Aa has spoken about her difficulties in both Nigeria and Paris.
"In Paris, I don't think about gender, I have to fight being from Nigeria, being from Africa," the award-winning musician remarked in an interview with CNN. Gender isn't an issue. I have to battle (for my) gender in Nigeria." The 39-year-old singer also had to contend with the perception in Nigeria that being a woman and successful meant sleeping your way to the top, so Aa had to show to her family that this was not the truth.
Aa, who just released her fifth album "V," talked about how her gender influenced her early career in music. She described how she masked her femininity by wearing large apparel and was just concerned with delivering at her profession. This, however, resulted in her sexuality being questioned, with comments such as "Are you even a woman?" "What's the matter with you?"
She talks about her musical influences, including as Bob Marley and Fela Kuti, and how their music inspired her because of the wonderful emotions it evoked.
She spoke on gender equality. "I believe we can find a happy medium," she remarked. "No one is saying we have to be on top, above, with the new wave of feminism; I'm just saying we can be equal and respect each other."
