We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Ash recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I started with music at a young age. When I was 6, I started songwriting in a spiral notebook and would share my songs with a friend on the bus ride to school. Performing and playing my songs was always something I could picture, but for the longest time I didn’t pursue because of other obligations. At 16, I got my first acoustic guitar and started learning the basics through YouTube. It took some time, but I started putting chords to lyrics I wrote. I then learned guitar tabs and other techniques to help in my practice and songwriting. Years later, in my early 20s, I decided to also take up singing lessons.

It was all very slow progress, and something I wish I did was start sooner. The thing that helped me the progress the most was starting to post music covers on social media to track my progress. It gave me something to look forward to and hold myself accountable, while being able to see exactly where I could improve. Similarly, I have a collection of voice memos on my phone from over the years where I can listen back to my vocal progress.

The most essential part of learning anything with music is taking action. By signing up for vocal lessons and posting guitar online, it made me embody being a musician, even though my inner critic frequently told me I wasn’t good enough. Truly believing in myself and taking action when I didn’t feel ready was difficult to overcome, but so crucial to my music journey and the success I’ve seen so far.

Nicole, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I first got into music through dance and performing songs for my family at a young age. Songwriting came naturally too. My older sister then introduced me to alternative rock music, like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, etc. that made a huge impact in my music taste.

When I started sharing song covers online, I connected instantly with the emo community that I have been a part of for years. It then turned into growing an online fanbase, primarily on Instagram, where I could share original music and even help other artists grow their social media platforms as well.

My goal with everything I do — in songwriting, coaching other artists, or posting song covers — is to encourage people to go after their biggest dreams. Not that long ago, I thought my dreams of reaching people with music were too out of reach, but my mission is to encourage others to empower musicians to live their dreams too.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve always dreamt about making some sort of impact through music. When I think about artists that made the biggest impact in my life, particularly My Chemical Romance, I think about how I want to give back what music has given me. These artists made me feel like I had a safe space to express myself and encouraged me to take bets on myself. Their music made me feel like I always had somewhere I belonged in moments I felt alone.

My goal has always been to create a safe space through music to welcome people and encourage them to go after their craziest dreams. Even someone messaging me saying one of my posts inspired them to pick up a guitar means the world.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Social media is a huge part of my success in music, and needless to say, it can be tough. Not only do you need to show up consistently and put yourself out there, but also deal with numbers, comparison, and sometimes hurtful comments.

That said, it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Posting on social media has allowed me to reach more people, and ultimately grow thicker skin when it comes to negativity.

Whenever I get a hurtful comment, I either brush it off or use it as a way to improve. This was especially important starting out. If I listened to any of the people who told me to stop playing guitar because I was out of time or out of tune, I would’ve never improved as quickly as I did. And as for the numbers, it takes some mental strength to look past the analytics when they’re not what you expect. There was a time when I lost followers every time I posted and I couldn’t figure it out. It was discouraging. But with small tweaks and perseverance, my account more than doubled just a few months later and my playing significantly improved.

I always tell other artists I work with to make small tweaks and take every setback or negative comment as an opportunity to get 1% better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nicoleashmusic.com/
• Instagram: @guitarbynicole
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZJk8TSYnw5Eq_uzqf5m9Yw/videos

Image Credits

Three Region Photography