Whether in a dimly lit small-town bar or under the watchful eye of a smartphone camera, emotion slips through the cracks. Under both circumstances, breakout star Ashley Kutcher’s edgy delivery shines. The singer, songwriter, and artist distinguishes herself as the kind of raw talent equally at home, on the stage of a neighbourhood watering hole, or live on social media. Amassing 20 million streams independently and 20 million TikTok views, the heartfelt honesty in her music captivates listeners across the world.
The track “Love You From A Distance”, her most successful song to date, was re-released in January of 2021 via Darkroom/Interscope, and has already amassed over 23.5 million streams. The inspiration for this song came about when a Twitter follower proposed “write a song about not being able to be with someone anymore.” Lying on her back with a guitar in the bathroom, she wrote and sang about a breakup. The initial video upload quickly caught fire, and she went on to finish the official version of “Love You From A Distance” with producer Eric Taft.
“To me, it’s about moving on from something,” she admits. “I was in a relationship where I thought, ‘I’m always going to love this person. How do I move on?’ It’s my experience with young love.”
While the track 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, major record labels were knocking at her door and vying for her attention
“I graduated in December 2020 with a nursing degree, but I never took the NCLEX exam,” she recalls. “I decided to pursue music. My parents were like, ‘Ashley, we never saw you as a nurse’,” she laughs.
Due to the success of the original version of the track, Ashley decided to release an acoustic video for “Love You From A Distance” last month to quench the thirst of her listeners as she continues to write and record new music under Darkroom/Interscope Records.
“These songs are all so personal that it’s cool to watch people comment back and tell me how a song has affected them,” she leaves off. “It’s never too late to change your path and to do something you love. If you want to do something, you can do it. You’ve simply got to put the work in. I’m on a different path than I was even a few months ago, but I believe it’s where I was always meant to be.”
