Ashley will release her 2nd EP “Focus” on Friday, October 18th.
In addition to large-scale live performances such as Japan’s largest hip-hop festival “POP YOURS” and the large-scale festival “LuckyFes” in his hometown of Ibaraki, as well as club tours across the country, he has also performed with artists such as CYBER RUI, DALU (Tokyo Young Vision), Bonbero & Ashley is also attracting attention for her collaboration with Tade Dust (Night Cat Tribe).
This work, which is about a year and a half since his 1st EP “DRAFT ONE” released last year, is a work that he arrived at after experiencing confusion and conflict between his ideals, which were rapidly gaining attention, and the expectations of those around him, and the reality. That’s what it means. While attempting a more free and wide-ranging musical approach, the EP as a whole is connected as a story of one woman’s growth, and is said to be a work packed with Ashley’s evolving “now”.
In addition to lead singles such as “I Pray”, a love song written by Miliyah Kato, and “OASIS”, a party tune that transcends genres with ZENDAMAN, the leading young reggae leader in the Japanese reggae world, the lead song “No Control” was performed by ABEMA’s “Rap Star 2024”. However, there is a girls collaboration with the rapper Charlu, who has received a great response, and EVP, whose release of “PAROPARO G feat. Chinza DOPENESS & Tagaryu” is still fresh in our minds this summer, as well as singer JAY’ED, who has been leading the Japanese R&B scene for many years. “Sober” is a collaborative work with “Sober”, which tells about the failures of men and women who never learn, and veteran artists from the same generation gather together according to the theme of each song.
In addition, the last song of the EP, “Kacho Fugetsu (Full ver.),” is the full version of the Japanese-style song used as the championship song by KADOKAWA DREAMS, who won two consecutive championships in the professional dance league D.LEAGUE. are.
This time too, 7 colorful tracks will be included, with total production by LUNA and sound production by Joe Ogawa.
The music video for the lead song “No Control feat. Charlu & EVP” is scheduled to be released soon. Furthermore, on Saturday, October 19th, the day after the release,“SHIBUYA109 LOVE MUSIC FES”Aichi’s largest hip-hop festival, which was postponed due to a typhoon this summer, will be held on Sunday, November 3rd.『AH1』I am refraining from appearing on.
[Ashley comment]
Two years have passed since I made my debut as an artist and singer, and I have been filled with all kinds of emotions, including happiness, sadness, and frustration.
It was a two-year period where we met and parted ways, and the way we approached music grew. As you get used to Tokyo, there are more things you need to think about, and where and how much you should focus.
It became difficult to maintain a balance between myself and how I divided my energy, and before I knew it, I forgot to face myself and started focusing on my surroundings and the opinions of others.
I did. That’s when I hit a wall and realized that if I wanted to make music for people, I first had to make music that Ashley, as an artist, wanted to express. When I faced myself, everything became clear, and I was able to enjoy making the music I like without being bound by genre or other people’s opinions. That’s why we named this EP “Focus.” An EP where I learned to focus on myself. I want everyone who is watching Ashley to grow day by day to continue to focus on her.If you don’t worry about other people’s opinions and focus on what you like, your happiness, and your goals, everything will become clear. I put this meaning into the title. This is an EP that is filled with Ashley’s genre-less music that I want to share with everyone. I hope that light will shine into each of your hearts after listening to this EP!
[Release information]
Ashley “Focus”
Release Date: Friday, October 18, 2024
Label: JCC TOKYO
Tracklist:
1. No Control feat. Charlu & EVP
2.ChekeMate
3.Airport
4. OASIS feat. ZENDAMAN
5. Sober feat. JAY’ED
6. I Pray
7. Kachofuugetsu (Full ver.)
■Ashley：X (Twitter) / Instagram
