Song Writing with Jasmine Ash @girlthrifted
Song Writing with Jasmine Ash @girlthrifted
Tell us more about who you are and what you do!
My name is Jasmine Ash and I am a songwriter based in Los Angeles, CA (by way of Portland, OR). I live with my dog, son, and partner, on a little quiet street in the Franklin Hills neighborhood. I've been writing songs professionally since about 2009, and it's something that's taken me all around the world to do, which is pretty neat. I am also a self-proclaimed clothing connoisseur, and have had so much fun growing a little corner of IG with my outfit and lifestyle based pics, and reels. And I love traveling, hiking, reading, eating good meals with friends and family and finding lots of time to rest on top of all that!
Oh boy, well everyday is truly a different day when it comes to songwriting. I'm lucky to mostly be able to collaborate with some of my favorite writers and producers and also to work with some of the coolest artists around, so inspiration is always flowing when there are other creative brains to work with. When I'm writing solo (very infrequent these days- I should get back to that!) I try to draw inspiration from things going on in my current life, or things going on in the world. If that's tough, I'll get up and walk outside for a bit and usually can unblock myself.
This is so tough! I've written over 1,000 songs at this point so this is pretty hard, but if I had to choose just one I'd say:
"I've been high and low"
Taken from a collab I did years ago, but still remains true. So simple and relatable, right?
Another tough question! There is so much incredible music out there, especially these days. I would say my first influencers were Radiohead- my all time favorite band, though I can't say I currently make music anything like that (I wish!). I'm also inspired by pop music greats like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Lorde, Harry Styles, Rihanna, to name just a few. What can I say, I am a sucker for a well crafted pop song. It also helps to dive in and research popular songs to understand why they work, and how I can apply some songwriting "rules" to my own songs.
More diversity in all forms in producer, writer and composer roles! All across the board while we're at it! Diversity is awesome and just like every industry, the music industry could stand to shake it up with a lot more varied representation at all levels.
Things are ever changing for me but I'm happy to say I'll be releasing some new music at some point this year. I'm excited! I don't normally record and release my own music, so I am excited to share a little bit more of myself as an artist with the world. (And terrified, totally terrified.)
