30 June 2023 - 0 Comments

Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) based neo-soul artist ASHA has today released her debut single Too Bright. The track is an affirmation to self and revelling in the feeling of self-acceptance.

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Beginning with gentle melodic keyboard strokes, the song kicks off with a rhythmic pause that invites listeners to enter the dreamscape where ASHA creates her music. This mid-tempo meditative lull is joined by a drumbeat and the singer/songwriter’s sultry vocals as she lists everything she had tried to be on her journey to owning her full essence.

Reflecting on the experiences of being othered, the chorus bursts into a declaration from the artist that she “is too bright for the colours that you paint me”. ASHA’s honey cadence layered with softness and warmth breaks into a carefree verse where she offers an ode to black girl magic and the ways she is limitless beyond the gaze projected on her as a Black Femme.

Produced by Unchained XL, Too Bright is ASHA’s debut single and an embodiment of the powerful transformative energy of embracing who you are.

Born and raised in the UK, ASHA is an Afro-Caribbean singer/song-writer residing in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa (Auckland, New Zealand).

Embodied in the acronym ASHA, As a Star Hovers Above, the neo-soul artist’s sound is an invitation to the bridge that flows in the space between the dream world and reality. Through storytelling, ASHA’s sultry vocals usher listeners to a soundscape where she explores the spectrum of human emotions.

Centring truth telling, rawness and fun in her creation process, the composer embraces the fluidity of change and transformation in life and allows it to trickle into a free flowing creative container that isn’t restrained by categories and genres.

Beginning her musical journey as a ‘band kid’, ASHA started with classical training learning how to read and write music and played the clarinet, saxophone and wind instruments. At home, she was surrounded by a family that loved soul, jazz and music, including a karaoke machine that belonged to her parents.

Worshipping at the altar of Nina Simone, Erykah Badu and Pip Millet, ASHA connects with how powerful music can be as a conduit to see things in a different way and to speak your truth including how good you might be feeling.

Photo Credit: Jay Hall

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