Seventeen year old singer-songwriter and TikTok sensation Ashley Jo has signed with Norwalk, CT label Factory Underground Records.
It is not often that a young singer-songwriter lands a recording contract and publishing agreement with her very first song, but it isn't often that a singer like Ashley Jo comes along with a song of like "Hand Me Down." But then Ashley Jo is no ordinary songwriter, and she is an artist with a unique story to boot. The seventeen year-old vocalist has landed a recording contract and co-publishing agreement with Norwalk, CT-based Factory Underground Records.
Her song "Hand Me Down" is set for release in the Spring of 2024, with a music video to follow. Fans can pre-save the track here: https://lnk.to/HandMeDown
For many,
the Ashley Jo story might have begun in 2022, when the high school student was asked to perform the national anthem before one of her school hockey team games. She took to the ice in her full uniform, goalie pads and all - ready to sing. It was then, during the first half of the song, that the wireless microphone suddenly cut out. Undeterred, Collins kept singing, and her voice filled the entire arena, shocking people in the stands. A video of Ashley Jo's powerful performance was shared with the local Ridgefield, CT-television news, and it would later go viral on the teen's own TikTok, racking up over 2.7 million views.
But as it turns out, the Ashely Jo story actually began much earlier. She began singing at age ten, and writing songs at thirteen, inspired by music artists in her favorite style of music, American country. Artists who have influenced and inspired on Collins include Carrie Underwood, Lainey Wilson, and Ashland Craft.
"Carrie Underwood is the reason I sing country music. I was blown away by her incredible voice and range. That's something I strive to work towards. Lainey Wilson is another favorite; her stage presence and the way she performs with a full band is so inspiring to me. I also love the honky-tonk sound Ashland has. I have been following her for a long time," said Jo.
"Hardy is the reason I write the way I do. He tells stories through song and storytelling is one of my favorite ways to write. Chris Stapleton inspires me as well; he's kind of like Hardy in that he is a storyteller and he tells his stories through the sounds of his guitar. I love the way he really brings out all of the emotions in the lyrics," said Collins.
Clearly a serious student of her craft, as both a singer and a writer, it was her song "Hand Me Down" that got the attention of Ethan Isaac, of Factory Underground Studio in Norwalk. He immediately decided that it was a song he wanted to produce, and set out to work with her in the studio.
"I was really impressed at the cleverness of her lyrics and her ability to deliver them vocally. But I was equally impressed by her maturity in the recording studio, her eagerness to learn, and willingness to take direction. Together we achieved a recording that is really going to astonish some people, " said Isaac.
After sending out the song to some contacts in the Nashville music scene, Marc Alan, Director of Marketing for Factory Underground Records, got an immediate response from publishers and radio.
"First of all "Hand Me Down" is a big time song with radio smash potential. It told us that we really had something special in Ashley Jo, as a performer and a writer, that we needed to encourage, and develop. At 17, she is writing these fresh, authentic, and original country songs, emulating the artists she grew up idolizing, in a world completely apart from Nashville, or places where you expect country artists to be from," said Alan.
"Ashley reminds me of Alanis Morissette, who wrote her first song at ten, and had a publishing deal long before she became a known recording artist. It's a pretty rare combination in someone as young as Ashley Jo to be so musically gifted as a singer, with equally strong songwriting ability. She's a natural talent, and I think she has a great career ahead of her," he said.
"Hand Me Down" has been in the works for so long and I have put so much hard work into it. I know this is only the beginning, and I can't wait to record more of my songs. I’m so excited about signing with Factory Underground, it’s opening up so many opportunities for me," Jo said.