V (Aṣa album)

V is the fifth studio album by French-Nigerian singer Aṣa. It was released by the distribution company Rue 11 on February 25, 2022. Described as an Afro-infused album, V explores themes of love, friendship, romance, broken promises and trust. It is the first album that Aṣa has recorded entirely in Nigeria and her first project that includes guest performers. Musically, V is an Afrobeats, Afropop and R&B album. It comprises ten tracks and was supported by the singles "Mayana" and "Ocean". The album was largely produced by P.Priime and features collaborations with The Cavemen, Amaarae, and Wizkid. V received positive reviews from music critics, who called it cohesive and acknowledged its experimental nature.

V comprises ten tracks and has been described as an Afro-infused record.^[1] It explores themes of love, friendship, romance, broken promises and trust.^[2][3] V is the first album that Aṣa has recorded entirely in Nigeria and her first project that includes guest performers.^[4][5] In December 2021, Aṣa disclosed the album's title and track list while being interviewed by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.^[6] V features collaborations with The Cavemen, Amaarae, and Wizkid.^[7] In an interview with Billboard magazine, Aṣa said she learned to follow her instincts while working with guest acts.^[1] She told Al Jazeera that she desired a new interpretation of Afrobeats and wanted to explore musical styles with an Afrocentric flair.^[5] Aṣa called V an introspective album and said she recorded it with "joy, laughter, and tears".^[8] She also said the album has a "different vibe" and incorporates untapped facets of her personality that were not present in any of her previous recordings.^[8]

Aṣa utilized a straightforward approach to writing the album's songs and didn't worry about the lyrics.^[5] She gave herself permission to be vulnerable and write without being overly critical or stressed.^[5] Aṣa started recording V after canceling the European leg of her Lucid tour and returning to Lagos during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5][8] She invited a group of artists to her studio so they could collaborate and create music.^[5] Aṣa revealed to Clash magazine that returning to Lagos was a "coming home experience" for her.^[8] She also said recording in her living room was always her dream and that she had the flexibility to write and work at her own pace.^[8] P.Priime, who produced nine of the album's ten tracks, was Aṣa's main collaborator on V.^[5] He told Al Jazeera that majority of their collaborations started with the instruments.^[5] Additionally, he mentioned that both him and Aṣa played the keyboard and guitar, respectively.^[5]

The lead single, "Mayana", was released on December 3, 2021, along with its music video.^[9] The Native's Wonu Osikoya said the song is a "fusion of Aṣa's soulful and folksy sensibilities with the familiar groovy bounce of contemporary Nigerian pop music".^[9] The accompanying music video for "Mayana" was filmed in Ghana by Meji Alabi.^[10] The second single, "Ocean", was released on February 18, 2022.^[11] It was produced by P.Priime and is slightly over 3 minutes in length.^[12] The music video for the song was also directed by Alabi, who filmed it at a beach.^[12]

V is an Afrobeats, Afropop and R&B album.^[2][3] It opens with "Mayana", a love ballad that is inspired by a feeling of warmth.^[13] On the record, Aṣa imagines herself and her partner living on an island, and described the track as a "cool vibey love song".^[13][4] In "Ocean", she is cautious of her love interest and compares him to the ocean.^[14] The song is driven by slow kicks and piano chords and features backing vocals by WurlD.^[13] The Wizkid-assisted track "IDG", which has been labeled "funky", is driven by an Afro-fusion instrumental.^[13] In "Nike", Aṣa examines the entire spectrum of feelings that a betrayal can cause to the heart.^[2]

The track "Show Me Off", which was likened to her 2010 single "Be My Man", brings Aṣa's work into the modern Nigerian pop scene with its ephemeral percussion.^[13] In "Morning Man", Aṣa's yearn for her significant other is exemplified by lyrics like "I want to be the one to make you smile, everyday you look in my eyes/ I want to be the one to make you never forget how it feels/ I want to make you be the one to never forget what it feels like to be with a woman in your life".^[15] The mid-tempo track "Good Times" honors a capella rhythms, South African music, and the fortitude of COVID survivors.^[16] The song features vocals from highlife duo The Cavemen, who sang about the value of friendship and love.^[13] The house track "Believer" includes "claps, synths, and tangoes".^[7] Rolling Stone's Mankaprr Conteh said the song "finds a stirring balance between serenity and danceability".^[7]

The Amaarae-assisted track "All I Ever Wanted" was described as a cross between R&B and hip-hop.^[13] An unnamed writer for The Native called it the most experimental song on the album and said it "manages to capture Aṣa's fluid expressionism across genres".^[13] Afrocritik's Chinonso Ihekire acknowledged Aṣa for "blurring the lines of self-censorship with female sensuality" on the track.^[15]

V received positive reviews from music critics. Writing for The Lagos Review, music critic Dami Ajayi considered V to be Aṣa's "most experimental work yet" and commended P.Priime for giving the singer the "much-needed seismic shift to her sound".^[16] Afrocritik's Chinonso Ihekire rated the album 8.5 out of 10, calling it cohesive and praising its thematic direction and track-listing.^[15] Ihekire also said the album is not "for stoic-minded individuals that will groan over the sonic switch, but for music lovers that will appreciate the versatility".^[15] A contributor for The Native magazine commended the singing and writing on V and considers both to be "a brilliant fusion of Aṣa's soul music and the cadence of Nigerian pop".^[13]

Motolani Alake of Pulse Nigeria awarded the album a rating of 7.7 out of 10, labeling it a cohesive record and saying it "might be her most important album".^[3] Culture Custodian's Michael Aromolaran called V an experimental album and acknowledged Aṣa for stepping outside of her comfort zone and attempting something novel.^[14] Conversely, Aromolaran said none of the album's songs "seize the day" and that the record is not a "remarkable outing" and "familiar territory" for Aṣa.^[14] Music critic Agwuma Kingsley, whose review was published by Vanguard newspaper, said V primarily dwells on love and "relates more with Nigeria's growing market and evolving soundscape".^[17]