Asa To Headline 2019 MTN Bush Fire Festival

Asa, Nigerian-born France based musician, will be headlining the 2019 MTN Bush Fire Festival.

According to the organisers, the 2019 edition will continue to reflect the festival’s distinctly African ethos, with a strong focus on regional arts.

Listed by BBC as a top African festival, its 13th edition is billed to hold in Swaziland from May 24 to May 26.

“Asa is known for her soulful voice, powerful lyrics and according to some, with her dread-locked hair, quirky glasses and guitar,” the organisers said.

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

“Her music features mainly English lyrics, but she also sings in Yoruba, a West African language widely spoken in Nigeria.

“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.”

Other artistes to grace the stage include Nairobi-based “Blinky” Bill Sellanga, SWAMA lifetime achievement winner, Smiles Mandla Makama, South Africa’s Thabang Tabane and Sereetsi & the Natives.

MTN Bushfire will also feature artists from Europe including Puts Marie from Switzerland and Austria’s Aramboa whose electronic soul music includes elements of Downbeat, Trip-hop, IDM, Neo-Soul, Bass music, Dubstep and Jazz.

The festival was the winner of the African Responsible Tourism Awards Most Sustainable Event Award in 2017.