Cameroonian songwriter and vocalist Phina Asa’s first time singing to a large audience was at the age of 10 at boarding school, music has always been her inspiration and a means of communicating her thoughts and feelings to the world.

For Phina, music is a place of commonality and is her unique way of providing light to those in the dark. The Nigerian vocalist joined &friends on two recent releases, ‘Dangerous’ via Hidden Hands, and the milestone Armada Music debut with “This Is What It Feels Like”.

WWD: Hi Phina! Congratulations on the release with Sean on ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ – when reading the lyrics and putting your own version of the track together, how did it make you feel?

This song made me go through lots of emotions, and that’s what I love about music the most; inspiring movement in the mind, body, soul, and spirit.

I felt the original song was a story of someone lonely and missing happy days. So when I went to record the vocals, I wanted to infuse a memory and feelings of the sunny days in this song to make it more beautiful, uplifting, and soulful.

WWD: Tell us about your journey getting connected with &friends and Sean Thomas, and how your heritage plays a part in the project.

It’s been a beautiful journey so far. Meeting Sean (&friends) feels like fate and destiny, and it’s been such a beautiful ride being able to all create such lovely music together.

I got to know and meet Sean through Oluwadamvic, and he was very, very skeptical before he finally introduced me to him. Here in Africa, we are always careful of who we trust because I feel as Africans, we get taken advantage of so much by the Western world. It was in the moment when Sean came to Nigeria, and we all lived under one roof, recorded music, and got to spend such quality time. I knew Sean was a real one, and he was doing everything from a big, compassionate heart.

Since then, it’s been pure magic and a dream come true.

At first, blending into Afro-house music was challenging, as it was a completely new genre to me. But with much guidance and dedication to our craft, we kept fine-tuning the sound as a group. It’s been quite beautiful to hear how our voices are spreading the world and being a massive contribution to the growth of &friends. Sean is always one to push you to improve, step outside your comfort zone, and imagine beyond your wildest dreams, and it’s been an honor to be part of something that has given me so much love and more meaning to life. The best is yet to come.

WWD: What are you most excited about coming up for the rest of the year?

I’m excited about all the unreleased music coming out. Thinking about what’s scheduled for the rest of this year is remarkable. The anticipation is something to die for; I know a of these records will inspire many people, and I can’t wait to share this beauty with the world.

Ps: A few singles off my solo album that &friends is producing will be coming out, too 😉

WWD: What are your goals for yourself as an independent artist and as a part of &friends in the short and long term?

My goal as an artist is to be able to communicate with the world personally. Pass on and share emotions with people, hoping I can inspire others. My goal with &friends will always be to keep building something more beautiful for the world to see and feel together, and I’m so excited about the Live Show, our unreleased tunes coming out, and my solo album in January of 2024 🙂

Phina Asa: Facebook