Wizkid and Asa in test of popularity

Last Saturday, for daring to express one of his biggest dreams on Twitter, singer Ayo Balogun, aka Wizkid, ran into trouble with some movie fans on the social media platform.

Wizkid’s ‘offence’ was that he posted a statement on his Twitter handle declaring that he wished urgently to do a collabo with sensational Nigerian soul musician based in France, Bukola Elemide, aka Asa.

Wizzy, as he is fondly called by his fans, had tweeted; “Yo Asa has to be the one I want to work with so bad! Love love her!” The next day, Twitter was awash with reactions from music fans stating a dozen and more reasons why he should perish the thought.

Shocked by the idea of a collabo between the singer and a female singer, whom they obviously held in high esteem, some of the fans urged him to worry about improving on his music first before thinking of a doing a duet with Asa.

One respondent actually drew an amusing comparison between Wizkid and Asa by tweeting; “Amala and salad don’t mix.” Another fan seemed to stretch his rejection of a possible collabo between both music stars when he warned, “Wizkid will corrupt Asa’s lyrics.”

Yet, a third respondent, who was obviously not a fan of Wizkid and loathed the idea of having him on stage alongside Asa, described him as not good enough for a collabo with the Paris-based singer.

The reactions, no doubt, showed just how much value music fans on this side of the globe place on Asa’s music and performances. Incidentally this revelation is coming at a more auspicious period in the singer’s career.

Asa’s profile seems to be on the rise, following the arrival of her third album titled ‘Bed of Stone’ and the release of the video of ‘Satan Be Gone’.

The award-winning soul musician is currently on a playing tour of Europe with Best of Stone. The trailer of the new video, which is available on Youtube, bears the full stamp of her talent. Directed by filmmaker, Meji Alabi, it shows Asa dancing in a church and singing in Yoruba – her native tongue – and English. But it is the sheer power of her rendition and the quality of photography, both of which combine to give life to the message in the song, that make the video so attractive.

Asa’s works, notable for the persistent drumbeats and the prominent guitar riffs that complement her husky voice, have always been well received, especially on the home front where her music takes its roots from.

The ovation that often attends her performances is a reliable measure of her acceptance in this part of the world. Last August, the singer performed songs from Bed Of Stone for the first time in Nigeria at the popular youth event, The Future Awards Africa. For this, she was given a standing ovation.

Asa managed to put an end to speculations that she might be gay, when she disclosed in an interview published online a few months ago that she was involved in a relationship with a male English musician.

In a previous interview published in the Nigerian Entertainment Today, she expressed the desire to work with a number of Nigerian music artistes, including Tuface Idibia, D’banj and 9ice. But she never mentioned Wizkid.

When asked how it felt working with 9ice on a previous outing, she had replied, “9ice made me speak Yoruba. When he did that I thought that if he could do that then I can do it. And the song was better than the way I expected it. It’s about painting a picture of a good Nigeria and holding the country highly.”

Despite the negative publicity on Nigeria abroad, Asa has proved to be a worthy ambassador of this country who has never hidden the fact that she is proud of her country and she is willing to do her proud anywhere she finds herself. It is this feeling that drives her hard at her work.
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