For track submissions, dj drops, and booking requests, email ak7 at asialakay dot com, thanks:D! Asia
Asia Lakay Grady (born in Dorchester, MA, 1981 July 17) is an American poet, singer-songwriter, visual artist, activist, and recording engineer with roots in Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, Georgia, New York, Boston, Portugal, India, Scotland, China, and the Southeastern United States Tsalagi (Cherokee) People.
In her words...
As a singer, I started in a gospel choir at my grandmothers church,
as a choir member in a national touring production,
and as a featured ensemble vocalist at Berklee College of Music.
the first rave experience of my life, led me to want to create
meaningful and original dance music, covers, mash ups, and remixes.
1999 - I was focused on writing songs after performing in Musicals, Reviews, and Scholarship competitions throughout highschool. I admired independent artists who had the organization to be their own boss and direct their own futures. I failed miserably at life in some ways due to my own stubborness but each failure brought and still brings an opportunity to learn what to adjust.
2000 - After a brief stint at City Year, I left the program because of personal reasons and proceeded to work at various odd jobs and temp agencies in the city. Later in the year, I started attending Bunker Hill Community College because I wanted to further my education and create my dream reality. During that time, i took courses including world civilizations, sociology of homosexuality, world literature, tv production, writing revisionist history, marketing, jazz ensemble performance labs, music theory, counterpoint and harmony, cultural anthropology, photography, and piano.
2001 - My interest in community building that began in high school while working with Girls Inc. and Arts in Progress had been given an outlet in my position as Youth Organizer at Teen Empowerment's Roxbury South End site. At the same time, I campaigned and was elected Student Government Association president. Leading workshops and producing peace themed improv and theatre pieces in between before and after classes, with club presidents, and co workers was an experience i loved!
2002 - This picture was taken at the Boston Bandleaders Association Miss Boston Pageant. I won the pageant and successfully brought together members of my family who hadn't worked together for a common cause in a long time. It felt great.
2003 - My grandmother took this picture. This was a busy time for me, between attending meetings, due to new student leadership position as student Trustee on the colleges Board of trustees, regional student leadership meetings, and a growing desire to create a sustainable music oriented business. That summer I began courses at New England Institute of Art in Brookline, MA. The thing I loved about my time at NEIA was the fact that I learned how to think mathematically. Between courses in Physics, Humanities, Video Production, Analog Recording, Web Design, Survey of the Music Industry (with a real rock star, Hugo Burnham, drummer from Gang of Four!), and Principals of Digital Audio (taught by Sought After Engineer, Pete Peloquin) and beginning entreprenurial projects like AMFM Magazine I was busy but held down several jobs on campus including tutor, studio maintenance specialist, and interim bookstore manager.
2004 - Leaving NEIA was unexpected because I loved the courses, and spent most nights on the campus, in the midi lab perfecting my digital craft, but I chose to keep my debt to a minimum, leave school and continue to focus on building a business to create a lifestyle upgrade for myself and my family.
2005 - I found myself working at a Real Estate office in Allston, MA. This was a challenge because of my longtime fear of driving. I did the best job i could by creating html ads, taking notes at industry lectures, and building relationships with property managment companies and landlords in the city. By the time Winter came around, I was ready for a change. I said goodbye to my Grandmother, and left for Las Vegas. I spent the next year working and discovering culture shock again, because of a want to support myself and an interest in discovering what kind of music is played in Strip Clubs, I worked in a range of Vegas Nightclubs including, Sapphire, (the now) Scores, Leopard Lounge, smaller sketchy places and the infamous Cheetahs. My tascam pocket studio 5 was my salvation when I had to express myself in ways that my financial goals wouldn't allow. I used music to help me make sense of the Racism, Sexism, and overall power inequities that I was dealing with everyday.
2007 - I had moved back home with my Grandmother for personal reasons and began building websites and online solutions for businesses and bands including my own acts. Making music, movies, and websites while spending time with my Great Grandmother was a feeling I loved. The fact that there were the same obstacles during this time as there were in the past, something in me was opening up and growing faith in myself to take more risks.
July 2008 launched:
June 2009
Launched
Asialakay.ning.com
I'm currently working on projects with Colorado based, Indie MC/producer,
KidHum and live Brooklyn-based Drum and bass band, the
Sistine Criminals. You should check them out!
In your words...
"yo u have a unique sound which is dope, continue to stay outside the box and make music thats u. You have a million fans, u just have to introduce yourself." -
Project Move, hip hop group
"wow asia, the words to this song are deep and very well thought. Its kinda powerful actually. Keep it up, im glad to see our family doing all kinds of wonderful yet different things." -
Kiki Sargeant, reggae/rnb/jazz singer
"Wauw! You did that on garageband? That's it, I'm getting myself a Mac ;o)
I like your story, and I think you made a wise decision... well that's just plain audible ...
And thank you for the kind words! " -
Martin Hoybe, folk/soul/country singer-songwriter
"For a lo-tech home setup, shit sounds great. When you're on proper equipment, you're gonna be a real threat." -
brainsturbator dot com
"ASIA,
I AM SORRY, BUT GOD HAS TOUCHED ME THAT QUICK, AS SOON AS I SENT MY COMMENT, I WAS CHECKING BACK, I AM IN TEARS, BABY, GOD BLESS U, U HAVE POWER, THE LORD HAS BLESSED U, PLEASE KEEP IT IN A POWERFUL WAY, I AM FROM THE OLD SCHOOL, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ME, HERE IN MY OWN CITY, S.F., CALIF. BUT I SAY GOD BLESS THEM, I HAVE GOD IN ME, HE HAS BLESSED ME SO MUCH, AND U BROUGHT, IT OUT, THANK U FOR BEING MY FRIEND I COULD BE YO MAMA, AND U ARE STILL LIKE A DAUGHTER 2 ME..GOD BLESS U, KEEP ON PRAYING...U WILL GET WHAT U WANT, JUST ASK THE LORD FOR IT...........I LUV U SISTA, MY OTHER DAUGHTER, I HOPE U FEEL THE SPIRIT, LIKE I DO, PRAY ON IT AND U WILL.....
GOD BLESS, PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH....
MY OTHER DAUGHTER IN GOD'S LOVE.........." -
~MS~QUEEN~BEA~
"you're really really wonderful, i'd love to see you live" -
k. piccolo
"I love your art...very 1%. thankyou for sharing :D" -
C
"Big up Asialakay, Respect Straight from Jamaica. Keep thrilling the world with that voice of yours ok." -
CHARLIE BOBUS
"i can honestly say you are my favorite singer right now. and you're HOT! you go girl."
Carlos Homs, keys
"i enjoy you rearranging classic songs too, you should organize those into a Standards album and I'll promote the living shit out of it.."
Kid Hum
Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.