Country music singer Kassi Ashton is hard to ignore with her seemingly endless string of hits. Her latest, ‘Pretty Shiny Things’ brings all the feels & she revealed why it’s one of her most ‘vulnerable’ yet in our EXCLUSIVE interview.
It’s “the song that started it all” country music singer-songwriter Kassi Ashton said of her new single, “Pretty Shiny Things,” and she wasn’t joking. When the budding country star sat down for a chat with HollywoodLife ahead of the track’s release, she revealed that the new tune has been “years” in the making. She’s already worked with the likes of Keith Urban, but for fans not acquainted with the singer, the stunning ballad released on March 22, is sure to capture their heart. “I kind of wanted the whole message behind the song to say you should be to vulnerable and be honest and cry whenever you want and, you know, be a mess whenever you want. We’re all human and the person next to you is human and life would be a lot easier and more loving if we understood that about each other,” the singer said of the song’s message.
The 25-year-old songstress went on to explain how the track is different from anything she’s done before. “It’s a bit more on the ‘deep side’ of the swimming pool emotionally. That’s what I like anyway. I prefer the deep side of the pool. I wrote it before I ever signed my publishing deal. So I wrote it a long time ago, years ago, in the middle of the night, I know it sounds so cliché. I woke up kind of in a sweat and had to write the song. Cause’ I couldn’t fall back to sleep until I did,” she told HollywoodLife.
For Kassi, there was never a plan B when it came to having a music career. “I’ve been wanting this since before I could breathe. My mom used to sneak me into karaoke bars but I couldn’t read the prompter. So my go-to song when I’m guessing four or five was “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion,” she explains. “Singing and being an artist was the only option I ever thought of my entire life. And someone told me once to never have a Plan B, because then you give up on Plan A too easy.”
While the Missouri native admits that her new single is “definitely different” than her previous release, “Violins,” there was no shortage of creativity when it came to penning that track as well. In fact, when it came time to film a video for it, Kassi took the reins. “I love to do everything from, of course, singing and writing, to dancing. I danced six days a week growing up and competitively, acting, sewing, painting, building furniture. So when my label said that I could put out full music videos this year for every song, my creative brain just starting shooting out ideas. And when it came time for “Violins” that was my first music video I ever gotten to do. So, I just made mood boards galore. I designed and made all the costumes that you see in the music video,” she revealed.
If the video conjures up memories of a certain 2004 music video, that was no mistake. “That’s where the kind of marching band aspect came in. I wanted it to be a bit punk, like Gwen Stefani and her ‘Hollaback Girl’ days.”
However for Kassi, it was working with Keith Urban that has undoubtedly been the highlight of the past year. “I learned so much,” the singer says of the experience. “When he sent me the song, first I thought the email was spam. I literally thought the email was spam,” she says with a laugh. “I almost deleted it until someone at my label was like I gave Keith Urban your email address. And I was home for Thanksgiving, I hadn’t even put music out yet. I was about to sign the actual paperwork of my record deal and I start screaming, running around. I was in the middle of nowhere on my dad’s farm, was supposed to call Keith, and had no cell reception. I had to drive to town and then I come back cause he hadn’t called yet, and somehow find a spot where I had service.” It all worked out for the dynamic duo, who released “Drop Top” in spring of 2018.
One thing is for sure: Kassi is fearless when it comes to making music and is happy to break the mold. “I think molds are silly in the first place, cause we’re all different anyway. We’re all our own shape, so why try to stick us all in a square? We’re all human and we’re all different and that’s what’s beautiful.”