Asiah was born on 29 November 1931 in the Straits Settlements (present-day Singapore) to Hajar Rahmah, a bangsawan singer, and Aman Ahmad, a musician.

Her mother Hajar was a Malay Singaporean who worked as a prima donna for the Dean Tijah opera troupe.

[5] After the surrender of the Japanese, Asiah got her first paying job as a singer at Radio Malaya in 1946, as part of a band called Tiga Serumpun.

[5] This was also when she developed her stage name, Nona Asiah, which was suggested by her mentor Zubir Said, whom she also covered multiple songs of.

[7] In the 1950s, Asiah travelled and performed overseas in Brunei and Sarawak with the Malay Women's Orchestra, making $400 to $500 a month.

[4] In 1951, Asiah had a main role in Malayan Film Unit's Pelangi (1951) alongside Ismail Kassim.

[1] In 1955, Asiah married Ismail Kassim, a Malay singer whom she had previously met whilst working at Radio Malaya.