For all her jazz instincts and bubbly personality, Soul singer Asa owes her inspiration to her background as a Muslim.
In a recent chat with My Africa Podcast, she told show host, Andre Blaze, about her inspirational background, revealing how much time she spent following the teachings of Islam and how it all played a very important role in her music.
The singer who is currently on a European tour for her album, Bed of Stone, said: “I come from a Muslim background and I actually had a stint with Islam. I was a Muslim for about two years or three.
“After high school I lived with my grandparents who were Muslims from Lagos Island and, yes, it did influence the way I see things and the way I write,” she said.
Asa further went on to emphasise the inspiration she received, crediting Islam as the major factor behind the single Awe, off her hugely successful Asa album.
“It influenced the song Awé. You see, just near where I used to live, there was a mosque and we had a muzeddin who calls out prayers. He would rise early in the morning by 5 o’clock and call ‘Allaaaah hu akbar!’. That was amazing, it just inspired Awe, so, yeah, Islam and Christianity will always be part of my history.”
