Ashley Kutcher

Ashley Kutcher's path to music wasn't exactly the well-nigh typical journey, but it's obvious she was always meant to end up existence a vocalist-songwriter.

Final twelvemonth was a frantic twelvemonth with so many changes for a lot of us, but I don't recall anyone had as large a life change as 22-year-old singer-songwriterAshley Kutcher. This time last yr, she was on her mode to graduating with a caste in Nursing and passively using TikTok as a way to release snippets of music. At present, a yr later, she's signed to the powerhouse label Darkroom who discovered the likes of Billie Eilish.

1883 had a chat with the ascension artist about her journey into music, why she uses her fans' experiences in her songwriting, and why she thinks music helps only equally much as nursing does.

Yous pursued a career every bit a nurse earlier y'all decided to pursue music — at what point did you make up one's mind to make that change?

I don't desire to say music isn't a applied career, but I came from a very practical family unit and it [music] was framed in our heads as just a hobby. It's something you do equally much equally y'all desire, simply you need to observe stability in a career. I went to college for Nursing and I was playing music in between that and a waitressing job I didn't like and wasn't making much coin doing. I started booking gigs around the area and I started using TikTok as a platform to showcase my music and I ended up signing a tape deal right after I graduated from nursing school. I establish a team I liked and felt supported by and I took the plunge!

That's amazing because so many artists don't e'er have that post-secondary experience at all.

Information technology was a crazy situation. COVID did help push me to pursue music in a way since then much of the nursing work became virtual aside from the infirmary stuff, so I was able to have meetings and work on music during my nurse schedule. Despite my parent's hesitations, it felt like the right moment for me; yous simply get ane opportunity in your life to do something like this and information technology was standing right in front of me so I took it.

Especially being signed to a label like Darkroom!

Yeah, it's super exciting. All of the people that they've worked with, I genuinely beloved and respect and so much. It'due south not really about who they sign, it'south about the energy they bring to the tabular array when y'all're in a word with them. You lot want a team that is excited and believes in your music and project.

Something I love about you lot is that you write all of your music and a lot of your songs but have one other songwriter on there. Was songwriting something that came naturally to you?

I do notice when you're working with fewer people, it'southward better because it feels more intimate. "Love You From A Distance" was written by me and produced by someone else because I don't produce… yet. I do like to write everything though, whether that'due south past myself or with 1 or two other people. I've been enjoying going to more writing sessions because it's a swell opportunity to meet people rather than existence stuck in your head all of the time! I didn't start songwriting until higher, and so the fact that I am even in writing sessions is crazy to me. I wanted to go into nursing because I wanted to help people and brand a difference and I realized I tin help people with music, also. I would read letters from people on TikTok about helping them through a bad country of mind and that's when I felt comfortable leaving nursing to go into music because information technology was just another artery to aid someone.

Songwriting very much is a course of therapy to you in a way.

I'd say and then. Going into those [writing] sessions can be scary because yous're going into rooms with people y'all don't know and pouring your heart and soul out for everyone to hear. I've realized that a lot of information technology is most relating to i another; it feels more like a support grouping than anything else because we do get quite deep, but we are all thinking near different people or experiences. I love when people make the vocal their own because that means it's a universal song that everyone can relate to. With "Love Yous From A Distance" I remember thinking the lyrics "Remember when I'd bulldoze you home 'cause you lot didn't have your license" were so personal to me, but I've had then many people accomplish out and say they tin can relate to the aforementioned thoughts and feelings. TikTok has made me realize no i has had a unique thought or experience! [Laughs]

Are there any artists or songs in item that yous feel see you and universalize your experience in a way a lot of other artists haven't been able to exercise?

It depends on the song and the artist, but James Bay is an artist I ever feel tin can summarize my experiences for me in a beautiful way. There are a few songs on his debut record that I mind to and everything merely clicks. Hozier is some other one where I can listen to the lyrics and considering he's so poetic, you can put your meaning behind a lot of what he is saying. I expect upwardly to artists like them because I want to make timeless music. I accept some songs coming out that are more pop-leaning merely I similar being able to dance between genres.

Information technology'south exciting to be in a identify where you aren't putting yourself in a box because that's heady to listeners; we similar not knowing what to expect next.

Yeah, and it allows for y'all to bring in new listeners who lean more than pop or who adopt songs that have more of a singer/songwriter vibe. The real meaning comes from the words and what the song is saying; that's what people stick effectually for.

Speaking of sticking around for the lyrics — "Random Writes" is a series you lot started on TikTok. Can you tell me a chip about it and what made you make up one's mind to commencement information technology?

When I started on TikTok I was writing to people and request them to give me an experience or something they are going through and I'd write nearly it. I love writing from other people's perspectives and pulling from their stories. I did one this week and I was working on information technology earlier this phone call! Information technology'south a fun mode to interact with listeners and it helps me get inspired and see if people similar it when I post it online. I wrote a song a few weeks ago that started from a comment on TikTok and I'm pretty sure I'm going to release information technology.

I love that so much. Y'all really integrate your listeners into your work and that's such a personal and thoughtful connectedness to build with them.

Yeah, it'southward something that'due south been really amazing to do because I feel like I tin add together in my own experiences and blend it with their stories and sometimes a song comes out of it!

"If I Could" was the get-go song y'all wrote well-nigh someone else's experiences — what was that similar?

We wrote information technology in a writing session over Zoom and the other writer was in the UK. We were all discussing someone shut to one of the author's going through cancer handling and she's so immature. Nosotros just kept talking about how if we could have the pain away from this person, you would. It's like when you come across someone shut to you in pain and y'all know you lot can't do annihilation, which I think a lot of people tin relate to. We went off that concept equally we were writing and I call up being younger and my best friend going through something tragic and then the vocal has hitting a new emotional spot to me always since releasing it.

Y'all said yous wanted to help people through music and you're even helping yourself, too!

Yeah, having people hear it and reach out and tell me they are going through something similar… it'due south humbling. It's therapeutic for them, they feel like their story is beingness told, and that's the best feeling that can happen when y'all write and release a vocal.

The video is just equally powerful, too. How did the concept come together?

I wanted the concept of time and clocks counting downwardly. I want all of my visuals to be related to the song and have a meaning behind them, so when the director said they were going to projection numbers & time against me I was really into information technology. It's demonstrating someone's time running out in the most obvious way.

Your debut EP volition be released afterwards this twelvemonth — what can nosotros wait from it?

A lot of songs I've already previewed on TikTok but there are a few people haven't heard nonetheless. The absurd part about it is that just because they've heard a preview, it doesn't mean they know the full production! There were so many songs to pick through, but I wanted to option my favourites. I tried to consider everyone'southward opinions, but these are the songs I'm virtually proud of and I could see myself having a lot of fun playing them on stage. I can't wait to share it with everyone.

"If I Could"  is out now. Follow Ashley via @ashleydkutcher

Interview past Kelsey Barnes
Photography by Clyde Munroe

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Source: https://1883magazine.com/ashley-kutcher/

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