The girl behind Asa

Asa was on stage one Friday evening; but for some reason, she wasn’t performing. The audience waited patiently. Then a few minutes later, Janet Nwose walks briskly unto the stage, hair in a sexy ‘Motown-esque’ afro, jaw set, face impassive. She gives a slight, almost imperceptible nod to Asa, and then Asa begins to sing.

It turned out the organisers were diddling on payment, and Janet was cutting them down to size. It’s the rehash of a role the 20-something-year-old is used to playing for her singer: that of protector, negotiator, advisor, confidante, and general backbone.

Back in time

Before Asa became an international star, there was always Janet, working the ropes, striking the deals; making sure Asa – more reclusive – always got the best deal. “We were full of hope in those days,” Janet says, wistfully. “Full of hope that the future would be very good.”

Asa soon got a record deal, even though, like others on the QuestionMark label, she would eventually fall out with its owner, Kevin Luciano. That relationship opened the door to international interest but her exit started off a fierce battle; and Janet took plenty of the heat.

Shade Ladipo, publicist with QuestionMark at the time came off admiring Janet: “I don’t know much about her but I know she is probably the only true friend Asa knows. Without a doubt, (she) contributed to many decisions Asa took as a ‘struggling’ artist and as a person.”

It can be difficult to believe that they have known each other only five years, meeting in February 2004. “We met for the first time at a friend’s photography exhibition at the French Cultural Centre,” Janet recalls. “We were introduced, and I thought she was a very interesting lady with a strong personality. A few weeks later I phoned and asked if I could do a photography documentary of her; that was before I even heard her sing, and she said no problem. We realised that we both played the guitar; she played an acoustic guitar and I had a classical guitar. She wrote a song and I was thrilled by this lady’s voice and I thought she must meet Cobhams, whom I had just met too – and the rest is history.”

She refutes the notion but Janet did leave behind her own career trajectory to build the Asa mystique. She it was who introduced the guitar playing young lady to her friends, and it was through her that Asa one day met the famed Cobhams, who told her: “I must produce you. I will even pay you to produce you.”

Out of the box

Those who knew Janet wouldn’t be surprised though. The last of six siblings always was an independent spirit; suddenly dropping school and her life and family in Kaduna to come to Lagos and explore her talent as a singer and photographer. She soon became finalist for the British Council Telling Stories competition, with her photos published in an anthology. Even though she has now abandoned the profession, it was while putting up with a more accomplished photographer, Amaize Ojekere, that she introduced Asa to a larger audience.

One of those who remembers enjoying Janet’s weekend cooking in those days, when a band of friends – singers, photographers – would sit around and talk about the future they all dreamed of, recalls Janet’s excitement: “You have to meet my friend,” she would say. “She can SO sing! She’s going to give Lauryn Hill a run for her money!”

It was the beginning of a commitment that has defined her. “Asa is one human being I respect a lot,” Janet says, gesturing animatedly. “I will take a bullet for her because she will never hurt anybody.”

“The dynamics of the two are amazing,” Adebola Williams, a TV and events producer, says. “You can find Janet fawning over Asa, and then you think it’s an employee-employer arrangement; but the next minute they are in their own world away from anybody else – that bond, no matter what anybody says, is tight.”

Kunle Snatcha, one half of rap group, the Rooftop MCs, agrees. “She’s certainly been a great asset to Asa. I haven’t seen them working but I have seen them on other terms (and) they are actually great friends and they’ve got each other’s back. True friends are hard to find in this daunting industry.”

Time out

Since August, the two have been in the country, trying for a break after hectic months of concerts around the world – places as far flung as Barcelona and Hong Kong. “The schedule is craaaaaazzy!” Janet exclaims. “That she didn’t breakdown made me tell her ‘I respect you’.”

Whenever the duo are in Nigeria, Janet is always eager for some re-connection with her roots; rushing to Kaduna to see her family, and then to meet friends. “We miss home,” she says. “And the travel can be a tiring loop but it’s not that bad because we are from the same country, on the road, we can speak to each other, it keeps us sane – especially Asa.”

“Especially Asa”… no doubt this focus has to irritate Janet once in a while. “She is the artist!” Janet screams. “We do what we do because of their talent; and the fact that it’s about them means business is good.”

She believes in Asa because Asa first believed in her, she says. “Asa believed in me and gave me an opportunity to acquire knowledge; and it is that trust from her that motivates me.”

Happy to help

And even though she once played the guitar, she doesn’t see a career in music for herself. “I still play the guitar a bit and love music,” she explains. “But I do not intend to record an album. Being Asa’s backup singer was pure coincidence, I was only meant to hold a note or two and it has never stopped since then. But I enjoy being on stage with her. It’s always a new experience for me. There are people who are just not cut out to be singers, even if they sing.”

Together they manage TAQSI, a publishing and management company, which handles Asa’s affairs. But, with all the success – Asa is easily the most successful Nigerian musician of her generation – Janet, not surprisingly, thinks they are just getting started. “I work with an artist with great potential; three gold records as a manager,” Janet says. “But it’s too early and we’re too young to pronounce any achievement our greatest. We hope to release great records that will be heard in every corner of the world, and THEN, I will give you a long list of my greatest achievements.”

Indeed, events have shown that the girl who left Kaduna to conquer the world is to be taken seriously. “I have learnt that, with faith,” she says, with a determined look. “I can do anything.”