Ashley Kutcher Favorite What If Interview

22-year-old singer-songwriter and rising artist-to-watch Ashley Kutcher unveils her new single "Favorite What If" - out now via Darkroom/Interscope Records. The track features Kutcher's signature edgy delivery and flowing emotions, showing that she's already pop's next rising star. Ashley Kutcher distinguishes herself as the kind of raw talent equally at home on the stage of a neighborhood watering hole or live on social media.

"I equally focus on the lyrics and the delivery," said Ashley. "I keep the vocal cracks and imperfections, because how I sing is just as important as the words I'm singing. It's 100% about the delivery for me.If you put emotion behind the lyrics, people will feel what you're saying."

As if reading right from her diary, Ashley carries a confessional chorus with poignant power, "And I wish I told you everything I told myself I would. You left a mark on my heart, but never on my lips, and now you're just my favorite 'what if'."

Ashley's breakout song "Love You From A Distance" has amassed over 20M combined streams across Spotify and Apple Music, and earned placement on highly coveted playlists including Pop Rising, Fresh & Chill, Alone Again, and more. With over 30K TikTok creates under her belt, and radio placement from BBC Radio 1's 'Best New Pop' and Sirius XM's 'The Pulse', Ashley has officially taken the plunge into her new career as a musician. While continuing to impress the world with her songwriting abilities, she is hard at work preparing for her debut project out later this year via Darkroom/Interscope.

Growing up in Bel Air, MD, she immediately embraced music from a young age. Drawing inspiration from Lennon Stella, Hozier, John Mayer, Amy Winehouse, Billy Joel, James Bay, and Ben Howard, Kutcher eventually started to pen her own songs. After uploading a demo of her original composition "Lust" to TikTok, the video instantly gained thousands of views in just 48 hours. Her following on social media only grew from there, releasing her demos of "Hands To Myself" and "HMU if U Don't Like Me" which both garnered millions of streams on Spotify.

While the tracks exploded and attracted fans with her relatability as an artist, Ashley found herself at a crossroads. She had just completed nursing school and had a secure career path lined up in the field, however, Ashley Kutcher chose to pursue her passion for music, with her honest lyrics and raw emotion that will continue to resonate with audiences all over the world. "Favorite What If" marks an exciting beginning for Ashley Kutcher as an artist.

Interview with Ashley Kutcher

Question: How would you describe your music?

Ashley Kutcher: I'm still exploring my style of music and don't want to confine it into a specific genre. I mostly write in a singer/songwriter style, but I'm also exploring some upbeat pop, indie, and other styles. I want people to feel something when they listen to my music, no matter what genre it is.


Question: Can you tell us about Favourite What If?

Ashley Kutcher: Favorite What If" is a song I wrote over Zoom with two of my friends during quarantine. We wanted to describe the feeling of having someone you always thought you might end up with but never did. We all find ourselves asking "what if" a lot during our life. The "what if" in this song is referring to a specific person that got away.

Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Ashley Kutcher: I believe all of my songs have different meanings and messages within them. Overall I just want people to relate to and feel what I'm saying.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Ashley Kutcher: Definitely live! I started performing live in high school and fell in love with it. During college, I must have played over 100 live acoustic performances. Recording new music is fun, but performing music live is just my favorite.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Ashley Kutcher: I haven't gotten a chance to perform my originals in a real show yet because of COVID, but I am super excited for that moment. When I started performing live, I was doing gigs in Baltimore at local bars and mostly covered some of my favorite songs. Some of my go-to's were "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse, "Come on Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson, and "Vienna" by Billy Joel.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Ashley Kutcher: Usually it's just whatever I've been feeling. It wasn't until college when I started actually writing lyrics. I started writing about my past experiences and everything I never wrote about before. Now I try to pull from my current situations, other people's stories, or just concepts in general that I relate to.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?
Ashley Kutcher: I'm always listening to a wide variety of music. I love The Band Camino, Tate McRae, Megan Thee Stallion, Hozier, John Mayer, Noah Kahan, and Amy Winehouse.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Ashley Kutcher: It definitely stemmed from my dad's influence. Ever since I was a kid, I was surrounded by music because my dad is a drummer. We would have jam nights for fun or go to concerts. I knew I had a strong passion for performing just by watching others do it.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Ashley Kutcher: There are a lot of artists I would absolutely love to collaborate with. If I could go back in time, I would love to perform with Amy Winehouse.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

Ashley Kutcher: I knew it would be a challenging industry, but I didn't think about it much until I recently became a part of it. I always thought of music as a fun hobby. I didn't expect to graduate nursing school and then sign to a label. Now that I am in the music industry, I'm learning all about it everyday!


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist, so far?

Ashley Kutcher: I have been able to meet so many great and ambitious people. It's a big industry but it feels very small, it's like everyone knows everyone.

Question: What's a typical day like?

Ashley Kutcher: I wake up at 7:30am to take my dog on a walk. I try to workout in the morning and the rest of the day I'm usually working -- I spend the day answering emails, filming content, taking meetings, and working on music, whether that be sessions or by myself. Everyday is different, but this is a typical day!


Question: What's next, for you?

Ashley Kutcher: Currently, I am working on putting more music out! I have so many songs ready that I cannot wait to share and I feel like those are my best work yet. I also hope to tour those new songs shortly after and be able to meet everyone in person.


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Ashley Kutcher: Instagram 
TikTok 
Twitter 
Facebook 
YouTube 


Interview by Gwen van Montfort