In describing her style of music she says, “the sound blends elements of 40′s jazz, disco-house, 80′s electro-funk, 90′s hip hop, alternative & world music. Drawing comparisons to a diverse set of artists from Skinny Puppy and M.I.A. to Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, the songs can range from the literal and personally familiar to the experimental and poetically abstract. Each song tries to tells a story and set a mood through a descriptive lyric and matching composition. The subject matter can be personal and/or at the same time be a microcosm for the political, and vice-versa.”
Asialakay is the stage name of Asia Grady, an EDM producer/songwriter/performer from Boston MA. From a young age she was immersed in blues, jazz, hip hop, gospel, pop and international music. By the time Asia was 2, she was traveling on tour busses with her Aunt’s Caribbean Band. When she was 3 years old, her mother enrolled her in dance classes. Between classes, Asia had informal lessons from a neighborhood friend’s mom in Bellydancing. She also had the opportunity to play with her stepfather’s turntables and records in the daytime when they weren’t hosting nightclub after hour events. Around the same time, while growing up in the Dorchester section of Boston, Massachusetts, across the street from Franklin Field Projects, her uncle and great aunt gave her piano lessons. This is how she first fell in love with improvising chord sounds and jazz melodies. At the age of 5, she started singing in her great-grandmother’s church’s childrens choir in Roxbury around the corner from Dudley Station.
Asia Grady graduated from Lynn English High School where she was known for her singing ability and passion for the stage. She won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music’s 5-week summer program, appeared in school plays and performed in community theatre productions across the state. It was also around this time that she began listening to a wide variety of electronic music including house, breakbeat, jungle, and miami bass. After returning from a summer stay in Europe, she was motivated to learn audio production and started college to study music theory with the intention of expressing the sounds and lyrics that she felt most dedicated to sharing.
Between studies, Asia worked as a youth leader/peer counselor for various non profit organizations. Her talents for writing issue oriented theatre and original spoken word performance were used to spread awareness about teen dating violence, gang violence, and resource inequality in the community. She received newspaper press for an original piece written with her issue oriented theatre troupe. Her first professional recording studio experience was when she was featured on a collaborative album produced by Critical Breakdown, a weekly open mic event that was held for several years in the South End of Roxbury and sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.
After leaving school, Asia spent several years in the Southwestern part of the United States between Las Vegas, Nevada and Denver, Colorado. She produced hundreds of songs while working odd jobs and providing freelance services in copywriting, web development and graphic design. The list of her past collaborators includes many of the brightest rising artists and producers in Denver, Colorado and beyond. As of 2011, the Ableton Live based home studio that she creates her music in is located in Boston’s Mission Hill. When she is not arranging, songwriting and recording, she enjoys cooking, dancing, photography, and spending time with family and friends. Currently she is booking live shows performances for the Spring of 2012. For more information, please visit asialakay.com. Follow asialakay on twitter @asialakay and soundcloud. Gain access to exclusive downloads when you “like” this artist’s fan and community pages at Facebook.com/asialakay and Reverbnation.com/asialakay.
