Mason Ashley has one of the prettiest voices I’ve ever heard. At just 18, her sweet, melancholic song “Paper Planes” shows lyrical and vocal maturity way beyond her age. She’s also from Texas, so I’m a little biased.
Mason says, “I have benign love with music for as long as I can remember. I started writing when I was nine years old and haven’t stopped since.” When she was a kid she could hear a song on the radio and sit down at her family’s piano and play the song just from memory.
For Mason, songwriting and lyrics can appear anywhere and she gains inspiration from being alone and from daily life. She says, “Inspiration really comes from so many different places. I usually get inspired when I travel, spend time alone outside, or sometimes when I listen to new music.”
Even though she’s quite young, that shouldn’t stop people from paying attention. If anything it shows her creativity and work ethic that she’s already committed to this entirely. She says that’s one of her main challenges, not being taken seriously. She’s much younger than a lot of the musicians that play the same stages as she does.
Mason is an old-soul, but one thing she emphasizes is that age doesn’t hinder her creativity. She’s lucky enough to have family that encourage her and keep her motivated.
She says, “I think I was blessed with a family that encourages creative and insightful thinking that has really contributed to who I am and how I think about things. I try to think of things from every possible direction and that’s where the best songs come from. I think my life is a little different than a lot of my friends because I didn’t go to typical high school, I’m not going to college, I never played sports…I’m ALL creative and all about music.”
That focus is necessary. She’s very internally driven. A lot of people aspire to be singers but don’t put the work behind it. It can be extremely draining and disheartening.
She says, “I stay motivated by setting goals and looking to the future and the possibilities…but also by looking back. I get the most motivation from watching old videos of myself or reading old lyrics and seeing how far I’ve come. Looking at where I came from really excites me about where I’m going and makes me real how much I can still grow and improve from where I am now.”
Mason uses these beautiful metaphors and intricate storytelling in her songs. You can really tell that she feels the words she’s singing. It allows the listener to empathize with her quickly.
She says, “I always have lyrics in my mind. Pretty sure my brain is 80% song lyrics (the other 20% is me thinking about food.) So the lyrics usually come first and then I write music to fit the message I’m trying to convey in the song.”
So what’s her advice to girls her age trying to make a career in music?
“Push yourself. Put yourself out there. There will be times when you’ll want to quit. You’ll feel like you’re not good enough but those times are the moments when you can really make yourself better. When you hit a bad note or get turned down by a label or just feel like giving up… don’t. If you love it and have the guts and passion to do it, then give it all you’ve got. So push yourself to be the best version of YOU that you can be.”
We cannot wait to see where Mason goes with that gorgeous voice. She has new singles and music videos that will be released soon and a new EP out this summer!!!!! Follow her on Spotify and watch her beautiful video for Paper Planes.
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