Life & Work with Laura Ashley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Ashley.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Picture a 12-acre oasis in the middle of Missouri with horses, dogs, cats, and chickens. I was the lucky girl that got to grow up there.

With my dirty blonde hair and dirty bare feet, I explored the beauty of the Missouri country hills all from the back of my horse Lil’ Bit. Lil’ Bit is basically my furry soul-mate.

We did everything together, including going to work and going inside the house! I never felt like I fit in at school, so I had to find a place where I felt whole, and that was by simply being with my horse in the country and by singing.

I had a big voice for being a young girl and nobody that I knew was actually chasing music as a career. So, I settled for some classical voice lessons, which seemed to be the only thing offered. I went with the flow of classical music into college because everyone told me I had such a great voice for it, but I finally had enough of singing songs that were hundreds of years old.

I wanted to create, not just replicate what’s already been written. So, I started blazing my own path without having a single clue of what I was doing. I learned through a lot of failures, but eventually great things came out of it too.

I started writing music, performing, and even became an On-Air Radio Personality for a CMA and ACM award-winning country station for a few years during college. I loved being on-air and meeting label staff and, of course, the artists. I was surrounded by country music… it was fabulous!

This was all a part of the process to make music connections in a less musically congested area. I felt like I was making more headway by being in radio in Missouri rather than Nashville at that time.

Great things started to come with lots of hard work! I’ve been fortunate enough to open for some killer artists such as Carly Pearce, Matt Stell, Mitchell Tenpenny, Lindsay Ell, Danielle Bradbury, and Jamie O’ Neil. I’ve also been on tour with a Branson, Missouri group called “The Ozark Jubilee” for weeks at a time. I loved that experience because we’d only perform the classics.

I would go out every night all dolled up and sing Patsy, Loretta, and Dolly to crowds absolutely delighted to hear the songs they grew up with. Following the show, we’d climb back on the tour bus, fall asleep, and then wake in a new city to bring country music. My appreciation of country music has done nothing but grow, and I feel a connection with “the greats” by singing their songs night after night.

I’m super grateful to have been able to perform some of my own music at CMA Fest a couple of times and I did have a cool moment years ago where I got to sing backstage with Lauren Alaina, Thomas Rhett, Randy Houser, and Phil Vassar… I had to pinch myself because I couldn’t believe something that cool could ever happen to me at that time!

I was also recently featured by Netflix and Dolly Parton due to my fan-loved submission of the #JoleneChallenge video with my horse Lil’ Bit in the house during the performance.

I’ve also been very grateful to have the support of my hometown area. They awarded Local Female Vocalist of the year two times and I hope their support continues to follow me.

There was a lot of excitement chasing this dream locally, but after a while, I had felt like my potential in Missouri had hit its peak so it was time to head to Music City. I moved to Nashville right before Covid began. To be honest, it wasn’t a great time to move… but with things back to normal, I’m full speed ahead! I’m currently working on new music and am so excited to share it!

Fun Facts:

• I used to ride my horse to work when I worked at a stable. (My first job was cleaning stalls).
• I used to work on a blueberry farm. I got paid to pick blueberries haha
• Two years in a row I had a bird land on me and begin to pull out strands of my hair for her nest.
• I used to compete as a CrossFit athlete.
• I used to be on an equestrian team and we would compete and perform at rodeos every weekend.
• One of my favorite things is going horseback riding at night when there’s snow on the ground.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think chasing art in any form has so many challenges. Because it’s not “normal”, I feel people outside the industry are quite skeptical and assume that you’ll fail. Challenges inside the industry are just as tough. In a city full of talent, it can feel like a flock of birds all fighting for one small worm. But worth it? YES!

I’ve had to get used to “no’s” because we hear that much more frequently than “yes’s!”

On the more personal side, I went through a very toxic relationship that had all kinds of negative effects on me mentally, it truly felt like climbing Everest to recover. Music took a pause during this time due to the rubble he left my heart in. I learned a lot and grew so much.

This relationship gave me a depth and understanding of heartbreak that I didn’t know I’d use for art later and also use to help others through similar situations! I can’t say that horrible experience was a “lose/lose” It was most certainly a “lose/win!”

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m really in this whole thing for just a couple of reasons. I feel like this is what I was called to do, and I want to help people. I wouldn’t last a day in med school! So this is the best way I feel I can give back.

Life is so beautifully complex and sometimes the difference between a good day and a bad day is just a moment where someone feels understood. I would love to be the reason someone has a good day instead of a bad one! So I love to write songs that might do just that, or inspire someone to let all of their worries go and just have a couple of minutes of zero stress and worry.

For being a country artist, I do think I’ve lived a side of the country life that is really rare in country music anymore. I used to ride my horse to work when I worked at a ranch and all day I was surrounded by cowboys, cowgirls, stunning horses, leather, spurs, dirt, and of course… country music.

I used to watch Missouri sunsets while driving a John Deere tractor and listening to Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor.” There is also one time I rode my horse to a new area that I’d never been to (deep in the Ozarks)… I rode so far out that I actually started hearing a banjo… (How bizarre is that!? It sounds like I’m making it up!).

I followed the sound and found a married couple playing banjo and fiddle on the other side of the river where I was. They were barefoot and the husband had an epically long beard. They were so talented! (You might even hear a song about this in the near future!).

I ended up chatting with them and it was another moment in my life where I fell in love with this country life. I wanted to pinch myself. It’s rare to have such unique stories like that. Finally, listeners can know that I write all of my music and it is authentic. I’m not a faker! I am not any good at being anyone but myself.

I suppose that’s something I’m proud of… no one has ever been able to change who I am.

We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking?
I’m a huge fan of calculated risk-taking and listening to your gut!

I’m a huge over-thinker, so I usually need some time to unwind my thought train before I make a risk, but if it feels right, I think that’s something that should be trusted. Sometimes we don’t give our intuition enough credit!

I believe I took a huge risk of loving again after having my heart shattered, and moving to a new city to chase a dream. And I don’t regret a single bit of those choices! They are the best things I’ve ever done!

Contact Info:

• Website: lauraashleymusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraashleymusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraAshleyCountry
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/3LauraAshley
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoNFG9-Dab67_4fFCPCwqfQ

Image Credits
Jessica Yates, Anthony Romano, Shayne Jacopian, and Chet Smith