5 MINUTES WITH… ASHE
We’ve just touched down from a trip to LA and whilst we were there we got to hang out and shoot with the incredible Ashe, who’s our next Rhythm & Muse feature. With laid back 70s style, that gorgeous blonde hair and her awesome sound we knew it would be a feature you guys would love and we had the best time styling her in some of our new vintage! Read below for some of the questions we were just itching to ask and listen to her curated playlist for a guaranteed boogie.
For our followers who are new to your music, how would you describe your sound?
It’s tough to say, I have a lot of different influences that range from The Beach Boys to John Mayer to Carole King. I think the sound is somewhere in between Laurel Canyon Singer-Songwriter and Indie Pop, haha so: I don’t know.
Your new single ‘Moral of the Story’ has absolutely exploded and is currently sat on over 45m streams on Spotify, congratulations!!! But how did you get to here? What were your musical beginnings?
I think the most surprising part for people to hear is that Moral of the Story has actually been out for over a year! But it feels new, as though it’s had a rebirth of sorts. Musical beginnings start around eight, playing piano and writing really bad songs – music’s just always been the only thing that’s felt right in my life, so I figured there was nothing better to pursue. Went to Berklee College of Music, moved to Nashville for songwriting, bunch of stuff in between, but the short of it is I just never quit.
NYou’re an incredible songwriter, not only writing your own songs but also for other artists such as Demi Lovato. What’s your song writing process and what inspires your lyrics?
I journal A LOT. That tends to be a really grounding exercise for me and where I’ll pull a lot of ideas from – and then other times, you get a divorce and have nothing else to write about except the life you’ve completely blown up, haha. In terms of logistics, I usually start at the piano and see where it takes me.
You spent much last year on the road, traveling across the States and also hitting up Europe. How was this and what were your highlights?
I have a love, hate relationship with touring. I love being in different cities and countries and getting to meet the people that make my career possible, but i’m also a homebody who LOVES her cozy bungalow so I go back and forth. The highlights of last year were getting to play in Paris and my headline show in Los Angeles at The Troubadour (my favorite venue in LA).
We also noticed that you’re known to grace the stage bare foot at your shows, what’s the story here? Oh, I’m just less likely to fall on my face mid-show if I don’t have shoes on. I find they make me even more clumsy then I already naturally am.
Now the 70s is a very special decade for us, are there any artists from this era that you particularly admire or who have inspired you?OOF, other than ALL OF THEM? I mean Carole King for sure, Tom Petty, The Byrds, The Beach Boys… Classics on classics.
How important is fashion to you and how would you describe your style?
The way I style myself for a songwriting session or show is very important to how I feel and how people perceive me. I’m really inspired by the late 60’s and 70’s because I love COLOR and my primary inspiration tends to be Diane Keaton.
Do you have one piece of clothing that’s more special than the others and what’s the story behind it?
I have this vintage, black long-sleeve jumpsuit I wore for my headline show at The Troubadour. It has shoulder pads and gold buttons and it makes me feel like a star. It’s precious to me.
Do you have any advice for young females just starting out in the music industry? Is there anything you would have done differently going back?
I think knowing who you are and what you want to say is an incredibly important thing to learn. If you don’t know who you are, it puts you in a position of allowing other people to tell and dictate who you are. It’s a really bad place to be in. I wish I would have learned that sooner, but I pretty much don’t let anyone tell me what to do or who I am anymore, haha.
What’s next in the pipeline for Ashe?
Ah, I’m so excited to be working on my DEBUT ALBUM. Still in the thick of it right now, but it’s already feeling like the most special thing I’ve ever created. I can’t wait to share it with everyone.
FPhotography: Kelby Reck @k_reckd
Model: Ashe @ashemusic
Location: In Sheeps Clothing, LA