Contrary to what their name might suggest, Asia actually formed in Western Europe- England, specifically- when several so-called supergroup rock bands of the 1970s broke apart. The lineup of the band has changed countless times since the group's inception in the early 1980s, but the roster for Asia's self-titled debut album, which featured some of their most famous songs, included John Wetton (bass, lead vocals, keyboards) Carl Palmer (drums, percussion), Steve Howe (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals) and Geoffrey Downes (keyboards, vocals). Asia album contributors were former members of iconic ‘70s rock bands like Yes, Emmerson, Lake and Palmer, U.K. or King Crimson. Asia's initial success paralleled similar arena rock bands like Journey and Styx, and their early singles sold well. "Heat of the Moment," perhaps the group's most important contribution to rock history, peaked at No. 4 in the Pop Singles chart, and No. 1 in the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart while Asia soared to a No. 1 position in the Billboard Hot 200 in the spring of 1982.

Asia's initial run lasted until 1986, when the group fractioned off and went their separate ways following the sharp drop in record sales that came with their third full-length studio album, Astra. Some of the band members continued to work with one another on different projects such as the soundtrack to Sylvester Stallone's arm wrestling movie, Over the Top, and the band Phenomena. Asia worked on a few new songs that became part of a best-of album, Then and Now, in 1990, although the lineup was, as always, different from the closest previous makeup of the group.

More recently a group called Asia Featuring John Payne emerged in 2007, with a lineup of John Payne, Jay Schellen, Guthrie Govan and Erik Norlander. The official/original Asia continues to create music and tour to this day, with recent releases like Silent Nation (2004) and Phoenix (2008).