Q&A: Ashley Alexander

There’s something magically raw, vibrant and captivating about Ashley Alexander’s music and his smokey, soulful vocals that you can’t help but feel a genuine pull & connection to.

Hailing from Paraparaumu, Ashley chats to us about his latest single “Lunar Phase” exploring the feeling of that cloud nine love, recently becoming a father, the biggest lessons he’s learnt being an artist and more.

How did you get into making music?

Ever since I can remember, music has been a part of my life. I was 4 when I asked my parents to buy me a guitar and I was playing and singing by the time I was 6. The rest is history. Been making music ever since.

The first song you released “Best Song” gives us sensational Anderson .Paak vibes, groovy guitar solos and plenty of slick horn fills throughout! Have you always been drawn to the sound of live instruments, and how important are they in your own music?

It’s so so important. I really love “producing” music, I love creating catchy polished music. But it can be easy to lose tension, imperfections and become a bit gutless. I’m always trying to shed that contemporary/commercial sheen and try to showcase a little life in the music that reflects my personality and who I am, not just where I want to go or sound like. You can fake it all day but you are what sells.

We’re addicted to your song “Nicotine”, which has over 720K plays on Spotify! Can you tell us how the concept of this song came about as well as the incredibly wholesome music video?

That song came together a couple years ago now, how crazy! Nicotine is me raising my glass to my lady, and celebrating her individuality. she inspires me to be who I am. The videos concept came together naturally, I always wanted to see someone unexpected showcase an inner quality, a version of themselves nobody gets to see. I’m so incredibly proud we made that happen. It’s one of my happiest moments seeing that character come to life.

You’ve described the feeling of love perfectly in so many ways on your latest track “Lunar Phase”! We especially like the line “like a morning rush, espressos in the morning, cocktails at lunch”. Can you describe in more detail on how love can be like a lunar phase, and what were some of your highlights working on this track?

Life’s seasonal, fluid. Everything is coming and going and to me there’s no better way to describe that than with something like love. It’s a rush, it passes us by and sometimes if we are lucky it sticks around. Highlight? When Sam Jones sent a saucy sax solo to my inbox for the outro. That made it way way more cool.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process - do you have the same process for each song or is it different every time?

Different every time. But I try not to pretend to be something I’m not. I’m a songwriter at my core, so my focus is hearing the melody, lyrics and composition. I’m not too fussed on slickness, I’m not running off a template or jumping in with a preset mindset. I’m picking up a guitar and writing a song and then thinking about production later. At least for now that’s what I do.

Who are your biggest inspirations in music and why?

Thats a hard question. I reluctantly say I lack in this department. I’m constantly inspired by people/places outside of music and that pushes me that bit further down the rabbit hole. Like anyone, my inspirations always change. Closest inspirations right now would be locals like LEISURE, Bailey Wiley, Troy Kingi, Warren Maxwell. All just amazing people, amazing stories and backgrounds and those human elements are what is drawing me to music right now.

Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now? Are there any songs in particular that you love or connect with?

Bailey Wiley for her live performance and power. She is just a good human and the music sits well with me. “Sugar” is just undeniably a hit. HIGH HØØPS just holds it down, his track people is slightly chaotic and dare I say a bit of a fast burn and I like that. I like people who don’t care about what people want and they make what they feel. Leonard is producer from Wellington who I really think is overlooked, so much talent, I’m constantly blown away at the songwriting. Who cares about the production, the melodies are so good, check out sold on you. There’s too many to mention across so many genres.

Congratulations on recently becoming a dad! What’s your favourite thing about fatherhood so far?

Favourite thing?! Far out. That’s hard, there are so many things. Becoming a dad would have to be the best thing I have ever done period.  I think throughout my teens and coming into adulthood i had been so consumed by my own existence and trying to keep up with the world. my favourite thing is waking up, seeing him smile as he wakes and feeling this crazy world drift behind me. It’s humbling, and my expectations for my own life and my family life have become healthier. It’s just amazing. I’m unbelievably proud of my whanau. Plus he is so cute it’s ridiculous, don’t get me started.

What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?

I love how small it is. I produces a very friendly space where everyone knows everyone. I love Waitakere Ranges, Castlepoint, Red Rocks in Wellington, Kapiti Island. I love to get away from everything and sign out.

How was the lockdown for you and what’s one of the biggest lessons you learnt during that time?

It was pretty hard. Having a baby on the way, away from family and friends, career opportunities getting cancelled or postponed. Some in the music industry have found a way to weather the storm but with covid and a growing family I had to focus on what was important. It’s really hard to feel like you’re out on the sidelines in a creative industry. Biggest lesson, to trust that there will be time to get things the way you want and that people still believe in what you do.

What are some of the main things you’ve learnt over the process of writing & recording your own music, and what advice do you have for new artists out there?

I would say that in this day and age there is no right or wrong. Just be you. If you do that people will have the best chances of engaging and resonating with what essentially is your product. You.

What’s next for you? Will you be releasing more music soon?

Luckily over lockdown we have planned the last set of releases for the upcoming EP. The last single is going to be really special, saved the best till last. And I’m in the motions of planning some supporting shows around the North Island and costing some places we haven’t gone for sometime. Also writing the second EP down in Wellington which is so exciting. Just getting back on our feet and ready to hit the ground running in 2021.

Can’t wait! Make sure you keep up with Ashley on Instagram (i_am_ashley_alexander), Facebook, Spotify and Apple Music!