Interview With Dynamic Vocalist, Producer & Songwriter Ashley Jana
Ashley Jana is a singer/songwriter/producer based in New York City. Writing in genres ranging from dance pop to ballads, Ashley made her mark in the music industry with her song placements on Lifetime’s hit reality show Dance Moms, which cultivated over 100 million viewers nationwide. Her song “Spin The Bottle” was also the theme song for WWE Diva Kaitlyn. Because of the national exposure she received from these placements, young girls across America have begun to love and adore Ashley Jana. She has garnered over a million views on YouTube, sold tens of thousands of downloads, and inspired the creation of a plethora of fan videos that little girls made to Ashley’s music.
With her wide range, dynamic tone and top notch production skills, Ashley is a real asset to the AirGigs community. You can check out Ashley’s vocal gig here: http://www.airgigs.com/user/ashleyjana
You’ve been making music for most of your life, can you share a bit about your musical journey?
Yes of course! 🙂 I began singing with my sister (who is 3 years older than me) when I was about 4 years old, and we have been singing and harmonizing together ever since. Our family always had an upright piano we could play and sing on, so music was always a part of our lives since we can remember. As for songwriting, I discovered that I loved to write music when I was jamming with some friends in upstate New York one weekend when I was 19 years old, and I have been vigorously pursuing my career in songwriting ever since. Nowadays, me and my sister live together in Astoria NYC and we are actively pursuing our dreams together! 🙂
To date, what achievements are you most proud of?
I am most proud of my placements on the hit reality show ‘Dance Moms’. So far they have used 6 of my songs, and 2 of them were used for the group dance numbers in episode 1 and 2 of Season 1. To this day I still sell my mp3s on iTunes because of those two major placements, and all of the fans that I have garnered because of it give me more fulfillment than I could ever imagine.
You’re a really talented singer, songwriter and producer…do you enjoy all those roles equally?
Thanks so so much for your kind words! I definitely enjoy all of these roles equally, although songwriting would have to be my number one if I had to choose one. I love to sing and record music and I also love producing music, but songwriting is my number one dream as an artist. 🙂
How did you get into music production?
I started producing music around the age of 20 when I realized that a lot of songwriting lies within the instrumental. I started with a PC, but once I got my MAC and Logic software, I was in heaven. I also have a phenomenally talented person that I work with who has helped me out tremendously when it comes to dealing with the technical aspects of my set up and my productions.
What do you think makes a good studio singer / musician?
I would say that above technique, what makes a good studio singer/ musician is someone who performs from the heart. They really feel the emotion of the song when they perform it, and the feeling comes through onto the mp3 for the listener’s pleasure.
Is dance music your primary genre?
Dance music is indeed my primary genre, but I also enjoy writing ballads, rnb/pop songs, Top 40 style pop songs, and pop/rock tunes as well.
How do you find the process of doing online sessions a la AirGigs?
I love AirGigs and found the process extremely logical, well organized, and easy to use. The staff is also delightful and polite! 🙂
Who is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration would have to be Lady Gaga, simply because as a misfit in high school, she prevailed, wrote her own music, and became one of the biggest pop stars in the world. She believes in humanity and equality of all people, and she loves all of her fans, no matter who they are or what they look like. Because of her big heart and her powerfully edgy pop music, she is the reason I started to love writing pop music, and I will always adore her. 🙂
Here’s a little clip of Ashley’s song “Party Party Party” featured on Dance Moms (Season 1 Episode 1):