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Meet Ashley Jordan

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

Ashley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Music has been in my life since I was a small child. My paternal grandfather was a musician – he sang, played the guitar and harmonica. He wrote original country-folk music and he was a light in my life. I lost him when I was very young, but he had a great influence on me. My mother’s family is from Missouri and Kansas, and I spent many summers as a child in the Ozarks, which also impacted my musical tastes at an early age. I was a really shy little girl but I surprised my family when I went out on stage at a school talent show and belted out a song. The reaction I got from the audience definitely impacted me. From there I did open mics and one day I met an incredible musician by the name of John Gerard, who was the featured artist at the open mic, and I was blown away by his talent and performance. He was a tough looking guy with tattoos everywhere and I was a bit intimidated by him, but I marched up to him and asked him if he’d teach me to play the guitar like him. He agreed – and it began a musical mentorship that totally influenced my direction. John was a street-performer and was famous for playing in the subways of Boston. Once I was confident in my skills, I announced to my family that I was going to street perform too. So there I was as a 13 and 14-year-old, performing solo (just me and my guitar) on the streets of Harvard Square in Boston. Someone in my family always accompanied me to help me carry my equipment (and reportedly to make sure I didn’t get kidnapped or killed – ha)!

I honed my skills doing street performing – and pretty soon people started asking me to do shows inside the venues instead of outside on the street! I wrote and recorded my first album of original music when I was 16 years old – and since then I have completed three more albums of original music. I was originally a “singer-songwriter,” but eventually I became recognized as a country singer because of my voice and the storyline of my songs. I guess I eventually morphed into a country singer – which often people question because they ask “how does a country singer come from Massachusetts?” It can happen!

I also was a bit of an outsider when I was in school. In high school, I decided to finish up school in what’s called a “dual enrollment” where I took college classes to complete my coursework and then didn’t have to be in school very often. This allowed me to be out at gigs late at night but it also set me up for being very different and a bit of an outcast at school. I was tormented by a group of “mean girls” who made my last years in school a nightmare. Everything clicked for me though, when I realized that music was not only an outlet for me but also a sword to defend myself. During the last week of high school, seniors are asked to take part in a final talent show and I had agreed to perform an original song. At the last minute, I decided to change the sweet song that I was going to perform and I played/sang an original called “Don’t Mess With a Songwriter” (written specifically about the “mean girls”) where I directly faced my tormentors and got the last word. It was an incredibly empowering moment for me as a young woman (and the reaction I got was amazing)!

I’ve had the honor, over the years, of performing all across the US and have opened for some major acts including Trace Adkins, Sam Hunt, Chase Rice, Rusted Root, Jason Mraz, Phillip Phillips, Christina Perri, O.A.R., Crystal Bowersox, Howie Day – and more! I also have a lot of original music (4 full albums) and music videos under my belt now. I still love to perform as a solo artist when the circumstances call for that, but I also have a kick-ass band that I play with and I’m very proud of the sound. My band has recently been performing a great deal at festivals and recently we connected with the New England Revolution soccer team, performing for their charity event for the Special Olympics. They’ve just asked us to perform again for them in Oct. for a huge fan appreciation event – so that’s very exciting. I’ve been fortunate to have some great radio play across the country and recently won some cool awards over the years including the 2017 Boston Music Awards “Country Artist of the Year” and a first-round Grammy nomination in 2015 for my original song “Angels.”

Has it been a smooth road?
I can’t imagine anyone in the music world having a smooth ride, but I guess it could happen? For me, there have been so many ups and downs. I try to stay focused only on the positive experiences, but because I have chased my dreams as a total grass-roots effort, there’s always the constant struggle of how to keep things moving forward and finance the things that need to be done. I decided at a young age that music was going to be my career path and that there was no Plan B, I guess I just didn’t know how that would pay the bills! LOL! I do as many side jobs as I can to get by in life, and then all money that I make with my music goes right back into merchandise, the band, recording, videos, etc. So that’s a daily struggle that I’m sure many musicians can attest to. All the other emotional struggles that come with playing music just get turned into another country song though– so it’s all good!

What are you most proud of?
I think I’m proud of my persistence as a Musician. When I was a young teen, my parents insisted that I speak with an entertainment attorney and approach my career as a business. So I established “Ashley Jordan Music, LLC” from a young age and with my Mom’s help, I’ve basically been running a business. People see me and think I’m some young kid that they’ve just “discovered.”. But I’ve been around in the music scene for 13 years and have worked hard to be here. I learn something new every day and have recently surrounded myself with the coolest management people that I believe are going to help me get to the next level. I think that one thing that sets me apart from others is the unbelievable support team that I have around me. My Mom has been by my side since I began my career (manager, co-writer, roadie) and my dad, siblings and close friends have been my greatest supporters. I have never felt alone – I’ve always had my team by my side. I also have some incredible super-fans who have encouraged me to keep moving forward – so all of this together is my secret weapon!

In terms of moments, what has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
I’ve had a lot of award moments that were really cool, but whenever I think back on things that had the greatest impact on me, I go to the moment when I won the MIX 98.5 Boston Radio competition and got to be the opening act at MIXFEST 2014 at the Boston Hatchshell. I opened for Christina Perry, Jason Mraz, Phillip Phillips, O.A.R., Magic, and more – in front of 40,000 people. I got to play a few of my original songs and received such a huge response – there’s nothing like looking out at a sea of people and getting great feedback. It stays with you forever! I also have to add another recent experience that was also a proud moment. In both 2016 and 2017, I won a local “Nash Next” competition and then was selected as a top 10 finalist from across the nation to perform in Nashville in front of a top panel of judges for a record deal. Although I didn’t win either year, just to make it to that point was incredible, and I also got to perform in front of Scott Borchetta, Kix Brooks, Brantley Gilbert and Music Legend, Desmond Child. Desmond Child gave a critique of my performance and compared me to Janis Joplin – and I’ll never forget that moment!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Boston is a great city for musicians and it’s definitely a place for someone to get started – even in the genre of Country music!

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Image Credit:
Alice O’Connor Photography, Kenzie Klem Photography, Eric Synder Photography, Kelly Fitzsimmons Photography

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