Today’s spotlight is an artist we have been sharing for several years now, Ashland Craft. Craft is an incredible vocalist, a true artist, and a songwriter that writes about what she knows. While the songstress has had many different moments in her career, currently, she is creating her best music to date. We chatted with Craft about her new music, how much became her calling, and everything in between.

“I was raised in a town called Piedmont, South Carolina, which is, right outside the city of Greenville, South Carolina,” shared the singer. “Blue collar parents who had the same jobs their entire lives and worked really hard. Because of her parents, Craft was raised with an unmatched work ethic, as well as, an early love for music.

I grew up in church, singing some songs and music kind of got a hold of me at a really young age, so to me, it’s kind of the one thing that I’ve always loved and known and felt confident,” shared the singer. She recalls enjoying artists like George Jones and Shania Twain. “It’s so hard for me [to choose favorites] because I think I just love music so much I was absorbing everything, but if I had to list a couple that really made an impact on me, I would say, George Jones, a lot of his writing and realism in his music and being brutally honest about stuff like, I loved that aspect. My dad loved George Jones and, Merle Haggard and all of those, you know, icons. So I really appreciated from a young age to them just like telling how it was, I guess. Even if if it was hard or uncomfortable. It’s just like somebody related to that, and I thought that was really special. Shania Twain, honestly, is another pivotal artist for me.”

The Turning Point:

Despite loving music from an early age, Craft was not aware of the huge music industry that she would eventually take part in. “I think where I’m from, I didn’t necessarily think music was an option as a career. It was always a dream and something that it just led me through life, truly. I just made decisions. I didn’t even think about it. I was just like, we’ll go wherever the music takes me.”

For Craft, music was an outlet that became one of the most important things in her life. “I went through some very hard things as a kid, and that became, like, almost therapy for me when I felt, you know, misunderstood or not heard out, or, you, just any situation, really, is when I turn to music, and I felt seen. So, I think that is probably one of the biggest reasons that kind of led me here today.”

As her life unfolded, Craft found herself auditioning for The Voice and playing dive bars gigs around town. “I’ve just tried to spend or fill all my time with music in some way, shape, or form, and that eventually brought me here to Nashville, where I’m just trying to release music and let people see good kind of music that, like, made me growing up.”

Along the way, through trial and error and opportunity, Craft truly found her voice, her team at LEO33, and her sound. “Every time I did something with music, it was just like a natural call and, and I never wanted to leave,” she shared.

Today:

Flash forward to today, Craft is all in on her music. Most recently, Craft released her record Dive Bar Beauty Queen featuring eleven songs. The record as a whole pays tribute to the songs that inspire her, the artists that blazed the path she is walking, and the songs that poured out of her on this journey.

“We were getting to the end of the process, about a year in, and I had sent my label this song that I had written when I was nineteen, and I sent them “Dive Bar Beauty Queen” and they were like ‘we have to release this.’ And for me, that was a big leap of faith in myself, because I just remembered the age that I was when I wrote that. You know, I hadn’t really gone through many as many experiences as I had up to this point, but I think that was the enticing factor of getting that song is I think my biggest goal is to show the journey from kind of start to finish or at least start to where I am now and I think we all just collectively decided there was not a song that was more me to a tee than that one, and it was the only song I really written by myself.”

“Dive Bar Beauty Queen” became the pillar for the entire project, allowing fans to see the love and honesty that Craft’s music is all about. “I really wanted people to see this side to me. I didn’t just, like, move to Nashville and then just, you know, start jumping on tours,” she shared, adding, “I’ve had a lot of folks, like, stick around as long as they have, and we’re selling tickets to my first headlining tour, and I’m just excited to be able to give a way longer set than we I think typically have in the past.”

For Craft, the music and the fans are everything. She will continue to showcase that as she tours with fellow artist Meg Patrick. Fans can grab tickets here. Stay tuned for even more coming from Craft!

Connect:

To keep up with Ashland Craft, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.

Ashland Craft’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.