Cavemen! Oh my god, they’re full of energy, they’re amazing people, so the collaboration came from a natural place.