For singer-songwriter Ashley Anne, it all began with a pink toy keyboard and a dream. “There are literally baby videos of me, at like three years old, playing on a tiny piano and screaming into a fake microphone,” recalls the Virginia Beach native. “I literally cannot remember a time in my life where I didn’t want to be onstage.”
What followed was over a decade of starring in musical theater, dueting classic country tunes with her grandfather (“he’d sing Johnny Cash and I’d do June Carter’s parts,”) and belting the national anthem at her school’s sporting events. Cut to this year: she turned 21, went on tour with TikTok heartthrob Maddox Baston and put out her boppiest breakup anthem yet: “plenty of fish”.
“It’s me singing to the girl that just got her heart shattered,” she says of her new single. “It’s a get-out-of-your-rut song.” And with its energetic beat, easy breezy melody and tough love lyrics (brb, making “Nobody died/It’s just a breakup” our new mantra)—we’re inclined to say it’s pretty effective.
Channeling Big Sister Energy into her lyrics came easily for Ashley since she’s already that person in her squad (not to mention she’s a literal older sib, too). “That’s just me at my core: trying to help people,” she says. “I’m the one that my friends often lean on for advice.”
Looking forward, Ashley’s ready for her fans to put that same trust in her. She’s on a mission with her music: To write the positive, empowering sort of songs she wanted to hear as a teen girl. Which sometimes means going against the grain.
“I feel like, especially with female artists, there’s a pressure to be ‘relatable’,” she says. “But sometimes I find that what’s ‘relatable’ can feel toxic or revolves around talking down on somebody to make ourselves feel better.” That’s not quite Ashley’s jam.
Instead, she strives to make all her music reflect her authentically sunny attitude. Translation: No cursing, no bad-mouthing exes and no straying from her “truly girl’s girl” principles. “If I wouldn’t say it in everyday conversation, I’m not saying it in a song,” she says. “I want to have an open perspective, and be welcoming and inviting in my lyrics.”
And in that spirit, she’s pumped to hit the road and share her wisdom (and the hits from her latest E.P. call me when you land) with listeners old and new. “What I’m most excited about is the interactions with fans,” she says. “When someone tells me my songs healed them during a hard time, it reminds me that I’m exactly where I am supposed to be.”
🎤🌺 Five fast facts with Ashley Anne 🎤🌺
Describe your music in only three words: “Free-spirited. Intentional. Altruistic.”
Pick just one current pop girlie: “Miley Cyrus. Vocally, she’s my biggest influence. But I have to say, Dolly Parton is my all-time idol.”
Design your go-to onstage outfit: “It would be something long and flowy. And messy, natural hair.”
Plan your perf day off: “I would give my left arm to live by the beach. I’d wake up, work out, go to the ocean, take a late afternoon shower and grab sushi for dinner.”
Introduce us to your dog: “His name is Tater, he’s a bulldog and he’s actually the sweetest.”
Listen to “plenty of fish” HERE and find more celeb updates on IG @girlslifemag!
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All photos by Hannah Brown Creative.
