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Music Monday: Meet Mason Ashley

Happy Monday, readers!

Our Music Monday artist this week is Mason Ashley.

Mason Ashley is an 18-year-old singer and songwriter from Texas that is ready for the world to hear her stories from the past few years through music.

Music has been Mason’s blood since birth. She could hear a song on the radio, march her seven-year-old self into the house, sit down at the upright piano inherited from her great, great grandparents, and begin to play the song she had just heard. She had an ear for music and could play nearly anything she picked up. After piano came the guitar. Her grandfather was throwing away an old Conn and when she saw it in the trash, she was mortified at the injustice of throwing away a piece of art. After rescuing it, she began to play, but something more happened. That old, throw-away guitar thrust her into a mystical world of songwriting at the tender age of just nine.

“Music has been a huge part of my life since I was little. I grew up singing in church and teaching myself how to play any instrument I could find in my house. I discovered at a young age that songwriting is an amazing outlet. I would write all day. I wrote about anything I could, and even though most of my songs sounded like rip-off Taylor Swift songs, it was still a huge part of what helped me deal with pre-teen and teenage problems. I’ve always been amazed by songs that can make my stomach drop and give me chills and make me feel like I understand exactly what they’re singing about…I wanted to be on the other side of that. If I can make just one person that listens to my music know that they aren’t the first person to go through something…that’s all I want,” Mason tells us.

Earlier this month, Mason released the music video for her song “Paper Planes,” which is off her upcoming record Strangers. “Paper Planes” is inspired by a former relationship Mason had that was not the normal, healthy relationship people dream of. “‘Paper Planes’ is a song that is relatable to anyone that has been in the vulnerable situation of falling for someone that you know is wrong for you. It’s about taking a risk and diving head first into a messy, fragile relationship,” she told J-14.

For 2017, Mason wants “to be completely open minded and see where her path takes me because she knows it’ll have a lot more different twists and turns than she could ever map out for herself.”

Celeb Secrets caught up with Mason recently to talk about her upcoming EP Strangers, what inspires her songwriting, and why you should listen to her music — check out the full Q&A below!

Keep up with Mason by following her on Twitter at @TheMasonAshley.

Celeb Secrets: For people that haven’t heard your material, how would you describe the sound?

Mason Ashley: “My music is very diverse. Some of it is very singer-songwriter based and some of it is alternative pop kind of stuff. I always have a very hard time describing the sound to people.. but to me, I write the lyrics and the rest is created around that to bring the lyrics to life and portray the emotion I felt when I wrote it.”

Celeb Secrets: You have an EP coming out soon called Strangers. Can you tell us how the EP came about and the writing/recording process for it?

Mason Ashley: “Strangers is an EP of all songs I’ve written over the past two years. I started recording with only a couple songs finished and had to push myself to write more. I’m not good at forcing myself to write.. I like inspiration to come naturally so this record was a new experience for me. But the songs started coming, like they always do, and we would record the songs as they came. I would write the songs super late at night, record a messy demo, text it to my producer and then finally fall asleep. It was a really unique and exciting recording process and it was so fun to watch the songs start coming together and come to life.”

Celeb Secrets: Do you write your own songs? If so, who or what inspires your songwriting?

Mason Ashley: “I write all my songs by myself. I find inspiration from everywhere and it comes from so many different people and places. A lot of my songs are inspired by relationships (of course) or just from people. Watching strangers interact and meeting new people with different characteristics tend to spark some inspiration in me.”

Celeb Secrets: Do you have any goals you would like to set/achieve for 2017?

Mason Ashley: “I am a very spontaneous, go with the flow kind of person.. honestly, goals and timelines scare me because I feel like it can almost affect the way my path goes. This time last year I would have never imagined I’d be where I am right now. I’m about to go film two new music videos, release my first music video and send my second EP out into the world… and those are all things I couldn’t have planned out for myself. So my goal for 2017 is to be completely open minded and see where my path takes me because I know it’ll have a lot more different twists and turns than I could ever map out for myself.”

Celeb Secrets: Why do you think our readers should listen to your music?

Mason Ashley: “I am a very honest writer. I write about real life things and pretty much every experience that happens to me. If someone is looking for music that is something they can relate too and make them feel like they aren’t alone, then they will probably enjoy my music. Also…there’s some pretty fun, sing-along in the car songs on the album.”

Celeb Secrets: We are Celeb Secrets — can you spill any secrets about yourself?

Mason Ashley: “Okay…one secret about myself is… I can do an unbelievable Louis Armstrong impersonation…..(just don’t ask my friends because they don’t appreciate my hidden talent.)”

Author

  • Juliet Schroder

    Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and exploring the latest fashion trends. Juliet holds a B.S. in marketing from St. John's University.

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Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and…

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