ASHE: A STORY OF RESILIENCE

Author’s note: Ashe is one of the reasons why I decided to pursue a career in the music industry. She is one of my biggest inspirations to keep going and I’m so happy to see her shine and become the woman she worked so hard to be.

Today I want to do a passion piece. Ashe has been and always will be one of my favourite artists. I came around her music during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous to me getting to know who Ashe was, I had heard her single “Moral Of The Story”, which charted incredibly in the US, through TikTok. Months later, Niall Horan (my other favourite artist)

collaborated with Ashe for a new version of Moral Of The Story”. There was something so special about her, the passion she pursued music with, the vocal talent she had, and her bubbly personality that really drew me to become a fan.

WHO IS ASHE?

Ashlyn Rae Willson is a 33 year old,  American singer-songwriter, and alumni of Berklee College of Music. Born and raised in California, Ashlyn always had a music sense within her. She decided to go to college to pursue a career in songwriting. Ashe knew she had a great talent for lyricism and her knowledge in music would tie it all together for her to become successful. The more she studied and created songs, the more she was told how much talent she had. Her vocals are reminiscent of those early 60’s pop female vocalists.

After a toxic marriage and a messy divorce when she was only 22 years old, Ashe was forbidden by her Ex-husband, to artistically express her feelings and go forward with her career as a singer. After multiple releases and many obstacles, Ashe was able to get a divorce. This brought us the very well-known single Moral Of The Story. This was a starting point for Ashe. After all the toxicity was gone and creative freedom came her way, she was able to release 2 Eps following the success of the single, and later on 2 more albums self-titled (Ashlyn & Rae). This was the growing point in Ashe’s career, she was able to establish great collaborations, big budgets, a solid fan base (including me), and creative freedom… Or so we thought.

THE QUESTIONING

After all the success following her solo venture and the exposure she got in the media, Ashe seemed to be at the peak of her career. Shiny music videos, world tours, fans, friends in the industry, fame… it all seemed so great, but deep inside, Ashe was struggling with this. Ashe has made it clear time and time again that she does music because of the art. She has always been a composer and artist, the only reason to pursue music, is because that is what she loves. With such immense talent can come great things, but for Ashe, the media scrutiny and the attention just got too much. She has been through many challenges, like a toxic marriage, her brother passing away and her label dropping her.

After the release of her second album, Rae, Ashlyn went on a headline and festival world tour. Once it was done, Ashe decided to leave the public scene for a while. She was on “hiatus” for about 2 years. During this time, her label dropped her, but she also met the love of her life, moved to Nashville, and is now married. She came back with two major announcements. 1. She released her third album “Willson” independently, and 2. She would form a band with her lifelong best friend Finneas O’Connell (Billie Eilish’s brother) called “The Favors”.

THE COMEBACK

Oh the comeback was magnificent. She had this glow to herself, so much to say, and happiness to spread. After the hiatus and all the things happening with the label, Ashe came back with a full studio album, a new band, of course independently. The Favors had great success, not only around the US, but also the international market. I was not fortunate enough to go to their tour, but I promise, if they ever tour again, I’ll be there.

Her third studio album “Willson”, named after her last name, was a big way for Ashe to communicate where she was standing. She got the space to rethink her positioning as an artist and gain creative freedom. The album described why she needed a time off and how her perspective about fame and the music industry changed so much.

Now, Ashe has announced her signing with Atlantic Records, a label that aligns closely to her artistic views and that will give her creative freedom. We are now getting teased for the upcoming single “Stop The Wedding”. Does this mean the start of a new era? Are we getting a new album? I’m so excited to see what is coming for her!!

WHY SHE IS SO SPECIAL TO ME

They say to never meet your idols, you may not get what you expected… apart from the fact that I made myself look like a fool; meeting my idol was the best day of my life. It was November 2022, Corona Capital (a huge music festival in Mexico), Ashe on the main stage and me in the third row. As soon as her set finished I ran to the meet and greet stand, something inside me told me to, and her name was on the list. I MET ASHE!

Ashe and me @Corona Capital, Mexico City

Leading up to that moment, I cried my guts out. I had prepared for this moment for so long, I even brought her a gift (a small scrapbook with messaged from all my twitter friends, fans of Ashe). When the time came, I couldn’t even get my name out my mouth, but I tried… gave her my gift and took a pic with her. What is life? She is the sweetest most caring person. This was her last presentation before going on the 2 year hiatus, we may have not known it at the time, but she was struggling. Even through all she was having to put up with, she came out to greet fans with a huge smile in her face, so much patience and love. That is what I take from meeting someone I have been inspired by for so long, a true kind heart.

To this day, she sometimes likes my comments and even replied to my story when I posted the meet and greet! Honestly, nothing will ever top that day for me. I truly believe she is one of the biggest factors why I chose this career path. She has been in both ends of the industry, and still, she still finds a way to fight for what she loves. It is so inspiring to me seeing how far she has gotten as an artist and as an individual (at least what she decides to show the public). Yes, maybe this is very parasocial of me, we don’t really know who she is or what she feels, but still… I connect with her craft and she has deeply inspired my journey to become someone in the music industry. I have her to thank, for all the hope and realistic push that she indirectly gave me.