Ashley Anne

[00:00:15] Speaker A: This is outside the round with Matt Burrill. A razor outdy podcast. What is going on, everybody? Welcome back to outside the round with me, Matt Brill. Today we've got a very special guest. We pride ourselves on finding new talent when it comes to town and finding new artists and having them on our stages that we do events in town, having them, of course, here on the podcast, on the various podcasts that we have in the network. And this girl today, she happens to share a birthday with me, but it's a few years younger than I am. She's like a little sister to us at raise rowdy. And today this is actually her first podcast ever. She's crushing it on TikTok, on social media. Got all kinds of new music out, and just a pleasure to watch grow up here in Nashville. We got a girl, Ashley Ann. [00:01:04] Speaker B: Girl, I'm so excited. [00:01:06] Speaker A: How you doing today? [00:01:07] Speaker B: I'm good. Today's just a little ugly out, but I'm doing okay. [00:01:11] Speaker A: It is a nasty day. Like, Nashville is fucking weird because it'll get be 20 something degrees. We'll be freezing our asses off two days ago, and then it'll get a little bit warmer to like 30. [00:01:21] Speaker B: It was nice yesterday. [00:01:22] Speaker A: Yeah. And then it'll get to whatever this is. It's like, nice that it's a little bit warmer, but a little sun wouldn't be a bad thing. [00:01:30] Speaker B: It's just kind of ugly. And I had class today, so that never helps. [00:01:33] Speaker A: That's right. You're still in school. [00:01:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:01:36] Speaker A: So you're at Belmont? [00:01:37] Speaker B: Yeah, unfortunately. I mean, no hate. [00:01:40] Speaker A: I was going to say Belmont is like a spot to be. So you're in what year? Because you're. [00:01:46] Speaker B: I'm a sophomore. [00:01:47] Speaker A: You're a sophomore? [00:01:48] Speaker B: Yeah. So I'm not even like, halfway through. I still got a semester before I can say I'm 50% done. [00:01:54] Speaker A: Wow. [00:01:54] Speaker B: Yeah. But you don't know how long it's going to last. I'm just kind of here for a good time. [00:02:01] Speaker A: Yeah. There you go. Well, yeah, so it's kind of funny looking back. So I'm obviously a few years older than you are. I remember when I was in college, that was when I really started making my strides to the steps that got me to Nashville. Now you've skipped those steps because you're going to college in Nashville at one of the best performance schools that you can go to in the world. Like, there's so many connections, so many things at your fingertips. [00:02:26] Speaker B: I know, it's crazy. That was definitely the whole point of it all was to kind of, like, kill two birds with one. Like, I could go to college and get the degree and make the family happy and then also do the music thing. And it's not necessarily like they know that after class, I'm going around and I'm, like, doing all. I'm grinding after class, they just think that I'm going to school. [00:02:48] Speaker A: It's like somebody that's got a business degree and does, like, Deca or some shit like that where it's like, the business society going to live oak or going to the commodore or going to wherever. And being there for rounds is like your business network. [00:03:06] Speaker B: No, literally. [00:03:06] Speaker A: It literally is that. [00:03:08] Speaker B: It's crazy. [00:03:09] Speaker A: How cool is it that our networking is at a bar? [00:03:11] Speaker B: It's pretty cool. [00:03:13] Speaker A: We got a busy life and it's a fucking grind, but our lives are pretty chilling. I got a brother that works on Wall street, and it's like, he is very different than mine. [00:03:24] Speaker B: It is kind of crazy, too, because I'm underage, so it's like, on the weekends and on the nights that we have rounds, and I'm at these bars with all these people, and it's like, this is just my norm now. Like, walking around with x's on my hands. Whatever. [00:03:40] Speaker A: Yeah. What was the first round in town that you played? It wasn't one of ours, was it? [00:03:47] Speaker B: It wasn't my round. It was Will's. It was Will Colin. Oh, that's like. And I didn't even know what a writer's round was at the time. And he was like, you want to come on stage and do this? And I said, you know, when I moved here, I told myself I'd say yes to everything. Absolutely everything. And I remember that was kind of difficult in the beginning, because you're saying yes to things, and some things aren't great. Some things are great. Whatever. And I said yes. And I was like, I don't know what that is, but sure. And I remember I show up and it's so full circle looking back, because you look back at the photos from that night, and you've got Graham sitting right next to me. Logan Crosby's at the end. I think Chris Rudiger was on stage too, and it's so weird. And then I ended up commenting on Graham's post later that night, being like, you did so well, whatever. And then Dylan ended up seeing that Graham's manager comment, saw that I was from Virginia, reached out, and now here we are. I'm working with Dylan. I'm part of that family. And it's, like, so crazy how that works. Like, if I didn't comment on his thing, if I didn't say yes to Will. And that's when I met you. That's the night that I met you. And you were like, who are you? [00:04:56] Speaker A: I was like, who is this girl? She's got a voice on her. She seems really sweet, but she's a child. Yeah, but that's having that mentality of saying yes to every opportunity that can be scary because you're saying yes to shit that you haven't done before. And so much of this thing is having the confidence to do things, and it's like jumping off the high dive. [00:05:23] Speaker B: And it's not like I could bring a pal or anything. No, because all my friends are underage. [00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:28] Speaker B: So it's like, I'm showing up to this bar. Who knows if they'll even let me in. I've never been here, and I don't even know if I might. I think I had my car by then, but I don't even know. I was lost. It was like, where do I park? What's going on? And I just remember hopping up on stage doing the thing, and then I just remember so many people dming me on instagram and coming up to me after me, like, who are you? I think it's so funny because I'm like, people just genuinely. I was a literal, just random, random. Nobody ever knew. I hadn't talked to anybody in the industry. That was just. [00:06:04] Speaker A: But there was a reason you were up there, because you had made a connection with Will. Colin already, and will, who we've had on the podcast, like, he's a guy that champions those that are around him and is very big on bringing the homies up with know. How'd you meet you? Were you a girl in one of the videos? [00:06:24] Speaker B: No. [00:06:25] Speaker A: Okay. [00:06:25] Speaker B: Actually, I was later on, once we became friends. But we actually met at a bar. [00:06:32] Speaker A: Oh, really? [00:06:33] Speaker B: Yeah. I used my fake id. We all use our fake ids to get in. And we were, like, all sitting by this table. And I remember seeing him. I knew who he was. And I'm not the kind of person who's like, I don't know. I knew that once I moved here, there was no such thing as fangirling, especially if I wanted to do the artist thing. You can't be like, oh, my God, you're this person. It's like, no, we're all human, babe. Let's just calm down. [00:06:57] Speaker A: Yes. [00:06:58] Speaker B: So I see him and I remember just being like, hey, and he's like, hey. And it was super chill. I got to talking to him about writing, how I kind of just moved to town. This was back my first semester of college, so beginning of freshman year, so I didn't know anybody, really, except, like, my gal friends. But I remember talking to him about how I was a writer and how I wanted to do the music thing. He's like, let's write. He had never heard me sing before. He never heard anything that I had written. And he's just like, yeah, we put a date down. That was my first co writing session. I think it was, like, november of last year. And we wrote a song. I ended up demoing it in this. [00:07:36] Speaker A: Building here at the Amber Sound. Shout out to Ryan Newmans, and the. [00:07:40] Speaker B: Folks at the out love them. But I literally, like, that's where it started. And he didn't have. The whole reason I went on stage that night was because he didn't have a lot of originals at the time. And he was like, you want to come sing this song that we wrote together? Because he loved it and I loved it. And I was just like, sure. So that's how that started. It's crazy. So weird. [00:08:03] Speaker A: Yeah. It's wild how things kind of evolve and that stuff happens. So you're originally from. You're a seven five seven girl? [00:08:11] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm a seven five seven girl. [00:08:12] Speaker A: I'm from Virginia beach, which I know that because I grew up a diehard. Not as close with it anymore, but I grew up a diehard Virginia tech Hokies fan. And back in the day, I'm trying to think what year you were born. You were born, like, what, 3004? Okay. So that was when I started getting into hokey's football, which is kind of crazy. It puts me at a certain age, but the players from Virginia beach would wear seven five seven underneath their eyes. [00:08:40] Speaker B: Oh, I didn't know that. [00:08:41] Speaker A: At Virginia Tech, at Uva, at Miami, West Virginia. So you'd have some of the best players, like the Vic brothers, Tyrod Taylor. All these great Virginia tech players would wear seven five seven painted under their eye. Like, a lot of guys will wear, like, bible verses and stuff. The boys from Virginia beach, that's what they did. So I was like, oh, what's the seven five seven? And then I was like, oh, shit. This is where, like, claxcovers is from Alan Iverson, like, so many talented athletes. But also, I found out later, lots of great music that's come out of there. Like, the stuff, like the Neptunes and the rap stuff that's come out of there. And then you tie in the countryside of Virginia with Appalachia that's been just booming. [00:09:19] Speaker B: It's crazy watching that happen. [00:09:20] Speaker A: And Virginia is crazy because it's one of those states where you have the coastal presence, like where you grew up, but then you go inland and it's like the hills have eyes. You have farm, you have farmers in southwest Virginia. Like a girl, SJ McDonald. You've got the northern Virginia thing, whole nother world around DC, and you got the mountain people down near. [00:09:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:09:43] Speaker A: Such a cool state to grow. [00:09:44] Speaker B: That's why I love it so much. And I think that has shaped me in so many freaking ways. I think about Williamsburg, Virginia. [00:09:52] Speaker A: Yes. [00:09:53] Speaker B: Like, my Mimi lives there, so we go there all the time and it's like an hour and a half north of the beach, and that's colonial. There's a lot of history there. We joke, us kids back in Virginia beach, like, every school field trip was Yorktown and Jamestown. It's like every time it's like, that's where you're going. You're going to see, like, the Mayflower, where all the settlers came know, in whatever. Like, that was so prominent in school and just life as a kid was like, the history of Virginia was very prominent and it was always shoved down your throat. And looking back, I'm kind of like this colonial esque vibe mixed with growing up literally on the like, I am so fortunate because I didn't know until I went to college that that's not normal. No, to literally grow up and I walked around barefoot everywhere. I tell everybody here, I'm like, the fact that people wear shoes is kind of weird. [00:10:50] Speaker A: Have you seen the sidewalks outside? [00:10:53] Speaker B: I would never do that here. But it's like, back home, we literally just walk barefoot everywhere. I'd walk on the street barefoot. It'd be like scorching hot. In the summertime. I have the toughest feet. I can do anything. Anything. And I feel like a lot of my outfits sometimes I'll put on, and I'm like, this would look so much better if I didn't have to wear shoes. I literally have that thought sometimes. But it's just like, I was very fortunate to grow up right on the water. And it's not like I was 30 minutes from the beach. It was like I would walk from my house, and it's just like my grandparents had this little beach cottage, and we would just stay there in the summertime and it's a movie. Looking back, I literally was living in a movie. I compare it a lot to mamma mia. Like the movie, I feel like that free spirited, that kind of just running around in maxi skirts and twirling around listening to music and going on the boat. And then the country music scene is so prominent, especially with all, like, the oyster bars. And I'm working at a seafood restaurant and I'm a food runner. [00:12:04] Speaker A: No, I was going to say back in high school and stuff. [00:12:07] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's like that all feels so movie esque now that I think about it. And I feel very lucky that that's how I grew up. And I think it's really interesting how you were talking about everything with Virginia is very. There's so much to know. You do have the mountains and then you have the beach, and then you have the cities up north. I don't really go north. I don't really go northern Virginia, but definitely just, I love the farmland. I love the drive out, know, driving home to Virginia beach when I have to do it, which is a long drive. [00:12:37] Speaker A: You know about the Bay Bridge? [00:12:39] Speaker B: The Bay Bridge, like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge? [00:12:41] Speaker A: Yeah, where you go, like, underwater and then under and then up been. I think I've been a passenger going over that, but I've never, because I've driven all over the place. I worked as a tour manager for a long time. I was driving bands around in a van with a trailer all over the country, but luckily I never had to drive over that with a van and a trailer. But it's known to be, like, one of the most intimidating. [00:13:04] Speaker B: I drive. [00:13:05] Speaker A: I was going to say it's probably where you learn to fucking drive, so it's probably nothing for you. [00:13:10] Speaker B: Are you talking about the one that literally goes underwater? [00:13:12] Speaker A: I'm talking about the one where it's like you're on a bridge and then you go underwater and you come back out and then you're still on a bridge. Yeah, like, it stretches. It's a bridge and a tunnel all the way around the bay. [00:13:24] Speaker B: I took marine biology in high school, and I remember growing up thinking that it was just like sitting in the middle of water. I always thought, like, a shark was going to come on the side and burst in and we were all going to die. I always had this fear. And then my teacher is like, no, it's under the ground, under the water. And I'm like, what that is one thing I cannot comprehend is, like, how those things are built. I don't understand it. I don't want to understand. [00:13:52] Speaker A: It's not our job to understand that shit, that's for sure. So what led you to Belmont? Because you have so many great schools in the state of Virginia. You have some of the best public schools in the country, like Uva. It's funny, I actually have cousins that go to school in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech, and I have a cousin that just started at. I'm very. I know there's so many, there's like William, Mary, you got BCU, you got old dominion. You've got so many big colleges, great college towns in Virginia. So why. What did you think about staying in state for school? Or was it always, I want to be a singer, I want to do this. [00:14:28] Speaker B: It was always that. I never once thought that I wanted to go to college in state. And I remember JMU, like James Madison was the only, and UVa, I only applied to those. Those were my know, fallbacks, just in case. But I think growing mean. I love my hometown, I love Virginia, but I always was just so eager to get. [00:14:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:52] Speaker B: So once the know, applying to colleges, things started happening. I was like, this is my opportunity to go somewhere else, go further away. My older sister, she goes to Longwood in Farmville, Virginia. So that's like three and a half hour drive from her hometown. So that was always easy. And I watched how easy that know just to drive home for the weekends and whatnot. I knew it was going to be a challenge to go somewhere where I was going to have to fly most of the time somewhere. I probably won't be coming home as often because I'm doing music. It's like after my freshman year, I stayed here for the summer and I lived in a house by myself for three months. [00:15:32] Speaker A: Where in town were you? [00:15:33] Speaker B: So Wedgwood, Houston. [00:15:34] Speaker A: Okay, so you were in a pretty good area because I was going to say, I'm picturing you, like, staying in a house in the summer by yourself in like Antioch or like north Nash or some shit like that, because there are some rough areas. Wedgwood Houston, over by Belmont. That's a good. [00:15:52] Speaker B: It's a pretty good spot. You're in a weird kind of corner of the hard. It's like right by the know that. Like it's. It's iffy. And I think it was a mistake on my part. I just didn't have a security system for the three months I was living alone. [00:16:10] Speaker A: But you were good. Nothing happened. [00:16:11] Speaker B: Nothing happened. I had my pocket knife come at me, bro. My taser and my pepper spray. I was good to go. Anyone test me? I always joke, though. I'm like, if anyone were to come in and try to kidnap me, I would just be like, can you not today, just please, can we reschedule? Can we postpone this? Because there's always something going on. My friends joke that it's very entertaining to be friends with me because there's always something. It's just, there's always something. It's never simple. [00:16:44] Speaker A: What's the most recent? Always something like, what happened this week? [00:16:47] Speaker B: Something. I mean, a funny one that's happened pretty recently was I've been talking to American Idol back and forth just for the last few months, just, like, debating whether I wanted to do it and just trying to decide if that was a good move. And basically we had gotten to the point where I was going to be in front of Katy Perry and I had to make a decision, and I was like, there was so much back and forth. I was supposed to be there at 06:00 a.m. And I slept in and I said, can I be there at 04:00 p.m. And they're like, yeah, just come in. Just come in whenever you can. So my friend, my best friend Brooke, she comes, she brings me Starbucks. Bless her. [00:17:28] Speaker A: She's great. We love a good Starbucks. [00:17:31] Speaker B: Starbucks, she's darling. She brings me Starbucks. And I'm like, okay, I have to go to this american idol thing. She was like, what? She was like, what do you mean, american idol thing? I was like, oh, yeah, we're doing idol. We're going to figure it out. We're going to try it out. And she's like, wait, really? She's in disbelief. I'm like, yeah, you want to come? Like, you want to get in the car? I'm literally getting in the car. And she's like, just showered, leggings, sweater. She's beautiful, but she's not looking her best. You know what I mean? So she gets in the car, we go to the hotel where it was at and flash forward. We joke. We laugh about this. They put her on camera with Ryan Seacrest. [00:18:13] Speaker A: Oh, no shit. [00:18:14] Speaker B: And they're like, okay, stand next to him and tell him how excited you are for your best friend. She was the family member. [00:18:22] Speaker A: Oh, wow. [00:18:23] Speaker B: For the thing, I don't know if it's airing. I'm not going forward with it, but it was just like a day thing. But we laugh. We're like, only me. Like, if you're friends with me, you just one day you meet on a random Sunday, you meet Ryan Seacrest, and you had no idea you were going to, and you're on tv. It's like I put my friends in these positions, and it's just, just, it's comical. [00:18:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Who would you say your squad is? Because a big part of succeeding in this town is having some good friends. And it seems like you've surrounded yourself, especially over the last however long it's been that Nikki and I have met. You always got a crew with you. You've got a good little girl gang with you too, I see. Like, Avery and grace and I'm sure a bunch of other people. No, absolutely. What's your crew look like right now? [00:19:13] Speaker B: I think it's pretty cool for me, honestly. I get to kind of know, thanks to Belmont, I kind of get to have know, both worlds are kind of separated a little bit. It's like I've got my Belmont girls who, some are musicians, some are not, but nobody's really doing the artist kind of. That's great, because I can come home at the end of the day, and they know nothing about what goes on in the world that we live in. So that's been really, I think, what keeps me sane, like, we'll joke because it's like, I've got stuff to do all day long. I'm in meetings, I'm in rights, and I'm in school. And then the end of the day, my pals will come over and we'll sit in my bed at, like, 11:00 p.m. We'll just sit there and we'll be on our phones, or we'll just talk about our day. And then they leave, like 2 hours later. But it's like, that's the time I get with them just to kind of debrief. And I think that that keeps me saying a lot, because if I'm sitting there alone, then I'm going to start thinking about my day, and I'm going to start thinking about what I have to do tomorrow. And then it starts to all kind of get crazy. [00:20:18] Speaker A: I get in my head about shit too. I'm not very good on my own because then the motor just doesn't fucking turn off right. [00:20:28] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:20:28] Speaker A: And I've gotten better about it in my older age now getting closer to 30, where it's starting to slow down. When I was your age, I really struggled with that, especially, like, being in college in a dorm room by myself. It was, oh, gosh. Because your mind just fucking races and you're like, crazy. You're like, did I do something wrong by saying this? It's like second guessing yourself. Almost like having anxiety. I don't even drink anymore, but having that anxious feeling post conversation or post meeting. [00:20:56] Speaker B: Absolutely. I think my thing is very much so. I say this, and I don't mean for it to be cocky in any way. I don't necessarily think it's a great thing, but I am so driven to the point where sometimes I just can't stop. And it can be pretty unhealthy, honestly. Sometimes I think I forget that I'm 19 and I forget that I should still make mistakes. [00:21:25] Speaker A: You're still a fucking kid, actually. How many songs are you writing a week right now? [00:21:30] Speaker B: Oh, God. I definitely write one song a day, for sure. [00:21:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Writing one song a day while in a challenging school academic program, while trying to have friends and be a 19 year old and live life and make mistakes and do the shit that you're going to look back on when you're older, it's a lot. But like you said, when you're so driven, it's tough to not beat yourself up over it. [00:21:56] Speaker B: Hard to stop. Especially, like, nighttime is hard for me because that's when I finally. It's like, finally quiet. And I hate the quiet. I always say my mind is loudest in the silence. [00:22:06] Speaker A: And I think it's funny because you should write that. That's a fucking lyric and something. I don't know how you'd use it, but put it in one of your. [00:22:15] Speaker B: Sad girl songs, there's definitely room for it somewhere. It can be bad sometimes. I'm always thinking about. I think as an artist, it's normal, but it's like, that's a career where you're constantly thinking about what you could be doing better and what's the next step and how can you. These numbers need to be bigger, and these numbers need to be bigger and whatever. You can't really be content with where you are or else you'll never move. So there's a balance between being content and being thankful, saying your prayers, and then also striving for more than what you have. And that's like a really weird in between. [00:23:01] Speaker A: Yeah. And keeping your blinders up to not be comparing yourself to what, oh, is this person doing? Because you'll run yourself ragged if you get Fomo or you get, like, the keeping up with the Joneses thing, you will run yourself into the fucking ground. It is so important to not have that because it can get competitive. But something I love about this town, and I love about the scene that we're in, especially right now, is that it is such a community, people championing each other, particularly with the females, because it wasn't always like that. 20 years ago, it was not like that amongst females in the industry or guys in the industry, too. There was this competition thing, but now it just seems like there's such a community and everybody wants to see high tides, raise all ships kind of thing. [00:23:53] Speaker B: No, I love that. And I think that that's interesting because I've only been here a little over a year, so I haven't really seen all the cutthroat things, and I feel like I never really compare myself or get competitive. So I think it's interesting that you say that, because nowadays it's like I have come up with these women and even some of my guy friends who just, like. It's not about that. I'm not even thinking about, because I. [00:24:21] Speaker A: Think the culture of that has shifted so much to being a positive community. And it also goes with who you're surrounding yourself with. You're surrounding yourself with some great fucking brothers and sisters. Literally. [00:24:36] Speaker B: Absolutely. That's the kind of the sweet thing, too, about being younger. I feel like everybody kind of protects you in a way. [00:24:44] Speaker A: Yeah. And your friends are, for the most part, younger as well. Yeah. You're literally, like, in a class at Belmont because you enrolled and you have your freshman class now it's the sophomore class. But I always say people that move to town around the same time. I moved to town in October of 2018, so I'm going on my. I just hit my fifth year of being here and doing pretty good for five years. It's been a rocky road, and I've had my ups and downs, but I look at some of the guys and girls that I moved around the same time as guys like Dylan Marlowe and the folks in that click in that circle, folks like Trey Lewis. Like, I moved here around them, and it's like we all kind of go through it together because we were the new guys at Live Oak. When I moved here, live Oak wasn't even there. It was called Frisky frogs. And it was. Oh, my gosh, it was a shit show. They had a couch in front of the stage, and it was like a college underage bar. You could get in there with a Pokemon card before. [00:25:38] Speaker B: There's none of that now. [00:25:40] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Before Live Oak came in, and it was just like, there were 30 things going on on that couch. They were serving alligator legs. It was a weird bar, but I got to see. Shout out to live Oak. We love you. Live Oak has up that place very much up that building very much. But you see the different things from what town was like then to where it's at now. The people that you're coming up with right now. Fast forward a couple of years from now. [00:26:11] Speaker B: We talk about it all the time. [00:26:12] Speaker A: Yeah, you, Avery, Grace, Shelby, Maddie, Callie. Like, there's so many of you guys all moved here right around the same time. The post Covid gang. [00:26:23] Speaker B: I got really lucky because I think a huge person that I have to thank is Carson Wallace. [00:26:29] Speaker A: Oh, dude. Carson is like the. If you want to know how to be successful and how to be successful in the industry while being under the age of 21, while being seen as not a liability, by being seen as not a risk and being, like, the quintessential. I'll come in, play the show network, drink liquid death, and wear an x on my hand. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:26:50] Speaker A: You, Carson, Avery, you guys do it the right way. Yeah, because there's kids that come in and refuse to wear the x on their hand and start shit. [00:27:01] Speaker B: I've never been one for trouble, genuinely. I've just always kind of been that girl who just wants everything to go smoothly. And if I'm here for this reason, I'm going to be here for that reason. That reason only. And I feel like I got lucky because with Carson, he was one of my first friends at, and, like, I remember when we met and know. Got to know each other. We looked at each other and we were both like, we're both trying to do this. We're both going to do this. You know what I mean? And I think that was really cool because I say I'm so lucky because I didn't really have that moment that I'm looking back on now being regretful of, like, oh, I should have done this right. I should have done this differently. I feel like the people that I met when I first moved here, like, carson being a big one, it's like they just immediately teach you how to do it the right way so you don't know any different. You know what? Like, he, him and I would play rounds together back in the spring, and the first one that I played with my name on it with y'all was with him. And we kind of tag team. We kind of did everything together for a little bit just so I could kind of get in the feel of everything. But I would watch how he would do things and interact with people, and he would introduce me to people. Anytime someone reached out to me on instagram, I'd send him the screenshot, be like, who's this like, run it by him. I think that helped a lot, having that person who was already in it. He's a year older than me, and I feel like having that person that was already in it but still in a very similar spot as me was helpful, because then I just immediately knew what I was supposed to do. And obviously, that opens gates to the Grace Tyler's and the Avery Bilskis. I met them through him, and they've been such a blessing. I mean, grace is like, big sister vibes to the max. She reminds me so much of my older sister, and she just is the. Literally, I get, like, chills when I talk about her, because I feel like I look at her, and we'll be on stage, know, performing. It's like, I've heard her sing so many times, and we've written so many times, and it's still. Every time I see her sing a song, I get the chills, and I get this feeling where I'm just like, she is a performer. She's just absolutely insanely talented, and I admire her so much, and I think another huge reason I admire her is because of her character. She's so kind, and she's so caring, and she genuinely wants the best for everybody, and she's not here for trouble, and she's not here for problems. She's here to get it done. I think she's the perfect example of just, like, a badass woman who stays poise and kind, and that's so important to me. So I've loved having her, and then Avery is just funny. [00:29:50] Speaker A: That's just your sister. That's a girl who's in the same situation that you're. [00:29:54] Speaker B: That's just. She's been great because she's kind of my only. I say music. Know somebody that I've met through the music industry and not who, like, we hang out on the know. We go get coffee, we go do the things, and we gossip, and we know everything about each other's lives. [00:30:12] Speaker A: Yeah, that's your girl. [00:30:13] Speaker B: Yeah, that's my girl right there. And I think that that's important, too, to have that person who's in it, because it's like, we have our Belmont friends, okay? And they're great. Love them. And then you have Avery, who knows these people that you're talking about. If there's drama or if there's gossip in your 19 year old girls, you want to talk about it. She knows what I'm talking about. I say it to my Belmont friends, and they're like, who's this again, need a picture? Pull up the instagram. I need to see. And I'm like, it's nice to have that person who just knows, you know what I mean? [00:30:44] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. That's kind of how I feel, too. Like, I have my folks that are in the industry, but my girlfriend Erin, she's like music adjacent with a cute kid. Oh, dude, Charlote. I thought she was going to take my job that night for the whole thing. [00:31:00] Speaker B: So cute. Her little. [00:31:05] Speaker A: Already. She's already asked when can she do it again. Oh, my God, we're going to have her. She was so nervous going in there. [00:31:13] Speaker B: She was like hiding behind. [00:31:14] Speaker A: Yeah. She was like, I don't know if all want to do it. She's like, I don't know. I don't know. And then she got up there and did it. And then she wanted to get up on stage while you all were playing and dance on the side of the stage. [00:31:23] Speaker B: I would have been so down. [00:31:24] Speaker A: I know. I was just like, I can't have her because my goal is to have her at more things when they're not so close to her bedtime because she has strict bedtime between like 738 30, give or take. What time? She just turned five in August. So she's adorable. Has changed my perspective of life tremendously. But I say that to say what's nice is that erin is like music adjacent. She's very close friends that are in the industry at all different levels and has been in town for a long time but isn't in the industry. Her job has nothing to do with music. So having my person be outside of music is nice. It's nice to have that because I moved down here. I didn't go to college. I went to college in New Jersey, but I moved down here. I was a bouncer on Broadway, so my non music friends were bouncers and bartenders and servers and disgruntled musicians on Broadway. So it was a lot like, and you go through different phases. Like you're right now probably just starting. You have friends when you, in college, especially, you have friends that you make your freshman year. And then as time goes on, everybody just kind of grows apart because everybody finds themselves. Not everybody's path is the same. I feel like I've gone through like five, six, maybe even seven friend groups since I've been here in five years. That's not at the fault of anybody. That's just how it is for you. You're like at the starting stage of it because you just, no, absolutely moved here. You're in your sophomore year, and you're getting more opportunities. You've got a damn manager. You got music coming out left and right. You've got the pop going on. You're killing it. So it's cool. What's going on with all the music stuff right now? Talk about that a little bit. Kind of got to talk about that, too. As much fun stuff on all the other stuff. Well, it's all the important part. What I like about having a new face like you on the podcast is so people can learn about you. Yeah. And then whenever your big moment happens, people go back and be like, oh, listen to a young Ashley Ann on this podcast with know. So what's going on with the music stuff? [00:33:42] Speaker B: Music stuff. So we've really just know. Trying to push as much music this year as possible. Dear Dolly, back in February really just was the biggest blessing I could have ever asked for. I mean, it was kind of crazy how it all worked. I always tell the story because I think there's something so divine about it. It was back in December, and I was in this building demoing shout out. [00:34:11] Speaker A: To the ember sound. [00:34:12] Speaker B: Shout out to the ember sound. And me and Ryan were like, okay, let's do some demos. I'm new to town. Whatever. And dear Dolly was a song that I wrote when I was 17, and I wrote it in my car with my snapchat camera, filming me in my car. And I was driving in my car. It was late at night. I was driving over the Lesnar bridge in Virginia beach, and it's, like, over the bay. It's a really pretty little lookout spot. And I was just kind of struggling with my relationship with Jesus at the moment. I was just feeling like I was in a dark place. I started singing this idea to this physical being who I knew was a real person and who I could look at her songs and listen to interviews and read her books and just learn as much about her, see how she would do things. I mean, people say, what would Dolly do all the time? But that was something that really, really thought about a lot. When I was in this really dark period with my life and things going on with my family, I was just like, what would Dolly do? She's gotten through whatever, and it's like, that was really a huge part of it for me. So Christmas, after we demo them, I go home for Christmas, and I was gifted a necklace, and it had a bible verse on it. As long as you're living through God, he'll establish your plans. And I remember coming back or I was in my car and I was filming little videos for TikTok, and I was like, oh, well, I got these demos back. Like, might as well try it out. And it was the shittiest video. The audio was awful. It was blurry. You could barely see me. The lighting was horrible. And I just remember it got, like 2 million streams. [00:36:01] Speaker A: Isn't it funny how sometimes it's the low quality awful, but that's what pops sometimes. [00:36:08] Speaker B: It was crazy. And I'm literally sitting there, I'm like, dolly, if you hear this. Gosh, I can hear it in my head now, my annoying little voice. Dolly, if you hear this, I'll release this song. Boom. Skyrockets. The second I get back to Nashville, I'm like, ryan, we need to record the song, like, ASAP. [00:36:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:24] Speaker B: And he's like, okay, the fastest day that we can do this, the fastest day that we can get this out is February 3. And I'm like, so I start promoting it. I'm like, 2323. And I'm like, that sounds like it would be angel number. So I look it up, hence the tattoo on my hand. 2323. It means embarking on a new journey and having guidance and protection. And I'm like, this is kind of all freaking me out. Dear Dolly comes out, and that just did wonders. I mean, jeez, that is where it all started. I was very lucky that that song did what it did and opened gates to people and to just things and learning new things. That song. I have a lot to thank that song for. So that was just kind of crazy how that all happened. And then now we're focusing on doing Dear Dolly the ep, and that's going to be coming out in January. [00:37:24] Speaker A: How cool is that? You have a whole damn project. [00:37:27] Speaker B: Whole project. It's going to be fun. It's going to be a fun one. We've got this whole thing planned. It's going to be coming out next year. [00:37:33] Speaker A: How many songs do you have out right now? [00:37:36] Speaker B: Right now, I think it's five, six. [00:37:38] Speaker A: Okay. So is the EP, like, packaged as a lot of what's out already, or. [00:37:42] Speaker B: Is it a few of them? So it's going to have a few songs that are already out, and then we've got some extra bonus songs. [00:37:49] Speaker A: I was going to say I love the new music and I'm ready for some new fucking music because you just seem that you're one of those people that gets. It seems like you're at the stage of figuring it out right now because you're so fucking young you're figuring it out as you go, and every release is just getting better and better. It's crazy how that works because you're finding your voice. Who's producing your stuff now? Is it still Ryan or what? [00:38:15] Speaker B: Owen Lewis. Right. [00:38:16] Speaker A: Okay, so. But you're collaborating with a producer who's helping you find that sound, and you're just scratching the surface of where you're going to be, and it's already fucking working. That's what's exciting. [00:38:28] Speaker B: It's so exciting. [00:38:29] Speaker A: But the dear dolly story, it's crazy how that works. [00:38:32] Speaker B: It's insane. I mean, I have no other explanation. It all happened really fast. And I remember looking back at that time, I was still very much so a college student. I don't really necessarily look at myself like that now, but I was living in my dorm, and I was taking my car every day. Like, I would go to class and I would take my car, and the only reason that I would leave my dorm or leave campus was to go drive somewhere and do a TikTok. I would bring my friends with me and say, okay, it's time to go film TikToks. And we'd make fun out of it because it's like, that's what you got to do. The second you start to hate, it becomes a burden, it becomes a job, it becomes a problem, and no one wants that. So I always just would film videos. That's another thing is I think a lot of people ask me, how do you do your social media? Like, you seem to do really well at it, and I think a huge reason, and it sounds kind of bad. I think a huge reason that what I'm doing is working is because I don't care much about what it looks like or what it sounds like or what it. I'm just here, and this is my microphone, and I'm going to show you what I got, and that's it. [00:39:47] Speaker A: Consistency is so key. Consistency is, like, the biggest thing. [00:39:52] Speaker B: It is very key. But I feel like the second when I stopped caring about how I looked in a video or I would literally get dressed and I would base my outfit around what would catch people's attention on the Internet. And it's like, now I'll literally be leaving the gym, and I'm, like, sweaty and disgusting, and I throw up my phone and I'm like, let me just film a video. [00:40:15] Speaker A: Really? People? Like, real. [00:40:17] Speaker B: It's easier. [00:40:19] Speaker A: Yeah, people. [00:40:20] Speaker B: It's literally easier. [00:40:21] Speaker A: Yeah. It fits into your life more. It doesn't feel like a burden to do because you're just incorporating in, like, you don't have to take the time. [00:40:28] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:40:28] Speaker A: Get dressed up or worry about what you're going to say. [00:40:31] Speaker B: People hate TikTok so much. [00:40:33] Speaker A: People hate it because they don't really understand. I personally still don't understand. I'm still figuring it out. We've had a couple of clips pop, and I've been lucky to have friends that work really well and are good digital creators and people that understand more of the algorithm and can pick up on trends and different things like that and been able to monetize. But for me, I still don't know. Yeah, but everybody has a way of taking in short form content, whether it's on TikTok. Mine, I watch Facebook reels and I watch Instagram. And what's funny is it's the same shit that's on TikTok, but it's on the meta platform. Same shit that's on YouTube, but that's on the Google platform. Like, the short form content stuff is everywhere. [00:41:24] Speaker B: You got to post it everywhere. Every day. I post on every single one. [00:41:27] Speaker A: But none of them translate more to music than fucking TikTok. Yeah, it's proven none of them translate more. And people are always like, those damn TikTok kids, but I think it's because they haven't figured it out yet. And it's always an older generation. It's just like, with, like, bro country or pop country, the new thing, there's always, like, the old guard that doesn't quite understand it. Same thing with rock, same thing with pop. All styles of music and different cultural things, because it's proven that it works. And your family within your management team, Cram is another example of that. [00:42:01] Speaker B: Like that video that blew up on Instagram reels. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. It was like, what's the song? What doesn't kill you? It's like that thing went through the roof, and I'm like, it's just crazy how it's like. And then the song ended up doing so well. It's like one video can change everything, and it's absurd the amount of power that goes into a platform like that. [00:42:26] Speaker A: Yeah. And people say, like, I signed up to be an artist. I didn't sign up to be no influencer. But if you're signing up and you want to be seen in the public eye, if you want your music to affect people, that's influence, dude. I always say that in the influencer. [00:42:43] Speaker B: Thing, artistry is like this umbrella. It's this big giving tree with all these branches. And I always say one thing that I really pay attention to. I overanalyze everything. I'm constantly thinking. And one thing I really pay attention to when I meet other artists is like, there are boxes, and it's these branches of things that people don't even think about. I mean, even just how you walk into a room, how you carry yourself, how you have a conversation with somebody, how you make somebody feel, how you are on stage, vocally, are you talented? Can you write a song? There are so many boxes to being an artist, and it's almost impossible to check all of them. I think that there are artists who their emphasis is this or this. It's like, there are obviously artists who have amazing vocals, and that's what they're known for, but maybe they can't write a song. You know what I mean? And then there are the people that have a lot of the boxes checked, and you're just like, wow. But I feel like there's so much to being an artist rather than just being able to sing or being able whatever. I mean, I think there's so much more to it. [00:43:57] Speaker A: It's a business, and it's a brand. And every artist, every band, every songwriter, every person is a brand in a sense. We see it with Ray's rowdy. I see it with myself as a personality and my role in the scene. And it's the same for an artist, for a songwriter, for a guitar player, for a manager, for a publicist, for a publisher, for anything. You have your personal brand, and making people feel like they're making folks of being of value in conversation, being mentally and physically present, like showing support, being a good member of the community goes such a long way. [00:44:37] Speaker B: Absolutely. That's something I feel like I really struggled with at the beginning. Like, the fact that I needed to be marketable and the fact that there was this idea of, like, okay, what is it? If you had three words to describe yourself, what are they? And I'm like, there are so many. More than three. I feel like I don't want to be put in a box. And I feel like that's just the reason that I feel like Avriana is a good example that I've heard people say. It's like she just shows up and she wears whatever she wants to wear, and she shows up on stage, and you see the emotion in this audience and these girls and how she's speaking to them, and it doesn't take this niche and it doesn't take this look. I know, like, the Laney Wilson with the bell bottoms. And it's like some people have their thing to them. And I feel like I struggled with that at the beginning, being like, do I need to have this thing? [00:45:31] Speaker A: See, like, I remember the cowboy hat, and I remember, like, me. But again, you're 1819 years old, figuring it out. You'd be doing that if you were a business major, if you were a science major, if you were anything in life at that age, you're just figuring it out. That's just being a kid. [00:45:49] Speaker B: And that's so true. I got a little mad at myself for a second because I'm like, are you trying to be someone you're not? What's going on? I feel like, looking back, it's like if you are loving this in this moment, then that's who you are. It's not necessarily like you're fabricating anything, but I just try so hard. And I think that it took going home to Virginia. I went home for, like, three weeks this past summer, and it's like, I did my freshman year. The music thing kind of started really hitting in January. That's when I brought my car, and that's when I started. I'm going to go to things and I'm going to meet the people, and I'm going to do the music. So I always say it kind of started in January with the music thing. Once summer rolled around, I had gone home. And I use this analogy a lot because I think it's interesting. But my dad went to school, Radford University in Virginia. [00:46:40] Speaker A: There we go. We know about Radford. Oh, yeah. [00:46:42] Speaker B: So my dad went to Radford, and he grew up in Virginia beach. And when he got to college, he calls his mom, and he's like, mom, you need to buy me some polo shirts. Nobody's wearing surf shops clothes around here. Like, it's embarrassing. And I kind of look back at when I moved here, and I kind of feel that way. I feel like when I got here, nobody was wearing maxi skirts. And again, like I said, everyone's wearing shoes. Nobody's wearing what I wore back home. I didn't bring any of my surf shop stuff because it's just that no one wears it here. So then you come here and you say, okay, I want to go shopping with my gals. You go to a boutique, you're guaranteed to walk out with a Nashville Broadway girl. Know, it's like, you go shopping around here, it's like you're going to morph into that kind of Nashville look. And I think that's kind of what happened to me. I think I got excited. I'm like, oh, I'm, you know, in college. Like, let's go shopping. Let's do the thing. And then I went back to Virginia, and I remember just having this whole revelation. I was just like, I know I'm young, but I feel like I've lived a lifetime, and I think that I want to be taken seriously. It's hard being a female, period. And it's hard being a young female. So it's like, I want to be taken seriously. I want people to know that there's more to it than just this. And I took all my clothes that were back home that I left, and I brought them all here. And when I got back and we moved into this house in Wedgwood, Houston, and I got back, I decorated my room, and I did it how I wanted it. And I just look at it now, and I'm like, I look at my room, and I look at my closet, and I'm just like, this is who I am. This is who I am completely. I got coffee with. [00:48:28] Speaker A: Hannah's awesome. [00:48:29] Speaker B: So funny. This story is hilarious. We got coffee, and we got coffee down the street from my house. And I told her, you can park, and we'll walk. And we're getting coffee, and we hit it off. I mean, she's awesome. She's absolutely awesome. Very unique, very special person, for sure. And at the end of the coffee meeting, we're there for, I think, like 2 hours. [00:48:50] Speaker A: That's a good coffee meeting. 2 hours coffee meeting. [00:48:53] Speaker B: And I'm like, you want to come over and do temporary tattoos? And she's like, hell, yeah. So we go home, back to my place, and we're, like, upstairs in my bathroom doing temporary tattoos, like, seeing which ones she should get. It was so funny. And I showed her my room, and I showed her my closet, and she's just like, this is so you like something. Like, it looks like Ashley just threw up in a room. And I'm like, that's how it is now for, like, it sounds weird, but taking my bedroom and my closet and everything, who I am from Virginia and bringing it all here and now emphasizing that and showcasing that, I realized that, one, it's easier. It's less effort to be yourself. Yes, it really is. Two, it's like, people like who I am, and it's not like that was like, this is not like it was a shock. Is that what I mean? But I don't know. People started accepting it so open heartedly, and it's like, people loved the fact that I was from Virginia beach, and people love the fact that I was like, this coastal grandmother vibe where it's like I'm wearing floral prints and lace and all this. Like, it's different. And I think that's why it was scary at first because I was like, maybe I don't belong in country music if I literally didn't grow up in the sticks. And then I realized having that kind of different thing to you, it's like, embrace that. Don't hide that, because if anything, it helps. And like I said, I really put emphasis on the fact that it's easier to be yourself. I think that is the biggest thing that I've learned since I've moved here, is, like, being completely and utterly yourself to everyone all the time is so much easier and so much more beneficial in the long run. [00:50:47] Speaker A: Absolutely. That's how I am, too. I started really, like, when I was in college, I had a college radio show. It was called Redneck radio. And I grew up in a New York City suburb in a good area. Suburban kid wearing timberlands, wearing nikes. And then I tried to be something that I wasn't when I was in college because I thought that I had to be this Persona and this thing. And then I moved down here and I started embracing myself again. And it's led me to be more comfortable liberating. It really is. [00:51:23] Speaker B: It really is. It's crazy. [00:51:26] Speaker A: Yeah. It's so powerful. And for you to recognize that at the age that you're at, that's huge, because a lot of people don't recognize that at your age. That's something where you got to make quite a few mistakes to get to that point and find yourself. And it's that trip going home. [00:51:44] Speaker B: I know. It really was. [00:51:46] Speaker A: There's something. There's no place like home. Like Dorothy says in the fucking wizard of Oz, there's no place like home. And then embracing. So do you got siblings and stuff? What's your family dynamic like growing up? [00:51:55] Speaker B: Sisters? I'm the middle child. I was always kind of the one that was going to do what nobody wanted them to do. [00:52:01] Speaker A: Okay. [00:52:02] Speaker B: So moving here, doing the music thing, is no surprise to my family at all. I call my dad every once in a while. I'm like, yeah, the dropout thing might be happening. He's like, I trust you. I think he's seen what I can do in a year of being here. And I think he knows I'm not here to fool around. I think he knows that if I were to drop out of college, it wouldn't be like, okay, let's go slack around. [00:52:25] Speaker A: No, it'd be music full time, and instead of classes, it would be having a schedule of going into writing rooms. And instead of taking tests, it would be going out and doing gigs on the weekend, which. Have you done any touring yet? Have you had the chance to do that yet? [00:52:38] Speaker B: Not much. I went to California for a weekend, and that's about the most that I've done. And that was a blast. That was so much fun. But we're getting in the works of some booking agents. We're doing some things. Hopefully next year is going to be really exciting. I'm really excited about next year because I love traveling. [00:52:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:57] Speaker B: And it's so fun. [00:52:58] Speaker A: The road, there's nothing like it. It's like a bug just bites you. And in theory, traveling around in a van in close quarters with a group of people. I mean, I've been upwards of 8910 guys in a van before. And you're pulling a trailer and you're going to Texas or you're going to South Dakota or you're going to Minnesota or you're going up to the northeast or down to Florida. And in theory that shouldn't sound fun, but there's just this energy to being with your band. [00:53:29] Speaker B: I wait for that part. The people. [00:53:32] Speaker A: Yes. [00:53:32] Speaker B: That's the part I'm so excited about is, like, finding your crew. I love that. I'm all over that. I love the little, the band members that are so close to their artists and love and support their artists. The artist supports the band members, and then you've got the crew, and it's like the photographers over here, and it's like, I can't wait to have those people and it's just to be a family because I haven't really found, like, you play around with different people and it's like, I've met amazing musicians and amazing videographers, and I've got a lot of people that I love, but it's like once you have those people who are just tied to you and you take on the road with you, I cannot wait for that. [00:54:09] Speaker A: Yeah, what's going to happen, too, is you're going to walk into rooms and be like, how did I get here? You're going to walk into rooms and be like, oh, shit, I'm playing here in this dive. But then you're going to be like, oh, shit, I'm playing here in this theater. I'm playing here in this club. Oh, shit, there's a poster of Morgan Wallen playing here. There's a poster of Carrie Underwood playing here. There's a poster of XYZ artists that's been through, because everybody goes through that step. Everybody goes through the touring and figuring it out and doing their first live shows and having those growing pains and struggling and having it where you're crammed in, you've got four or five people crammed into one hotel room with two beds, and somebody's in a blow up mattress on the floor, and it's two to a bed. And then you get to that point where you're in a fucking door bus. It's such a fun journey, and you have so much ahead of you. You have so much fun ahead of you. So you sound like you're a pretty goal oriented person. What are some goals for 2024? I can't believe 23 is almost over. Fucking flew by. [00:55:14] Speaker B: Because then I'm like, oh, gosh, this is a ten year town. I'm already like, a year. [00:55:18] Speaker A: No, it's a town where everybody's path is a little bit different. Like, an example I was like to point out is Brooks and Dunn got paired up together and met each other and started doing their thing in their mid 30s. Like some guys and girls, it takes a little bit longer. Like, Ashley McBride spent a while doing what she was doing, Lainey spent a while she was doing. And then you have folks that are able to utilize the tools that are available at that time, able to utilize TikTok, able to utilize Instagram, able to network, able to do things. Everybody's path is so fucking different. Yes, exactly. And for me, it's like I'm five years in. I started out as a bouncer, then I was a merch seller, then I was a tour manager. Now I'm running a small business that's starting to grow more and more every day. And it's crazy. [00:56:07] Speaker B: There's no handbook. [00:56:09] Speaker A: No, there is no handbook. There's no fucking roadmap. Like you said, everybody's uniquely different, and everybody's themselves, and everybody's path is uniquely themselves too. And having those blinders on and just being the best version of Ashley Ann that you can know. [00:56:24] Speaker B: It's so exciting, though, because I love not knowing what's going to happen. But like you said, I am a very goal oriented person, and I think that having those goals, I literally look at my phone, I've got my wallpaper. Like, my home screen is literally all of my goals for 2023. [00:56:48] Speaker A: Oh, see that goal? [00:56:49] Speaker B: By the end of 2023, and I made this at the beginning of the year. [00:56:52] Speaker A: Okay, what's on there? I'm sure we've hit quite a few. [00:56:56] Speaker B: It says booking agent. [00:56:57] Speaker A: Okay. And we're taking meetings. Good. [00:56:59] Speaker B: 50,000 Instagram followers. [00:57:02] Speaker A: And what are we at? [00:57:03] Speaker B: We're at 45. [00:57:04] Speaker A: Okay, so we're right there. Okay, so I checked that off. That's right there. [00:57:07] Speaker B: We have ten K Spotify followers. I don't know how close I am to that. I haven't checked. We have 100K TikTok followers and you're probably near that. If I had to guess, TikTok has been a little slow for me lately. But we're okay. It's okay. We'll get through it. And then 150k monthly listeners on Spotify. So those are number goals. And you know what's also weird is like, because I set these, not necessarily. It's not because I care about numbers so much. It's to just give me like a dot in the road. [00:57:39] Speaker A: It's a benchmark. [00:57:40] Speaker B: It is. You know what I mean? And it's like, if you pass it, great. If you don't get to it, at least you had it written down. [00:57:48] Speaker A: Yeah. Because at some point you will get there. [00:57:50] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. And I think that's kind of cool. I remember when I sat down, I always do my New Year's resolutions, and when I did my New Year's resolutions, I had it in my notes app and I sent it to Dylan the other day because I was just like, this is insane, going to Belmont. I was always a fan. Know Belmont alum who are doing the thing. Mackenzie Carpenter was a big one. Just because I saw she, I loved the way that she writes songs and I admired her so much and I knew that she had gone to Belmont, so I just was a fan of hers. I admired her. And I had written down in my notes all of my New Year's resolutions. And writing with her or her brother was one of them. [00:58:29] Speaker A: I love Micah too. They're a great brother sister duo. [00:58:32] Speaker B: Love playing whiskey jam was one of them. And I had all these random. I'm pretty sure playing a writer's round was one of them. And it's like playing a writer's round was one of my New Year's resolutions. Flash forward, like 20 million writers round. We're almost at the end of the year. It's like, it's crazy. And I remember, I look at my calendar and like, micah's in my calendar and I'm like, okay, check that off. And it's like, why was that a new year's resolution? Micah, I don't mean to make your head big, but it's like, even the whiskey jam thing, I remember when Carson played it back in the spring, and I was like, gosh, it'd be so cool to play whiskey jam. Like, I'm so excited for him. And then I remember, know, when was it, October that I played it? And I'm like, I don't think Ashley back in the spring would have been ready for that. It's like, it's crazy. Like, the songs that I have now, and I'm able to perform at whiskey jam. I didn't have those back then. [00:59:34] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:59:34] Speaker B: So it's like, if I would have been asked to do it when Carson was asked to do it, this would be a totally different story. So I'm like, thank God that it's just like, God's timing is everything in my book. And I think that it's really interesting to just trust that and to just not force anything. But then looking back at your goals and being like, I checked those. Like, that's just so cool to me. And it's funny because some of them you may not think are grand, but the fact that you got to check it off, I think, makes it huge because the writers around think that's kind of funny, being like, oh, let's play some writers around. [01:00:10] Speaker A: But they're all steps that you need to take to get to where you want to be. [01:00:14] Speaker B: Exactly. [01:00:15] Speaker A: Get to where you are now. Yeah, absolutely. [01:00:17] Speaker B: So I love writing down my goals, and Dolly Parton taught me that. She says that she writes down all her goals on paper, and that's how she manifests them in some way. I mean, I'll sit in class, and we'll be like, get your notebooks out. We're going to do the journal of the day, whatever the hell it is, and I'm sitting there writing down, I want to play the grannel opry next year. It has nothing to do with this. Whatever assignment we're doing. I will sit there and write to myself, and I'll write and I'll say, I want to do this, I want to do this. I want to do. This has nothing to do with school. I'm awful at school right now. It's pretty bad, actually. [01:00:52] Speaker A: Well, you're at school to be what, I'm guessing. Are you like music business? [01:00:57] Speaker B: Yeah, music business. And it's difficult. Like, business courses are hard. I mean, I'm taking macroeconomics, copyright law, business law. I took microeconomics last year. I've been elementary statistics. It's like, I'm taking a lot of math and business heavy courses. I think the whole point is my academic advisor is probably like, let's do the music ones. Know your last two years of school. So it's like, since I've been at Belmont, it hasn't been very enjoyable. [01:01:26] Speaker A: But the reason they're probably having you do that is because then when the deals start coming, granted, you have Dylan, you have a great support system with you, but then you'll be able to know, so then people aren't fucking you over. It is important for artists to know what a deal looks like and what a percentage of a master split looks like. [01:01:50] Speaker B: I got my copyright law book sitting on my table back home and I'm like, I've never opened it for the class, but I'm going to open it later after I pass the class. Then we'll open the book when I need the information, but the book's there when I need it. But it is a lot doing school and having all these goals and doing the music thing, but I feel so freaking lucky. I mean, like, looking at other Belmont kids, it's like I was so in love with that school last year. I still think it's amazing. [01:02:23] Speaker A: Beautiful fucking. [01:02:24] Speaker B: Oh my gosh, it's beautiful. I feel so fortunate that I was able to say was, but am able to go, you know, like you said, everybody's path is different. I don't know if it's for me. Still trying to kind of figure that out. But it is crazy just how lucky I feel and how loved I feel in this town. And I just feel like everybody supports everybody. I mean, I'm thankful for, like, I'm thankful that I have these people. It's like a lot of Belmont students are just there for college. And you walk around campus, some even still live on campus, and you kind of get stuck in this whatever. I have this support system outside of Belmont that's so much bigger than. Yeah, and that's so powerful to me. And so I feel so thankful because I learn more. I learn so much more. I remember sitting in a meeting over at Boom with Joe Fisher, and I was like, talking, know, how does a pub deal work? And, like, I haven't taken music publishing yet in school, but all I could think in my head was like, I was asking him all these questions. I'm like, sorry if I'm making you talk too much. I just want to know these things. Whatever. And I remember leaving and I'd be like, I learned so much more just talking to him about music publishing than I probably ever will in that class. [01:03:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I learned all my broadcasting stuff. How you see me host, how you see me book round. I learned all that stuff from doing it. I learned all that from being at a college radio station, from MC events in college and on my radio internships and doing different things in the field. Experience was where I got all my chops. [01:04:01] Speaker B: I think that's like the kind of learners we would be, too. [01:04:03] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. [01:04:04] Speaker B: I feel like our minds kind of work similarly. [01:04:05] Speaker A: Yeah, they are. They were both born on January 23. One, two, three. Which I cannot wait. January 23, 2025. Ashley's probably going to have a big old record deal by then, and we're going to have to be like, ashley, remember us? But we're going to do a big joint, dude. [01:04:24] Speaker B: Literally, we can't forget. No, I don't want this to be one of those things where it's like, oh, lol, we should totally do this. I really need this to happen. [01:04:33] Speaker A: Yeah, it's going to happen. Well, you turned 21 and I turned fucking 30. [01:04:37] Speaker B: Yeah, this is a big deal. [01:04:38] Speaker A: It's a very big deal. [01:04:39] Speaker B: Big deal. And it's like, oh, my gosh, it would be so fun. Are you kidding? Like the people that would come. Are you kidding me? Yeah, it would be so fun. [01:04:47] Speaker A: We would have a crazy birthday bash. [01:04:50] Speaker B: Crazy. I literally can't even wait. And it's in like a year. [01:04:54] Speaker A: Yeah, we got a little over a year to plan. We got plenty of time to plan. Now. Where can people go to find you on social media if they haven't been. [01:05:02] Speaker B: Following you already on social media? You can find me. I think I'm Ashley Ann. Music everywhere, Instagram, TikTok. What else is Ashley Ann? [01:05:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:05:16] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:05:16] Speaker A: Hell yeah. That's good. Well, and we got the ep is coming in January. [01:05:21] Speaker B: Ep is coming in January. We're working on it right now. And then I'm going to be pushing some singles after that. I need to get some fast paced things out. Yeah, I need to get some fast. Pick it up a little bit. All my songs are slow and sad. [01:05:33] Speaker A: No, but there are things that people can relate to and it's part of your story. [01:05:40] Speaker B: I do want something to dance, too, though, so I think that's going to be happening next year, too, which will be fun. Just like some more upbeat stuff. But I'm excited. It's going to be a fun year. It's going to be fun. I'm excited to just kind of sit right now and breathe for a second with the. See, I think you told me something about things start to die down in. [01:06:01] Speaker A: The holidays for me, Halloween to St. Patrick's Day, Nashville is just slower. But from Thanksgiving to the new year, it is very slow in the music industry because it's the end of the year. Holiday parties, all the Christmas parties, which, by the way, we're doing ours at the Rusty nail on December 13. Yeah, that's our playhouse. So December 13, come and hang. We're doing karaoke all night. We're just going to have that going on, and it's just going to be a fun night. So bring the Belmont crew, bring Avery Grace, everybody. Bring the whole. Bring the whole gang out. It's going to be a lot of fun. Yeah, please do. It'll be a lot of fun. [01:06:43] Speaker B: It'll be so fun. [01:06:45] Speaker A: It'll be great. But y'all be sure to follow our girl Ashley Ann. I love that I got to be your first podcast, dude. [01:06:51] Speaker B: I love it, too. And I remember telling you, being like, I'm so excited because I love to talk. And you're like, I love to talk, too. This is going to be great. [01:06:56] Speaker A: Yeah. The best guests to have are people that have something to say. [01:07:00] Speaker B: That's true. [01:07:01] Speaker A: And you've got a lot to say. And people can hear more about what you have to say by listening to your music. And with the dear Dolly, with the ep coming beginning of next year and all the singles that will be coming, and I can't wait to see you out there doing shows and all your journey because the rocket ship is in launch and now it's getting ready to go out into fucking orbit. And the sky really is the limit for you, girl. And we love having you as a part of our family and getting to watch what you do and watching you grow and everything. So y'all be sure to follow our girl Ashley Ann. Be on the lookout. New music coming in January. Some great songs out there. Now follow her on everything. And of course, shout out to our friends, Welltel Media, Saxman Studios, and our boy Mitch Wallace with the digital marketing agency. If y'all want to know more about us, please visit raisedrowdy.com. For our girl Ashley Ann. I'm Matt Barill. This has been outside the round I never been the kind for stand one place for too long I never been the best at this I love you to a girl I love only got a couple tricks on my sleeve they.