NASHVILLE, Tennessee- I have wanted to interview country singer/songwriter Kassi Ashton for over six years. When I first heard her singing “California, Missouri” on Sirius XM in 2018, her music was so unique that it made her more memorable than most rising artists. Then, when I saw her open at the Budweiser Showcase and later open for Keith Urban, I knew Ashton was one to watch.
Ashton is from the tiny town of California, Missouri. By age five, she split her time performing and doing the pageant circuit with her mother while riding dirt bikes and shooting muzzleloaders with her father.
She recalled, “I started dancing when I was four or five. My first singing competition was at the fair on a gooseneck trailer when I was five years old. People often errantly think I was forced to do those things, but I was not. My mom would trick me into beauty pageants by saying, ‘Do you want to sing on stage?’ and I said, ‘Yes.’”
Music was a constant in Ashton’s life, specifically Reba McEntire, Stevie Nicks, Aretha Franklin, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn. Later, she discovered the powerhouse singers Amy Winehouse and Adele.
Ashton spent her formative years doing whatever she could to escape the house, whether at dance competitions or beauty pageants. She wanted to be a superstar before she knew what that might entail. Additionally, she shot guns competitively between the ages of seven and seventeen.
“I have felt at home on stage for my entire life,” she shared.
Because her mother had a life “filled with struggle,” classic country, not polished-90s country, became ingrained in Ashton’s psyche.
The Missouri native admits that she never intended to attend college, but her beloved grandmother, Juanita, insisted that she go. Because she knew Nashville was the place to be, she settled on Belmont, near the heart of Music Row, which they thought was just a music school. But when her father saw the cost, he knew it was too expensive.
However, Ashton discovered that they gave out scholarships, and she won a vocal scholarship that significantly reduced the price of attending.
She said, “I didn’t know anything about the college. I didn’t know it was a Christian college or you had to live on campus. I was just there to sing and meet the right people.”
Toward the end of her college career, Ashton entered and won Belmont’s famed Country Showcase, which led to her meeting country singer/songwriter/producer Luke Laird, who offered her a publishing deal. While many artists quit college after receiving a publishing or music deal, Luke’s wife, Beth, insisted she finish her final semester at Belmont.
After releasing the autobiographical “California, Missouri.” Ashton released other singles influenced by her upbringing, like “Taxidermy” and “Pretty Shiny Things.” Her voice was distinctive, but her unique songwriting style set her apart from the pack.
In 2020, “Black Motorcycle” broke 1 million streams, but it was a song inspired by her grandparents, “Dates In Pickup Trucks,” and the reflective “I Don’t Go Back” that pushed the singer/songwriter past the ten million mark in 2022. Fans and country radio knew Ashton had firmly planted her flag on the country music landscape.
Another thing that sets Ashton apart is her ability to sew. She designs and makes all her outfits. Besides being a creative outlet for her active mind, “It’s saved me a ton of money,” she said. Her clothes are fabulous.
Her debut album, Made From The Dirt, was released in September 2024. It was years in the making but certainly worth the wait. As is the norm, Ashton trickled out singles ahead of time, including her top 40 single, “Drive You Out of My Mind,” which has amassed over 25 million streams on Spotify alone. The catchy tune has received praise from Billboard, Music Row, Country Now, and more for its energetic production and irresistible lyricism.
She also released one of my favorites, “Called Crazy,” a song many women relate to. As the lyrics confirm, if there’s one damn thing I know for sure/ I have never been called crazy by a man who didn’t come back for more.
Other songs released before the September debut date included the dynamic “Son of Gun,” where she confesses, “I’ve always said I was Daddy’s little boy,” “I Don’t Want To Dance,” where Ashton admits, “It’s the closest thing to a love song as I can get,” and the noteworthy “The Straw” a breakup song that states, “I can no longer live like this.”
The title track to Made From The Dirtis the perfect song to start the record, where Ashton states, if I’m pushing to make room, shooting for the moon, putting in the work/It’s ‘cause I was made from the dirt/ Came up from the ground/ Born to bloom when I get knocked down.
“It encompasses all my favorite things about myself,” she stated.
Another track you want to check out is “Angels Smoke Cigarettes,” classic Ashton. In it, she speculates that her angels “speak their mind with whiskey breath.”
Made From The Dirt showcases Kassi’s one-of-a-kind signature style front and center and tells her story so far. She holds nothing back on these ten tracks—from the knockout title track, “Made From The Dirt,” to the exhale of the finale, “Juanita,” a song that is a tribute to her grandmother, who passed away in 2023.
Her grandmother knew she was on the verge of passing, so she asked Ashton to sing at her funeral. Ashton’s grandmother passed before she completed the original song, “Juanita.” She was trying desperately to finish the song before going to the funeral. She prayed, “Grandma, if you’re here, can you please help me?”
What started as a sad song became an anthem to the most important woman in Ashton’s life. It was never meant to be shared outside of the funeral, but when her team heard the song, they knew it must be included on the debut record.
As they produced the song, Ashton asked them, “Can you please make this sound like a river baptism?” They did, and the song became “the easiest, most vibrant rainbow after the storm thing I could have ever asked for,” she stated.
“Juanita” is our favorite song on the album and one of the most endearing songs I’ve encountered since writing this column. “It feels like a breath of fresh air every time I play it,” Ashton shared.
Made From The Dirt is rough, raw, honest, and unapologetically Ashton. She proudly wears her heart on her sleeve. You are in for a treat if you are already a KA fan. If you are a new KA fan, welcome to the family. You’ve never heard anything like this before.
Check out Ashton’s website and touring schedule here. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and all streaming platforms.
– – –
Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
