Sasha

Hi, I was in a rush to get some things done away from my desk. Now, I'm back. Shall we talk bout Sasha then? Ok, I shoot. Here is the interview I had with the charming chic whose doggedness her disarming look never betrays: Sasha The Pursuit of Happiness She would not accept pity from you so don’t even try. Sasha—by the way she prefers Miss Sasha—is in fact terrific today, even if her chart-topping single, Adara, suggests that she might be weary after years of playing gigs and “not get paid” and “critics biting” severely. I corner her at an event at Victoria Island after series of failed attempts to get a sit-down. She looks refreshed, her face silky smooth, without a visible artificial attempt to make it appear so. She smiles a lot. Demurely, too. Her flowing sleeveless gown, with abundant frays, contains her robust good looks quite beautifully. She volunteers that she made the dress herself. We’ll come back to that. For now, Adara is the talk of the town and gigs, having cruised to the top of several hit lists, including MTV base, Nigeezie, and the Nigeria Chart Show. It has been number one in on my mind for more than one month. Sasha is grateful for this, because she “didn’t set out to make another hit” song. As listeners might have noticed, the song sounds like an unburdening, like a mountainous sigh of relief from a young woman, the second of eight children, whose father died when she was just six. “It was like therapy,” she says, “sharing what I’ve seen, and putting my thoughts into a song. It’s very amusing that many people can relate to it so much so that it has become what it has become.” The definitive album, First Lady, which was released last December, should have been released in October, according to earlier information from Storm Records. But the 23-year-old was busy with her final exams in Law at the University of Lagos. Before the CD eventually came, however, the record company also launched another single, Only One (featuring Naeto C), to ride with Adara, from the 14-track CD. The video for the current song shows Sasha in an elaborate Afro haircut, miming a Black Panther speech routine, with clenched fists and all. You’d think she is being feministic. (“I’m not a feminist but I believe in speaking a lot of women,” she says.) Combine that picture with the title of the new record, you might just wonder what she is getting at. Does she really feel she is the prima dona of Nigerian rap, with Weird MC claiming the first award for rap music in the country? She giggles, her eyes lighting up. “I’m a first lady, period. I believe it. I don’t think it needs to be qualified in any way. Anyone can define it the way they want,” says the Ekiti State native. Being convivial as usual, it doesn’t appear that Sasha is spoiling for a fight. “First Lady, for me, is a personal statement. It means that I’m the best at whatever I set my mind on. It also means that I won’t stop until I’m at the top.” It’s her identity, she says, because she is fashioned only after herself, not to be like anyone, although she is inspired by such greats as Beyoncé, Condoleeza Rice, and Oprah Winfrey. But Sasha loves wearing hoodies. Talent can be funny, right? With Sasha, born Yetunde Alabi, you could say profit and disservice have worked hand in hand. It has taken her more than five years since her first recording contract to come with this work. And it is because she wants to be a lawyer, own her own clothing line, and win a Grammy with her lines. Her two-year contract with Trybe Records did not yield an album, and as eLDee, the label’s CEO, relocated to America, everyone went to his tents. In 2004, she came over to Storm, owned by Obi Asika, an old friend, and signed a three-year, two-album deal, which expires in 2010. She will have the time for her career once her finals are over, she declares. Even her designing, a four-year-old side hustle, can wait a while. “I’d rather not have an album in the market than have one that I cannot promote. All over the world, once you release an album, you’re on a serious process of promoting it. That’s what I plan to do, too. If you tap me on the shoulder, I’m going to be speaking First Lady,” Sasha says. It will be a brand new beginning for her. Eventually she hopes to combine her singing with a law practice and the fledging fashion designing business. She is even planning to go to a fashion school in New York at yearend 2008. Is she happy now? “Oh, yes,” she smiles. Terrific? “Well, I was happy when I wrote Adara.” It shows, really.