Get to Know Ashton Rey's Light and Spirit Through New Single, "Lost Myself"

Congratulations on your latest release, “Lost Myself.” We got a chance to take in the buoyant spirit of the song that shows life after losing yourself. Was this song shaped through a particular moment in your life?

Hi! Thank you so much, it’s such an honor to get to know you. This song was definitely shaped by several moments of my life, specifically my romantic life. I think it all started back in 2014 when I met my first love. I had just started college and we had that whirlwind romance that just consumes you, he became an idol that I could not live without and it brought out my worst traits (jealousy, insecure attachment, self-doubt, etc.) With all that being said it became the reason for the failure of our relationship. Fast forward to 2019, I met the literal love of my life who I have the pleasure of being with still to this day, but I started to see a simile trend that triggered past, unsealed trauma. It was a big self-realization moment, causing me to take a big step back and reflect on the possible outcome of our love if I continued down this path. I poured all of this into my song, “Lost Myself,” and shared it immediately with my boyfriend. I was brought to tears singing it for him and it became a heartfelt moment for both of us, it’s actually his favorite song of mine! I just want my listeners to know that these feelings and emotions are natural but we don’t need to lose who we are in loving someone. When it’s the right person, they will love you for everything that you already are, they will want to build a life with you as your equal, they won’t make you feel the need to be insecure; they will give you every ounce of reassurance to combat those feelings of jealousy, self-doubt, anxiety.

When it comes to the upbeat sounds heard in the instrumentation, you pair heartfelt words that come across as vulnerable and intimate. We love the striking contrast! Do you always take this approach to your songwriting or is your approach determined on a song-to-song basis?

Thank you so much for recognizing that! I feel that love songs or songs that are vulnerable don’t always need to be mopey or sad. Even though that really seems to be trending in the music world, I mean Olivia Rodrigo is killing it - she’s even made me feel like I’m going through a breakup when my relationship is thriving! For me though, I think it’s a song-to-song basis, when it comes to the instrumentation it has a way of speaking to me and bringing about the lyrics. Very rarely do I write lyrics before a demo track is produced, in some instances I do, right now I’m actually working on a very personal song that doesn’t have a melodic tune yet because the lyrics just came to me. I can’t wait to add instruments to the lyrics because I know it’ll only amplify the emotions that came from these lyrics.

Do you find that being an artist from Florida shapes your sound? What can you tell us about how you fit into Florida’s Country-Pop scene?

Being from Florida, specifically, Saint Cloud has definitely shaped my sound. I don’t think that I fit into the mainstream Country-Pop scene, I’m from a small town (well, it used to be a really small town) and I think that plays a huge role in my sound, blending a western feel with a sort of gypsy soul with a touch of sweet southern comfort has all come from living in this State. I’ve lived in Orlando, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and even as south as Miami; I’m not from just one part of Florida and I think that’s what separates me from the genre of “Country” and “Country-Pop.” One of the greatest compliments I continue to receive is, “I don’t even like Country but I love your music!”

With “Lost Myself,” being the second track off of your upcoming EP, would you say that this is a reflection of what listeners can expect to hear on the project?

I think that listeners should expect to hear music they can relate to, with a range of heartbreak, revenge, forever love, and real-life! There’s not just one specific theme to the songs I’ll be releasing, they are all vulnerable but they’re also just so different.

What significance does this forthcoming EP hold to you? How do you compare it to the other songs heard throughout your musical catalog?

This EP is my first ever and it’s been nothing short of magical. Its significance to me is everything, it’s my whole world right now. I’ve spent the last year on this project, I feel as though I have emotionally birthed this music from my soul! As graphic as that may sound, it’s my baby and I just want people to feel completely moved after listening to it. All that I can ask for and dream of is that people want to hear more after it’s been released, that they choose to get to know me as an artist and follow my career. Every single person that has shown their support means everything to me!

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