Asha

British-born new age composer Asha (Denis Quinn) displayed a talent and a passion for writing music even during early childhood. He began writing simple songs at the age of three, a passion that evolved into a love affair with the radio. Inspired by Radio Luxembourg playing Buddy Holly, Van Morrison, and Leonard Cohen, Asha began writing folk and protest songs in his teens. Upon discovering his spiritual path in his early twenties, he turned to a more open compositional style, approaching composition and music as pure emotion, choosing lyrical content later on. Though unable to read or write music, Asha produced pieces that often involved elaborate orchestration. Drawing influence from classical composers such as Vivaldi and Pachelbel, as well as folk music styles from the British Isles, South America, and the Middle East, he created a sound that resonated deeply with his audiences. Asha's relationship with New World Music (a label stemming from the mind-body-spirit healing tradition) began in the early '90s -- his prolific career with the label produced more than 15 records in as many years, and his albums have become meditation and relaxation mainstays the world over. Asha continues to compose and record, in addition to studying Jungian psychology and offering various services in spiritual guidance. Asha has sold over half a million albums since his debut recording Open Secret in 1987, and 4 of them - Open Secret, Mystic Heart, Wings of Fire and Concert of Angels - have topped new-age and ambient album charts right around the world. His early albums were released under the name of Denis Quinn, and the bulk of them under the name Asha. Combining instrumental and piano-based compositions with... uniquely, at the time... a few spiritual love-songs, Asha quickly found a niche in the rapidly expanding new age market, and drew comparisons with Peter Gabriel, Phillip Glass and film score composers Ennio Morricone and Hans Zimmer. Increasingly this decade Asha has moved more towards the troubadour tradition of gentle ballad singing, still with a strong spiritual feel, and his poetic, prophetic and shamanic lyrics have drawn favourable comparisons with those of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, whilst his voice remains uniquely pure, tender and intimate... defying any comparison at all! ...................................................................................................... Other artists with the name of Asha: Asa was born in Paris and she was no more than two years old when her family returned to live in Nigeria and she grew up in Lagos. She grew up to the sounds of artists including Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Lagbaja and went on to draw inspiration from them. She also discovered Erika Badu, D’Angelo, Rafaël Saadiq, Lauryn Hill, Femi Kuti and Angélique Kidjo, in whose footprints she dreamt of following. Asa later returned to Paris. This was her chance to test out her talent on the French musical scene, playing with artists such as the Nubians, Manu Dibango, Doctor L and Tony Allen. In the meantime, back in Nigeria, her first single, Eyé Adaba, then Jailer, were beginning to get airtime. MTV chose her as the ambassador for South Africa, her popularity was growing and, when she went back, she opened for Akon, John Legend, Beyoncé and Snoop Dogg amongst others.