Asya Satti’s first two singles, ‘Look At You Now’ and ‘Drunk Drive’, introduced the Swedish-Sudanese artist as a distinctive talent. Her distinctive style unites cultures, drawing upon the inspirational music culture of her heritage in a way that’s enticing to an international pop audience.
Her voice is just as beguiling, with pure uplifting soul which matches her positive, empowered personality. Those two songs have earned Asya a first wave of discovery, with airplay from Tom Robinson at BBC Introducing plus tastemaker attention from Clash, Wonderland, Notion, FAULT Magazine, Women in Pop and XS Noize.
Now her compelling introduction continues with today’s release of her third single ‘Down Daddy’. It comes as she prepares to release her self-titled debut EP on June 16th.
Asya’s honeyed vocal majesty is the stand-out trait in ‘Down Daddy’. While it’s a song that acknowledges the passing of a loved family member, Asya conjures an atmosphere that celebrates the person who they were rather than the loss that they are mourning. Her words possess a simple beauty as she looks ahead to be reunited in the afterlife: “See you on the moon, I’m sure we have a little drink or two.” The music is just as uplifting, with an infectious Sufi guitar motif providing an instantly memorable hook to her band’s rambunctious rhythmic live energy. Watch the official video BELOW:
Asya says, “‘Down Daddy’ is a eulogy to someone in my family who passed. It took me a while to write it as I had the melody, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. I realised the song was about celebrating the life of someone you love whilst purging the complex feelings you and your loved one feel as they come to the end of their life. The repeated Sufi element in the music adds a spiritual element to the song’s very mortal meaning.”
‘Down Daddy’ was written by Asya Satti, and she added subtle production elements to the track with the song’s co-writer Yaz Fentazi (Transglobal Underground, Robert Plant, The Master Drummers of Africa).
In the accompanying ‘Down Daddy’ video, Asya is wearing a Sudanese turban called the im’ma. As she explains, “Traditionally, it’s the linen that men in Sudan would use to wrap their own bodies in if they didn’t survive the harsh climate of traversing the desert. I thought that was such an inspiring outlook on death and suited the message of ‘Down Daddy’ poetically.”
‘Down Daddy’, ‘Look At You Now’ and ‘Drunk Drive’ all feature on the upcoming ‘Asya Satti’ EP. It will be completed by a brand new song in the shape of ‘Block The Sun’ and a live version of ‘Drunk Drive’.
She adds, “I wanted my debut EP to be a reflection of the sounds and influences I picked up as I grew up, spending my formative years across such contrasting cultures. I wanted simplicity in the arrangements so that the melody and Sufi elements pulsed through. The lyrics, I tried to be vulnerable, I want to stay away from the notion that as a modern woman, I always need to express female empowerment. I just want to cultivate freedom of expression as a female. It’s tiring when to be the optimum woman, you need to be a queen or a boss. I want to write stories about the everyday realities of being a woman – all whilst listeners bop to the tracks!”
In parallel with her music career, Asya is relishing opening a window to Sudanese culture. She provides an insight into the nation’s dialect, musical history and food with engaging videos at TikTok, and she also selected a pan-African playlist for Notion’s Selected By feature. Her Spotify playlist goes deeper still, with a genre-blending mix of international artists who draw upon their African roots, including Davido, JayO, Ayra Starr and Idd Aziz.
Asya Satti’s tapestry of global sounds was weaved subconsciously when she spent her formative years travelling between Sweden, Egypt and the UK, all of which added to her innate love of Sudanese roots music. As she focused on her own artistic style she realised she wanted to unite Sufi music with Western and Arabic sounds in a way that was both cohesive and respected each cultural element. Working with Yaz Fentazi helped her to unlock that sound, and he has become a regular collaborator throughout her upcoming debut EP.
‘Asya Satti’ EP tracklist:
1. ‘Down Daddy’
2. ‘Drunk Drive’
3. ‘Look At You Now’
4. ‘Block The Sun’
5. ‘Drunk Drive’ (live)
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