Ashley Ballard
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| Ashley Ballard | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Ashley Monique Ballard | |
| Born | June 9, 1985 | |
| Origin | Mission Viejo, California, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Pop | |
| Years active | 1998-present | |
| Label(s) | Atlantic Records (1998-2002) | |
| Website | Ashley Ballard Network | |
Ashley Ballard (born Ashley Monique Ballard June 9, 1985 in Mission Viejo, California) is an American pop singer.
Contents |
[edit] Biogrpahy
[edit] Early Start
Growing up in Mission Viejo, California, Ashley Ballard was charming her family with her singing from the time she was three, creating her own jazzy arrangements of favorite nursery rhymes while demonstrating a knack for imitating songs she'd hear on the radio.
In 1990, a five-year-old Ashley found herself onstage for the first time, performing with her pianist uncle as part of a Christmas concert in Orange County. "I realized then that there was something extraordinary about Ashley's talent, beyond the charm that accompanies any kid who's willing to stand up and sing for an audience", remembers her uncle Louis Valentino. 'Without a doubt, she had something special going on".
An enthusiastic music fan, the young Ashley embraced an early cassette collection that included the likes of Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper, and Queen. The gifted vocalist took her first steps in the recording studio at the tender age of six, cutting a series of lighthearted but telling demos.
By the fourth grade, it was clear Ashley was more than a girl who simply liked to sing. In 1992, she was a four-time Junior Finalist on StarSearch, wowing the judges with her renditions of "Amazing Grace" and other classics. That year also saw Ashley stepping out as a sought-after performer for any number of local events, ranging from church, school, and community theater events to private parties and regional cable television programs. Among the highlights was a county fair set where she opened for none other than the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown.
Another milestone came in 1996 when Ashley was asked to perform for President Bill Clinton during a political event in Century City. So impressed was the President that the young vocalist was invited to sing in Washington D.C. on the occasion of Clinton's second inaugural. "It was an amazing experience, but I was definitely freezing", laughs Ashley of singing outdoors on a January day in the nation's capitol.
[edit] Signing With Atlantic
In 1998, Ashley won the heart of Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun when she sang at the Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremony, performing alongside such legendary artists as Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Boz Scaggs, Stephen Stills, and Bobby 'Blue' Bland. She made her recorded debut a year later with the November 1999 release of Atlantic's RIAA double-platinum Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins' R&B girl group So Plush. From the opening notes of the top 10 soundtrack's rhythmic "It Was You", Ashley demonstrated an effervescence that pointed to both a dynamic vocal character and exceptional performance skills.
April 2000 saw the release of "Don't Get Lost In A Crowd", Ballard's contribution to the Center Stage motion picture soundtrack, and in June, she performed as part of the Steve Madden/Atlantic Records Girl Band Search final ceremonies, held at the South Street Seaport in New York City. Two months later, Ashley hit the road as the exclusive performer on the cross-country Ford Supermodel of the Worldý USA tour. The summer itinerary found her performing high-energy sets in a dozen malls across the country, offering audiences a sneak-preview to the still-developing her debut albun, "Get In The Booth". She also found time to sing for Vice President Al Gore at a Los Angeles event during his presidential campaign.
Spring 2001 saw Ashley featured on the nationally-syndicated in-concert cable special, Teensation! alongside Atlantic labelmates Debelah Morgan, PlusONE, M2M and Willa Ford. The concert - taped in early '01 before a high-energy audience of 3,000 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, Florida - proved a pivotal event for Ballard. "It was probably the loudest crowd I've ever experienced", she recalls. "It was really, really cool to have an audience like that to pump you up It was also great to hang out with the other Atlantic artists. The girls from M2M were even trying to teach me Norwegian, to help me on my next recording trip to Norway".
[edit] Get Out Of The Booth!
On August 15, 2000 Atlantic Records released "Hottie", the first single from her upcoming album and in May 8, 2001 a maxi CD-single version was released which includes the "Hottie" single and remixes by Eddie Arroyo, Richie Santana, E-Smoove and Kobie's Proceed. The single sold over 100,000 copies and became #1 in over 10 major radio stations across the US. The song was also included on the MTV original show "Spyder Games" soundtrack.
Ashley's debut album "Get In The Booth" was only released on advance versions on local malls and radio stations but the official version of the album was never released for some reason and soon after Ashley was dropped from her label.
[edit] What's Next?
In 2004 Ashley joind the teaching staff of the Rancho Canyon Music school on Rancho Santa Margarita, California as a voice teacher but left the next year.
She is also involved in commercial work, having performed on an international radio campaign for a major US toy company.
Ashley is currently writing and recording new music and in search for producers and a new label.
[edit] Discography
Album(s):
- Get In The Booth (2001)
Single(s):
- Hottie (2000)
Soundtracks:
- Pokémon: The First Movie soundtrack - It Was You (feat. So Plush) (1999)
- Center Stage Soundtrack - Don't Get Lost In The Crowd (2000)
- Spyder Games Soundtrack - Hottie (2001)
Other Songs:
- 2 Out Of 3
