Ashe radiates light from the moment she steps barefoot onstage. The Berklee College of Music graduate and California native has been touring alongside bands like Whethan, Louis the Child and Lauv. Her show at The Blue Note on Nov. 7 gave the audience a taste of her first album as well as a chance to connect with the singer.
Ashe said that she always loved music, but her time in Boston at Berklee got her thinking about pursuing it as a career.
“Writing always felt like the only thing I really understood about life,” Ashe said in an email. “Singing was like breathing.“
This is clear when Ashe performs — she is at home onstage. She performed each song with energy and passion. When she sang “Right To It,” a collaboration with Louis the Child, she danced tirelessly, her long platinum hair flipping as she connected directly with audience members. Her voice sounded unwavering and unique. The song has influences from iconic jazz musicians like Ella Fitzgerald while maintaining similarities to modern artists like Lorde as well, and is completely captivating.
Ashe’s first EP is coming out soon, and so far she has released two tracks, “Used to It,” and “Girl Who Cried Wolf,” both of which she sang in Columbia. These new tracks have a similar sound to the collaborations she’s done before, but they’re distinctly her own. They show confidence and creativity and give insight into the rest of her EP.
“It feels right,” Ashe said of her first album. “I’m making an album that is fully from my soul, that travels to dark, trippy places in my head. I think people are going to really relate to it though.”
In the past, Ashe has co-created with many artists, and she says that every collaboration has taught her more about herself.
“Freddy from Louis the Child has probably made the most personal impact on me and my music,” she said. “I’m more honest and real with my music than I think I’d be had I never met him.”
Based on the first two tracks of her upcoming EP and the new songs she sang on Tuesday, this honesty and realness comes through clearly. Ashe is here to tell it like it is, singing “Hey now, sometimes people suck,” a line from a song on her upcoming album. She’s here to tell her own story, and, one of the things that made her set so enjoyable is that she’s happy and doing what she loves. Her passion shines with every high note, every dance move and every charming interaction with her drummer, Tim Spier.
Ashe’s tour with Whethan has come to an end, and she’s gearing up to support Louis the Child’s Last to Leave tour. She said the most valuable part of touring is that she gets to connect with people.
“I’m getting to play the music that I’ve poured my heart into for all kinds of different people,” Ashe said. “I couldn’t ask for more.”
_Edited by Brooke Collier | bcollier@themaneater.com_