Nearly a decade ago, as a college senior, rising country singer Kassi Ashton signed a record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN)/Interscope Records. Now 30 — and following the success of her highest-charting single to date — the California, Mo. native will finally release her anticipated debut album, Made From the Dirt, on Sept. 20.
Foundation
Singer-songwriter Ashton is a study in contrasts: a motorcycle enthusiast who designs and crafts many of her stage and red-carpet outfits from scratch (including for this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, where she was nominated for new female artist of the year). As a child, she competed in pageants mostly as a vessel for showcasing her music. Even then, her vocal prowess was apparent, thanks to influence from vocalists including Adele, Aretha Franklin and (later) the country-soul of Chris Stapleton. Ashton soon started writing original songs, enrolling at Nashville’s Belmont University to study commercial voice and music business.
Discovery
In 2016, as college graduation neared, Ashton signed a management and publishing deal with Nashville-based Creative Nation. By 2017, she scored a label deal with UMGN in partnership with Interscope. But the ensuing years were spent refining her sound and weathering setbacks, with none of her singles promoted at radio — and no debut album. “I never felt like I should quit,” she says. “When I signed, they wanted me to go straight to radio. I said no because I didn’t have a song I wanted to sing for the rest of my life.” Her first full-length was also delayed by the pandemic in 2020, but in 2022, she finally issued her debut country radio single, “Dates in Pickup Trucks,” followed by “Drive You Out of My Mind.” The two songs built momentum, but this year’s “Called Crazy” has resonated most, rising to No. 32 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. “It came so easy,” she says. “I felt like I was finding a pillar.”
Future
Nearly a decade after inking her label deal, Ashton will release her long-awaited debut album, Made From the Dirt, on Sept. 20. She teamed with longtime collaborator Luke Laird, as well as Oscar Charles, to craft an eclectic mix of uptempo jams (“I Don’t Wanna Dance”), grungy rock gems (“Son of a Gun”) and a heartfelt tribute to her late grandmother (“Juanita”). “I couldn’t have made this album at 23,” Ashton says. “It would have been rushed and not steady with who I am as a person. I can’t wait to see how what I’ve put energy, time and tears into is connecting.”
A version of this story appears in the Aug. 24, 2024, issue of Billboard.