19 year-old pop songstress Ashlee Keating has had the ability to pursue her dreams since a young age and is currently working on her debut album. With a good heart and desire to give back, I got to talk to Ashley about her music, charitable work, and what’s to come. Check out her answers below:
Q: What initially got you interested in music?
A: I have always loved music. I started singing at a very young age. Music has always been something that I love to listen to and create. I would be lost without it in my life.
Q: How would you describe your sound?
A: My music is Pop. I love adding my own little twists to the sound calling it ‘Ashleefied’! It is upbeat Pop/Dance; it has a lot of variety in it.
Q: Being 19, most people your age are off to college [and] deciding what they want to do with their life, but you’re already out in the world pursuing a career doing what you love. Can that make true friends hard to find?
A: Actually not. It doesn’t matter what you do in your life, your true friends will always be your true friends and support what you do.
Q: Who are some of your biggest influences?
A: Some of my biggest influences include Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Jennifer Lopez ‘JLo’.
Q: If you could work with any producer of songwriter, dead or alive, Who would it be?
A: Right now, I would love to work with Pharrell & Dr. Luke. They are hitmakers!
Q: If you had an unlimited supply of money and unlimited time in one day, how would you spend it?
A: I would use it to do the things that I consider to be most important. I would invest in my career, enjoy a fun and relaxing time with family and friends at a place that we would never have a chance to go to, and I would donate money to my favorite charities so that they could receive the help they need.
Q: Other than music, what are your favorite pastimes?
A: I enjoy acting and dancing. Working out and health & fitness are a hobby to me. I always love hanging with friends, going to the beach, swimming, skiing in the winter, and definitely shopping! I’m a fashionista.
Q: There has been so much great music released in the past few months, do you have a favorite?
A: I absolutely love Katy Perry’s new song ‘ROAR’ right now!
Q: How does the songwriting process typically work for you?
A: I usually have an idea or concept, [or] sometimes song title that I want to write about. I will usually collab [collaborate] with another writer or two and we throw out ideas. We figure out the melody and then the chorus. Sometimes, I write songs completely myself. So if I really have an idea, I’ll just keep writing. One time, I just started free-styling while someone played the acoustic guitar and I started doing melodies then put lyrics to it. I’m always thinking of songs to write about!
Q: Is there a lyric or phrase of a song that after you wrote it, you were almost surprised by how well it reflected what you were thinking?
A: Yes, “You broke my heart now, oh you tore it apart now all I can say is goodbye. I’m movin on now, I’m movin on.”
Q: How important is social media to you and do you have a favorite (i.e.Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)?
A: Social media is a very important outlet as a recording artist. It helps me connect with my fans and allows me to talk to them directly, and I love doing that! Twitter is awesome because I can see how many amazing tweets and different things my fans, ‘Ashleenators,’ say every day and I can respond to them. Posting YouTube cover videos, etc is also really great! I love all social media though; they are all great in their own way.
Q: Any musician, big or small, has a platform to inspire change. Are there any organizations or causes you work with?
A: Yes, I work with Starlight Children’s Foundation. This organization helps terminally ill children and their families to cope by providing a social outlet to support to them. I also work with ‘Together We Rise’ which is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of foster children.