Do Your Research Before Partnering With African Artistes — Asa Asika Admonishes Western Labels

Asa Asika

Asa Asika, manager of Afrobeats star Davido, has called on Western music labels and executives seeking partnerships with African artistes to understand the continent’s music culture instead of relying solely on data or treating Afrobeats as a passing trend.

The famous talent manager made the remarks during a recent appearance on 'The Manager’s Playbook', hosted by Mauricio Ruiz, where he discussed the relationship between Western music businesses and Africa’s rapidly expanding music industry.

Speaking about what Western labels and record executives need to understand when working with African artistes, Asika said the starting point should be "research" and a genuine understanding of the environment from which the music comes.

“I think the most important thing to start with is actually doing the research,” he said.

According to him, some Western executives involved in Afrobeats have never visited Nigeria or other African countries despite making decisions about the music coming from those markets.

“A lot of Western labels don't see Afrobeats as a movement. It's like a phase and it's like, ‘Oh, it's making money right now. It's hot right now,’”

He questioned how executives could determine what works in Afrobeats without experiencing the culture and music scene firsthand.

“There’s so many people I’ve gone on the phone with who I do business with who have never been to a place like Lagos, but they work with Afrobeats artists,”

Asika argued that the "disconnect" becomes more obvious when Western executives rely heavily on streaming data to determine which African songs or artistes have genuine popularity.

He explained that streaming platforms do not necessarily provide a complete picture of an artiste’s popularity in Nigeria because platforms such as YouTube and Audiomack have significant relevance in the country.

“Data is important. Data has changed the world. But then the cultural impact is so much more important — the footprint, the cultural footprint,” he said.

He cited Davido’s 2017 run as an example of why local understanding can be important when making decisions about African music.

According to Asika, Davido had four significant releases that year: “If,” “Fall,” “FIA” and “Like That". He also disclosed that “Like That” was his personal favourite despite being the least successful commercially among the four.

Asika recalled that when the team was preparing to release “If”, they were confident about the record despite reservations from the label.

“I remember, like, we didn’t even speak to the label about it. I was like, ‘Yo, we’re going to shoot the video. We’re going to do this. Send out, ‘Yo, this is David’s first single of the year. This is what we’re doing,’” he said.

According to him, the success of “If” helped mark an important moment in the growing international attention around Afrobeats.

“That was also like the beginning of the Afrobeats crossover to the US,” Asika said, adding that Nigerian music had already been making an impact in London before the US market began paying greater attention.

Asika also recalled the release of “FIA”, explaining that the timing of the song mattered because part of its second verse addressed an incident that had occurred in Nigeria.

“The label was like, ‘Oh, let’s put this out in a few months.’ I’m like, ‘Nah, it needs to come out now or it’s pointless,’” he said.

“We put it out and it does amazingly well. It was timely.”

According to him, the lesson from the experience was that Western partners cannot always determine what will work in African markets without listening to people who understand the local environment.

He maintained that if Western executives decide not to travel to Africa, they should at least empower and trust the people who have built careers within the continent’s music ecosystem.

“If you have decided that, ‘Oh, I’m never going to step foot on the continent of Africa,’ that’s fine. But then empower the people who are bringing these superstars and creating this music and trust their judgment enough,” he advised.

Asika also criticised the tendency to place African artistes under one broad Afrobeats label, regardless of their actual sound.

He specifically referenced Nigerian singer Tems, saying she is often described simply as an Afrobeats artiste even though her music incorporates a strong R&B identity.

“The only artist who their music is popping off here first... is probably Tems. But Tems is an R&B artist,” he said.

He added that the industry’s tendency to put different sounds into one category could lead to an inaccurate understanding of African music.

“Everything’s bucketed into Afrobeats, I feel, just to generalise,” Asika said.

Asika further argued that African artistes should not necessarily have to abandon their home markets in order to succeed internationally. He opined that an artiste may not need to be the biggest act in Lagos, but there should be evidence that the people and market that helped create the artiste’s success still connect with the music.

“Your song doesn’t have to be the biggest song in Lagos. But at the end of the day, if the people who made you superstars aren’t messing with you anymore, there’s a disconnect,” he said.

He also pointed to Davido’s long-standing relationship with South Africa as an example of how connecting with local audiences can contribute to an artiste’s international growth.

Asika said Davido had consistently engaged South Africa through radio appearances, club shows and performances rather than simply attempting to impose his own market on the country.

“It’s so important to connect with people on such an organic level,”“It doesn’t feel forced. It’s like, ‘Oh, this guy really messes with us.’”

The co-founder of The Plug also clarified that the approach extends beyond music releases to partnerships, touring and promotion. He admonished Western businesses seeking to work with African artistes, to understand the people, platforms, cultural habits and local ecosystems that actually drive the music.

“Like, do the work,” he said, arguing that deeper cultural knowledge would create a more balanced relationship between African artistes and their international partners.