HOUSTON, TX- Ashlyn Willson’s (aka Ashe) star has been steadily rising over the past few years despite the pandemic. After dropping a series of EPs, she released her first full-length album, Ashlyn, in 2021. Ashlyn immediately made an impact with her ever-growing fanbase and allowed her fans to get an even wider glimpse into her personal life by expanding on those topics of heartache and grief that she had touched upon in her earlier works. Her authentic lyrics, coupled with the organic, yet diverse, sounds of her music, are something particularly special in this day and age of mass-produced music.
She very boldly writes about death, divorce, and the hardships of life. All of which are things we humans face or may face going through life. She portrays these messages with very pop-savvy and exciting music. A song I want to bring to light is “Til Forever Falls Apart”. Not only did she do a beautiful job musically and lyrically, but also collaborated with Finneas O’Connell. Finneas is well known for his angelic voice and relation to pop artist Billie Eilish. Together Ashe and Finneas sang “Til Forever Falls Apart”, which has grown to be the most listened to song on her album. It’s also a personal favorite and has been on repeat.
Blake Rose was Ashe’s opener this evening, and he set the table perfectly for her. I personally hadn’t heard of him before this evening, but he gave a solid performance and also did an admirable job hyping up the audience for Ashe. One song that stood out was his song “Casanova”. With its catchy hook and undeniable 80s groove, the song is likely to be stuck in my head for a while. Blake has great rhythm and stage presence and clearly, the room approved as literally all of the girls in the room went crazy for him. They went even crazier for him when he jumped off the stage for a bit to pass around hugs in the crowd.
When it was Ashe’s time to take the stage, the room with a buzzing excitement. Lights began to flash on her stage entrance which was center stage, and as her silhouette appeared on the stage her fans screamed and chanted her name in unison. I love to see the excitement.
Ashe gave me a feeling of welcome and comfort. Although I don’t know her personally, it almost felt as if I did. Fans threw flowers and Ashe began to pick them up and thanked them. I noticed how much eye contact she gives the audience. During her opening song, “Me Without You”, a solid, fan-favorite, she made eye contact with me for a brief second, and I felt instantly connected to her and her music. It’s that subtle interaction with the crowd that makes Ashe so much more human and relatable on stage.
I also enjoyed hearing “Kansas”, a song that is a part of her most recent album that was released in 2021. She later closed her set with her hit “Moral of The Story”, a song that holds great meaning to me in my heart. Having the chance to hear both of those songs live was magical.
I loved seeing how interactive she was with the audience. The eye contact notwithstanding, in between every few songs Ashe spoke to the audience and would respond to different things her fans would yell out to her as well as checking on the crowd and making sure everyone was comfortable and okay. It’s very good to see that whether it’s a concert or some other event.
One of the sweetest things I was able to witness was the fan project that somebody had started before the show. A majority of the audience held up a piece of paper that read “We love you, Ashe!”. Fan projects always make me smile. Seeing how much people care about someone that’s influenced them and the music they appreciate by the artist. Such a beautiful moment
Ashe’s performance brought incredible vibes and delight to many, including me. Being among her fans was, in and of itself, something I can’t quite quantify. It’s truly special to be someone among so much joy and appreciation for something. Ashe’s fans truly love her and that love was truly palpable.
Follow Ashe on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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