Asa to headline 2019 MTN Bushfire festival

“Asa has earned a place as the de-facto patron saint of the cerebral, boho-chic Nigerian,” a statement from the organisers reads. “Her style is unique, lying somewhere between pop and soul – and just a twist of reggae.”

After a dozen editions, the eSwatini festival has become one of the most popular music celebrations on the continent. Last year, South Africa’s Grammy-winning group Ladysmith Black Mambazo was the event’s headline act. For the upcoming festival, the organisers have turned to the more contemporary act Asa, whose real name is Bukola Elemide.

Once based in Nigeria, the ‘Jailer’ singer has relocated to France, with occasional public appearances in Lagos. Last year, she was a guest during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the New Afrika Shrine. Also at the event were Youssou N’Dour, Angelique Kidjo, Charlotte Dipanda and Yemi Alade. Two years ago, she headlined her own show.

Asa will be joined by other African acts including Smiles Mandla Makama, Sereetsi & the Natives, Thabang Tabane, GranMah, Maia and the Big Sky, Dobet Gnahoré and Blinky Bill. A tribute to the late Oliver Mtukudzi, directed by Steve and Bokani Dyer, will be staged. European acts Puts Marie from Switzerland and Austria’s Aramboa will also perform at the festival.

“Asa’s music features mainly English lyrics, but she also sings in Yoruba, a West African language widely spoken in Nigeria," the organisers said. "Her songs say a lot about our melancholy, our dreams, our thoughts and our reflections. It almost feels like they have been part of our lives even before Asa wrote and sang them.”