Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashy Batchelor.
Hi Ashy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a recording artist and singer/songwriter. I started learning guitar and singing at 11 and songwriting at 13. At the time, I was inspired by artists such as Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding, and Adele. My passion for music sparked when I started songwriting; it gives me so much joy. I have wanted to pursue commercial music since I was 11, and throughout my schooling years, I entered every talent & songwriting event/ competition you can imagine. I was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of several bands from 11-16 years old. When I left high school, I didn’t study any form of music, but I had left with triple honors in music from high school and had a good idea of what I wanted my music path to be. I spent my first year of high school learning about the music industry and flying up to Auckland (our main city for the music industry) regularly to meet and connect with as many people as possible. I started recording properly in studios and working with producers and gradually learned how to take my singer-songwriter roots and turn that into a pop recording artist. I connected with an Australian producer Liam Quinn along the way and would often go to Sydney as it was an easy commute as I have family there. As a team, we honed my sound, songwriting, and music in the commercial world. In the past 2 years, I have advanced even more and signed with management, Cary Caldwell, and publishing; Concord Music Publishing. I have achieved high streaming numbers on music platforms, been featured in publications like Rolling Stone, and am continuing my journey in the international market after performing at SXSW 2023.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has not been smooth; this industry has had extreme highs and lows. Most of my struggle is not being recognized for the work that I’m doing. It’s this never-ending cycle of being compared to everyone around you, and it’s been a challenge to be taken seriously. I’ve had to prove myself over and over again, sometimes what felt like more than the average musician should. My diversity has proven to be a challenge for the industry, as it’s not easy to slot me into a category already exists. Pop music is taken less seriously in the industry, but it is one of the most challenging genres to succeed.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a commercial recording artist & and songwriter from Christchurch, New Zealand. I’m known as a pop artist and performer, and I’m proud of performing at SXSW 2023. I performed 8 times with an all-female band over the week. We made the impression we had hoped for, and I greatly advocate celebrating women and diversity. I am also proud of being featured in Rolling Stone Australia earlier this year. This was a big milestone moment for me. What sets me apart is all the things that make me an individual. I am Indian, a young woman from NZ, and a pop artist. That combination of things is rare, which sets me apart in more ways than I imagined. I am also adopted, so I was born in India and was adopted by a Kiwi family (parents & 3 big brothers) when I was around 14 months old. So my perspective on life is also very different.
What do you think about luck?
I consider myself a fortunate person. From my luck, I must have had to have been the pick of the bunch at an orphanage at 14 months and always given an incredibly blessed life to get the green light before I hit the intersection. It is all about having perspective. I’ve been raised to work hard, be smart and have fun. I have always chosen to move forward in many moments that would’ve negatively affected someone else. In my industry, there has to be an element of luck. You do have to be at the right place at the right time for many of these magic moments to happen. I think bad luck in my industry equates to bad timing. It wasn’t the right time for you, and it didn’t work out, but maybe the next thing you do will.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6c47JwRK2Sd1zeisuIgKhO?si=iO0PZcf6T1GBCKmzI7WWBA&dl_bra
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashy_music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashymusicnz
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashymusicnz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ashymusicnz
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ashymusicnz
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashyyymusic
Image Credits
Honora McCormack
