The day I posted Nacee's Aseda on Facebook, I had the inkling it was going to be a big song – maybe because of the relatability of the message, catchy chorus and familiar melody.

On April 7, 2023 I posted a snippet of the video, with the YouTube link and the caption: "Which song comes to mind when you hear the chorus of Nacee’s latest song ‘Aseda’? Beautiful composition."

Even though I had Sloopy Mike Gyamfi's Asem Kakra in mind when I posted the video, other people who commented on the post also mentioned Daughters of Glorious Jesus' Aseda Ben and UB40's Falling in Love with You. I had no sinister motive for making that post. I did not seek to establish any fact of music theft. I did that for education purposes. The three songs have the same chordal progression with very similar melodies and phrases.

However, Nacee has said in an interview that he was not inspired by any of these songs – it could be mere coincidence, but that is not even the crux of the matter.

With the wealth of experience he has in the job, he obviously knows the type of melodies and chordal progressions that the ordinary people in Ghana can easily relate to and he decided to just give music lovers what they want.

The song has really caught on well with music lovers. It has even crept into the Top 20 playlists on various streaming platforms and music charts of various radio and television stations.

Instrumentation and production: Aseda, slow paced, has almost all the necessary ingredients to make a sumptuous meal of highlife. Starting with a strum of the bass guitar by Dan Grahl, laced on a rattling sound of a snare drum, castanets echoing the typical highlife (ka ka ka) ostinato, the song is doused in a well-produced instrumentation buoyed by other musical instruments like the congas, bass guitar and the keyboards.

Produced by Nacee himself, Aseda is done in Key D Major, in 4/4 time signature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlBDc8pC8VU

Message: The song talks about God's power to save people from danger, grief, poverty, curse, and dejection and rejection. According to Nacee, this is reflective of his life story. When he thought God had forsaken him, he came out victorious in various ways. Nacee in his interview with Roselyn Feli on Joy Prime, spoke about how at a point in his life, things got very difficult for him.

The magnetising factor in the message is its relatability to the ordinary Ghana or religious person. It tells people's stories for them.

The social media challenge: Whoever advised Nacee to use social media, especially TikTok to promote Aseda has done him a lot of good. The challenge has projected the song. And to know that he wants to go ahead to feature some of the people in a remix of the song shows how serious he is.

This remix is set to keep Nacee’s Aseda in the spotlight, as the remix featuring promising talents promises to captivate audiences once again.

Traditional media promotion: There is no gainsaying that Nacee really had a plan mapped out for this song. He has been very strategic with his radio and TV interviews. A lot of the interviews he has had have brought out many revelations about him, apart from throwing more light on the song. 

He has been careful not to be swayed towards any other thing but his brand and the song.

The Piesie Esther Effect: Nacee released Aseda at a time when Piesie Esther’s Waye Me Yie had gotten to the zenith of its welcome on the Ghanaian music industry. It came at a time when Piesie was girding up to be awarded for the song at the VGMAs, and to release the remix of the song.

Anybody who loved Piesie’s Waye Me Yie could easily fall in love with Nacee’s Aseda too. Apart from the fact that Waye Me Yie was also produced by Nacee and that he played a major role in the making of that song, the two songs have the same theme of thanksgiving and grass-to-grace account. They also evoke the same emotions.

To most music lovers, it was just a matter of switching from one thanksgiving song that has enjoyed the fruits of its fortunes, to a new one. It was easy for a lot of music lovers and music presenters or DJs to transition to Nacee's Aseda, after playing Piesie's Waye Me Yie. The timing of Aseda’s release was just right.

Buzz and commentary: A lot of people, including those who may not be typical gospel music lovers, have expressed their love for the song. Efia Odo, for example has projected the song will fare well in the next edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.

Recently in a tweet, she wrote: “Unpopular opinion: Nacee’s ‘Aseda’ needs to win every gospel award. That song is such a perfect praise song.”

While some think that it is too early for people to be crowing Nacee’s Aseda as winner of any category in next year’s VGMA, others also strongly believe it will be difficult for any other song that emerges in the course of the year to beat the feat it has achieved. 

Sports journalist Saddick Adams, musician Nektunez and disc jockey DJ Mensah are among the many personalities who have also showered praises on the singer.

Production credits: The song was written, composed, arranged, produced and performed by Nacee.

Keyboards: Nacee

BVs: Vidash, Suzzy & Jane

Lead Guitar: Dominic Quarshie

Bass Guitar: Daniel Ghral

Mixing Engineer: Nacee

Mastering Engineer: Hubert Kofi Anti (Ubeatz)

Aseda will go down the history of Ghanaian music as Nacee's biggest gospel song (if not one of the biggest) since he decided to go solo from the No Tribe group. The reception has been hulking. The stakes are high. The views and streams are skyrocketing.

With the strategies he has deployed to promote this song, it is expected to go even farther.