Vienna-based Afro-soul artist, fashion designer, and cultural voice Barbara Alli has released her second studio single, “Asiko” — a Yoruba word meaning “time.” The song marks her most personal and vulnerable release to date.
Written during a period of deep personal struggle, Asiko captures Barbara’s journey of heartbreak, resilience, and rediscovery. The opening lines feature a real phone conversation with her former partner, where she was denied financial support in a moment of need — a turning point that inspired the track.
Blending English, Pidgin, and Yoruba proverbs, Asiko reflects the experiences of many women who give endlessly but face betrayal or conditional love in return. With layered rhythms and ancestral chants, Barbara transforms pain into power, asking a universal question: “What is love, if it disappears when money or fame fades?”
Barbara describes the song as more than music, calling it a movement and a reminder that “time reveals character, heals wounds, and exposes truth.” She dedicates Asiko to women everywhere who have questioned their worth but found the strength to rise again.
The single is accompanied by a visual narrative in Barbara’s signature Afro-European aesthetic, blending music, movement, and storytelling to bring the song’s message to life.