Asha is a Brooklyn-based one-woman production. She's a songwriter, composer, producer and performer who has been in the New York scene for years and hopes to inspire more girls to get involved in the behind the scenes aspects of music. More female producers opening doors for more female producers. In her latest release, she is reimagining and remixing songs from her EP Mercy released last October while she is in process of finishing her first album.
Asha delivers a multi-faceted hit record “Exit Strategy”. The whispering and sensual vocals floating on top of a trendy dance bop is exactly what we forgot we needed! Her vocals has lots of dynamic transitions from quiet to loud while remaining a substantial melody and beautiful resonance. Her tone stood out a lot to me, but the addicting beat is what helps make the song a hit in my opinion. You can play this record in your car, or at any dance party where you want to just let loose and get lost in the music while feeling the sensations carry from the tune into your body releasing a charismatic personality you sometimes keep locked inside during your day to day routines. Asha impressed us tremendously and we can ensure you that she is on her way to becoming a groundbreaking success.
Listen to “Exit Strategy” here and get to know Asha in our interview below! We chat about her latest release, musical influences and her plans for 2019!
Hi Asha, can you tell our readers a little about yourself?
I was born in Boston and raised in the South Shore to immigrant parents. My mom and dad are straight off the boat from Poland. They came here just before I was born, so growing up I felt like I didn't quite belong here or there. Nobody in my family did music while I was growing up or anything creative at all, but as a kid I remember watching a family friend playing piano and I saw how much attention they got and I thought I wanted that kind of attention, too. I wanted everyone in a room to stop talking and listen to what I had to say. I think that's how this all started. Now when I'm not writing music for myself I'm a freelance composer, which means I sit in my room and make music all day. To me I'm living the dream of 15 year old me.
When did you begin making music?
I started piano lessons when I was about 10 but I think I really started writing music down, writing lyrics out and creating songs, no matter how dumb they were, when I was about 13 or 14. That's around the time I got my first guitar and started lessons, thinking I was going to be a rock star. How would you personally describe your artistry and style?My music always starts in the electronic world. I'm a huge fan of messing with samples, I love making fun beats with weird sounds for drums. I've become an Ableton wizard through my professional work and I do almost all my writing in there. My music tends to be on the dark side, I write from a very emotional place and I only write about what I know and feel. I've spent a lot of time creating a persona of a dark witch or vampire on my social media, so that's my vibe. I think a bit of darkness is exciting.
Do you have any musical influences if so who and why?
I always say my music is a mix of Nine Inch Nails, Fiona Apple, and some Florence and The Machine. Nine Inch Nails have always been a huge part of my life and I think my upcoming project is going more industrial than my last EP. I love Olafur Arnalds and his blend of electronics and classical sounding music. But I also love composers like Debussy and Phillip Glass, and there are some other amazing film composers I aspire to be. I love world music and try to incorporate samples from gamelan and African drumming etc in my music when I can. Sometimes I listen to nothing but pop music. I try to take in all sorts of inspiration and don't limit myself, taking pieces from everything to try to create something fresh.
If you can compare yourself to any past hit artist who would you say you channel the most and why?
I've heard people say I remind them of Kate Bush a bit, or Annie Lennox. Both of which I love. There's nothing wrong with being compared to strong powerhouse females.
Where do you find much of your songwriting inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from my life, it's usually how I feel in the moment. I always tell friends and lovers that if you want to know how I feel about something, the honest truth, you'll hear it in my music.
What’s next for you?
I have a side project I am working on called IN LU, it's a bit different than my normal music. It's downtempo electronic, more hip hop and world music influenced. I am also in the process of recording an album to follow up my EP Mercy. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to make a bunch of remixes for Mercy, so I did them myself and now they're out there and I've gotten great responses from people. I'm hoping I can keep releasing new music this year and keep on that grind.
Connect with Asha on social media:
www.instagram.com/ashamakesmusic