By Scarlett Downes
Ashe is an emerging artist that is perhaps most well known for popular hit songs such as “Moral of the Story” and “Till Forever Falls Apart”. Her album, which came out in May 2021 is named Ashlyn. This album contains 14 tracks, each unique and cleverly composed and written.
One of my personal favorites, “Till Forever Falls Apart” is the first track on the album, and is a brilliant collaboration with the popular artist and producer known as FINNEAS. This song became extremely popular partly due to its collaboration, but also from TikTok, where it became a trending sound. I think the two work super well together, and their voices complement one another very nicely. The song is about love and appreciation for close friends, and the fact that Ashe and FINNEAS are best friends in real life makes it more authentic.
The second collaboration on the album is with another popular artist, Niall Horan. Horan jumped on a remix the song “Moral of the Story”, although Ashe also has a solo version of the song included on the album as well. This song gained its popularity after being featured in the highly popular Netflix film, “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You”, and also became a trending TikTok sound afterwards.
Something noticeable about Ashlyn, is the extent to which some songs differ so strongly from each other. The seventh track, “Taylor”, is a calm yet heartbreaking love song, with mellow guitar instrumentals. If you want a more sad song to listen to, I would recommend you listen to “Taylor”. Another song with a similar sad vibe is named “Always.” The primarily piano-driven instrumental of the song, along with the emotion you can clearly hear in her voice, makes this too a heart-wrenching song. At her Los Angeles concert, Ashe teared up, and revealed to the audience that the song is always difficult for her to sing, and that it means a lot to her.
Don’t feel fooled into thinking Ashlyn is only sad songs, as there are plenty more upbeat songs as well. The song “Me Without You” is particularly intriguing due to its unique use of instruments and its overall vibe. The song is about one finding oneself after coming out of a relationship, and feelings of anger, acceptance, despair, freedom, and relief are expressed through the powerful lyrics. Another upbeat song, although it starts out slow, is titled “I’m Fine”. I think a lot of people can relate to this song, as it is about needing a friend’s help in a time of chaos. This song is one of my personal favorites, due to its interesting background vocals, and its unexpected change in tempo.
Overall, I absolutely love the album Ashlyn, and the songs are even better performed live. I attended Ashe’s Los Angeles concert at The Fonda Theater, and her stage presence was absolutely captivating. She had the audience in the palm of her hand throughout the whole show, and emoted each song perfectly. I think there’s a song for everyone to listen to on this album, and definitely recommend giving it a listen.
