QuestionMark Mag brings us this brief and enlightening question and answer with Engineer Akin Elemide, father of internationally acclaimed singer, Asa. Excerpts after the click.

Loved this quote about where Asa got her name from:

She was always fast and swift. So an elderly man in our neighbourhood at FESTAC then, would nickname her hawk (meaning Asa) because of her swiftness

Excerpt from the interview:

Eng. Elemide: When I brought my family back to Nigeria in 1984, Asa was still very young. She was not used to the terrain. She was always fast and swift. So an elderly man in our neighbourhood at FESTAC then, would nickname her hawk (meaning Asa) because of her swiftness. The name stuck to her and she decided to use it as her identity in music.

She was born in Paris but we hail from Abeokuta, so she is an indigene of Ogun State, Itoko Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Music has been part of her from childhood because I love music myself, most especially philosophical lyrics. I listen the Yusuf Olatunji type, and that of Ayinla Omowura, Haruna Ishola and Bob Marley. And when I listened to music I would make sure my children were around, so Asa was always by my side, and being a girl that had flair for music, and the fact that we are Celestians also contributed to her success in music. So, it would be right to say that the church exposed her to handling musical instruments, as she could play konga, setting drums and what have you. Initially, I didn’t take cognizance of her passion for music until a family friend called my attention to it. In my family, we are lawyers, engineers or medical doctors. In fact, I wanted Asa to be a lawyer because I was following her talent in music. I was always watching my kids’ interest and I’ve always been there to assist them realize their ambition. So, when Asa came to me to say she wanted to go into music, I had to give her my blessing. She later got admission into the Lagos State University but something happened along the line.

To read the whole piece, click here