Guys, I have totally failed you. I had an opportunity to interview the winner of the Prix Constantin for 2008, Asa, a couple of weeks ago. My computer broke at the most inopportune time possible, and that opportunity flew on by without me.
But I wanted to share this video, which was what first turned me on to Asa and which is just as enjoyable to watch now as it was the first time I saw it. The mood and the art direction mesh perfectly with the song. The fact that the figures are frozen, yet you can see them blink or twitch every once in a while so you know they're real people, not just artifice, conveys perfectly what I love about Asa and her music. She's genuine, she's authentic, and you can tell by her voice that she has a simple sincerity and conviction to what she sings which pulls the listener in. That's missing in a lot of popular music for me these days, where sometimes it feels like everything is style and no substance. Asa combines style and substance in a way that finds a perfectly harmonious balance between the two.
You can listen to (and purchase!) her self-titled debut album in its entirety on her website, too. Which is extremely cool.
