Filed under: Dr. Boyce Money
1) What is your full name and what do you do?
Asa Lovechild (pronounced Ace-a) Singer/Actress
2) You have a vast amount of experience as an actress in New York and other places. Tell us about your talent.
I've been acting since I was 12 years old. My first role ever was Candy in Judi Ann Mason's Livin' Fat. But it really was not until I got to college that my love affair with acting truly took shape. Playing Dorothy in The Wiz was the turning point for me. I knew that I could not live without being an actress. When I am on the stage or in front of a camera, I am able to lose myself in the character and speak to my own and someone else's reality. I like to do pieces that really speak to life and lately I feel that real art has been overshadowed by reality television. I feel that we as producers, directors, and actors need to get back to basics with our craft. With that said, I have ventured out and started writing material of my own that centers around real and true life issues. I applaud some of my fellow colleagues that have taken the initiative to get back to basics like RayMartell Moore (Finding Me & Finding Me Truth), Mos Def, Anthony Mackie, Suzette Azariah Gunn( Spare Change), Albert Brooks (Dir. Mooz-lum), etc.
3) Tell us about your latest album, where we can listen to it and why we should want to hear it.
My latest project is entitled Asa Lovechild: Love's Experience (Steve Wallace Edition), available for download on Amazon.com, ITunes, and EMusic.com. It is also in rotation on Select Sould in the UK and 98.1FM in Lagos, Nigeria. What inspired me to do this album was my own personal love relationships and the relationships of family members and friends. The album itself is a fusion of what I like to term neo jazz hip-hop that takes you on a journey of love lost, love gained, love imagined, and love experienced with the sultry sound of "Sunshine", the hip-hop infused "Smooth" , the seductive nature of "Vybe", and the moving sound of "Fly". It's funny because I have been called anything from the reincarnate of Billie Holiday to the long lost musical daughter of Patti LaBelle. I love the comparison, it just pushes me to do more. This whole album plays out as my life on wax.
4) What projects are you working on right now?
Currently I am now completing a one woman theatre piece (Untitled) which fuses my music from the album and different female life experiences into one, definitely following the many facets of experiencing love in all it's beautiful glory and pain. For those in the New York area, you can catch me at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar on January 28th, for an intimate show. Also look out for my 1st video from the album coming soon. You can follow me on twitter @asalovechild,hit me up on the Facebook fan page (Asa Lovechild), or at www.asalovechild.com
5) What are the toughest lessons you've learned as an aspiring entertainer?
I would say the toughest lesson that I have learned as an entertainer,is that you are the one that measures the capacity of your success. Be your authentic self. I'm just me, Asa Lovechild. The only one that holds you back is you. You have to make every move and direction in this business count by staying consistent and on top of your game.
6) Is there anything else you'd like to share with our AOL Black Voices audience?
Love is infinite! Live life! Love life!
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the bookBlack American Money To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. To suggest a subject for a Dr. Boyce Watkins Spotlight, please click here.