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Tuesday, 6 April, 2010 11:39 PM
Ashley Allyson
to kick off the 28th Annual Downtown Hoedown on Friday, May 14
Photo
credit: api.ning.com
New
country artist Ashley Allyson
DETROIT
-- Ashley
Allyson was born on May 25, 1992 and was raised in Commerce, Michigan.
She now resides in Nashville and is hard at work on her first album.
Allyson released a CD single called All Kinds of Beautiful.
She is also known for the songs "Red Dress," "Crayola
Skies," "Dance in the Rain," "Hangin' on Hope"
and "I Can Do This."
"Music
runs in my family, but at a young age, I've always had a passion
for it," Allyson said in an exclusive phone interview. "I
always loved performing. I started doing stuff at school. As I got
older, I got more in theatre. I knew I never wanted to go away from
music. I got really into country music and fell in love with it,
completely head over heels in love with the stories that all the
artists told. That's when I knew that's what I wanted to do."
Her
musical influences include Shania Twain, Martina McBride and Carrie
Underwood. "These woman are so fantastic," she said. "They
just put so much of themself into their music. That's what I would
like to accomplish with mine as well."
What's
the story behind your song, "All Kinds of Beautiful"?
"'All
Kinds of Beautiful' is very special to me and to my band,"
the new country artist said. "It's so uplifting, it points
out the good that there is in life and happiness. It kind of takes
away from some of the more negative things. It brings a positive
message. It uplifts and encourages. It's a really great song. It's
my absolute song. It was written by some very talented people. I'm
just so honored to be able to bring it to my audiences."
Allyson
is currently working on her first studio album in Nashville.
"Obviously,
there's 'All Kinds of Beautiful', 'Crayola Skies' is another one
that I absolutely love," she explained. "It's about a
young girl who her life isn't easy. Her father leaves and her mother
is on her own. She goes to her room and she draws a picture. It
reminds her that even though there's hard times going on, she's
still finding beauty within the colors of the rainbow. She can have
her own faith. It's a really great song. We go to 'I Can Do This,'
which is my ballad for my soldiers and my foundation, A Call
to Arms of Love. It's a very sad song. It's very powerful and
moving. It's designed to give hope to those who have lost people
and give them a chance to start over."
Can you
tell me more about your soldiers fund program?
"I
started A Call to Arms of Love when I was 14," the
new country artist said. "I have very, very close friends in
the military. Their family, it's hard on them. They go to a lot
of emotional hardships. They work hard for us and they have nothing.
They work all day long in the hot sun. I just wanted to be able
to do my part to help them. What it does is we gather drinks, coffee
and underwear and stuff they might not get and we send it to them.
It's just a foundation designed to aid their needs. It's been growing.
I've been really happy."
Allyson
is scheduled to kick off this year's 2010 Downtown Hoedown at Hart
Plaza on Friday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m. on the lower stage.
"It's
such a huge honor, I was so happy to find out that l was going to
be able to do that," Allyson replied. "It's my hometown
and there's so many great artists performing this year. There's
Dierks Bentley and Justin Moore, who I had the honor to meeting
a few months ago at CRS and Zac Brown, who I'm really excited to
see again. I also had the honor of meeting him at the 2008 CMA Awards.
I'm definitely excited to see them. There's so many wonderful local
and national artists that are going to be there. I'm so happy to
be a part of it to bring this show to all the die-hard fans that
will stand out in the rain to watch the show."
Can you
give me a preview of your upcoming performance at the Hoedown?
"It's
going to be pretty exciting, we actually have a couple of surprises
in store for the show production wise," she said. "It's
going to go through most of my songs including the new one that
I recently wrote it's called 'Catch 22.' I'm very excited about
that. It's going to be so much fun. All I want everybody to know
is they're going to be on their feet singing, dancing and having
a good time."
Where do
you expect to be in the next 10 years?
"Ten
years, wow, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to do for
lunch," the new country artist responded. "I'm just like
any other artist trying to put one foot in front of the other. Do
I have aspirations and get up on that stage and maybe one day accept
an award? Sure. Right now, I just want to be able to stay connected
with all the country fans and be able to bring my music to them
and just be able to experience new things. If everything grows,
that's fantastic. I've been having the best ride in the world. It's
been fabulous. I just want to be able to keep making music."
What is
your advice to students graduating in music that are looking to
break into the business?
"Learn
as much about it as you possibly can," Allyson said. "This
business is changing every single day. There is no set rule book
to be successful. You just have to follow what's going on. Get out
there and perform and perfect your performance. Learn to write music
if you don't already. Play instruments. Just get out there and have
fun. If you go out there not enjoying it, neither are your fans.
It's just not going to happen. If you really love it and you're
willing to work for it, then that's the best way to go for it."
Look
for Ashley Allyson to perform on the lower stage at the 2010 Downtown
Hoedown on Friday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m.
For
more information, visit www.ashleyallyson.com
or visit her MySpace
page.
Photo
credit: api.ning.com
Ashley
Allyson will perform at Detroit's Downtown Hoedown on Friday, May
14 at 2:00 p.m.
COMPLETE
COVERAGE OF THE 2010 DOWNTOWN HOEDOWN
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