Bukola Elemide, AKA Aṣa (pronounced Asha) was born on September 17, 1982, in Paris, France to her Nigerian parents. Her family returned to live in Nigeria when she was two years old. Aṣa grew up in a small town near Lagos, in the south-western part of Nigeria. Twenty years later, Aṣa returned to Paris where her life as an artist took off. Early in her career, Aṣa drew inspiration from artists such as Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, King Sunny Adé, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja