asha ryder-west
Asha Ryder-West she/her
Asha is a singer, song-writer creating lush and ethereal dream pop. Her music combines moody jazz inspired, ambient and cinematic textures. Her delicate vocals express heartfelt stories of love and growth. Inspired by artists such as Bjork, Portishead, Lana Del Rey, FKA Twigs, Massive Attack and Kelsey Lu, Asha’s music draws upon a myriad of sounds and genres.
Demure SPOKE with Asha about her musical life and experiences in the music industry.
D: Hey Asha, have you been recording lately?
A: Hey, I have been recording lately! Since we’ve been in and out of lockdown I've had so much time to record. I've actually started learning how to produce music myself which has been fun because I usually record with my dad (he’s a music producer).
D: Do you miss playing live?
A: Yes, I actually had a gig in a few days but unfortunately it's not looking like it will go ahead because of the Melbourne lockdown. There is simply nothing quite like playing and seeing live music as it's such an important thing to do. Hopefully there will be more gigs in the near future, providing there's less lockdowns of course.
D: Would you be able to tell me your earliest memory of singing?
A: I feel like I’ve always been singing - My mum has shown me videos of when I was younger and instead of talking I’d be singing everything. However, my earliest memory would probably be of my dad being the one who really pushed me to perform live so that I'd get more comfortable and better at doing it. We’d always play at my primary school assemblies and he’d be there next to me, playing the guitar.
D: Who are your biggest musical influences and what have you been listening to during all of the lockdowns?
A: I have sooo many musical influences like Mazzy Star, Lana Del Rey, Bjork and FKA Twigs but I'm also enjoying the new stage of pop that Dua Lipa and Harry Styles are making. My music tastes are so broad but I love artists who are authentic and make new and unique sounds, combining lots of influences but making it their own, as it's quite hard to achieve so I respect that about them and aspire to do the same. I've recently started listening to Erik Satie again, he’s one of my favourite composers, his music is so melancholy and beautiful. I’ve been learning how to play some of his songs on the piano which has been lovely. Gosh, I haven’t been listening to much new music lately to be honest…
BOTH LAUGH*
A: I have just been writing heaps and whenever I listen to music, recently it's been either techno when I'm cleaning the house or podcasts about musicians and actors, which I find inspiring. Highly recommend Jay Shetty’s podcast On Purpose!!
D: Whats your favourite gig you’ve ever played?
A: One of my favourites would have to be the biggest gig I’ve been a part of which was at Falls Festival with the Melbourne Ska Orchestra because not only was it a bigger audience but it was so fun performing with all those people and everyone was extremely into it. So much energy on stage and from the audience. I’d have to say though, sometimes the more intimate gigs are just as amazing because you get to be more close and one with the audience in a completely different way. I played a gig not too long ago at Colour Club and had a great time with the musicians as we played really well together. I also felt very calm and ‘in the moment’ for that gig. It’s just a completely different vibe being more small and quiet.
D: I’ve seen that your music is involved in a short film, can you tell me a bit about this?
A: Sure, I was asked to write songs for a film called The Fort which was a great experience. It was a different process to how I normally write which was both challenging and exciting as I had to write the songs around what was unfolding visually and time it to the movements in the scene. The subject of the film is about a mother and a son travelling to imaginary worlds to escape domestic violence at home so all the songs are all emotionally centred. Fortunately, the theme is nothing I’ve ever experienced before but writing to a brief was interesting as it forced me to write on the subject of something completely different to what I usually would write about.
D: How have you experienced being a female in the industry?
A: Luckily, I haven't felt or experienced the feeling of having less opportunities because I am a woman at university or in the music scene so far, that’s not to say that other women haven't encountered it. But yeah, there are some imbalances in the ratios in classes at university as there are a lot more males than females in the course. For instance, there’s not many female instrumentalists but most of the singers are female. Although, in the years below myself I am seeing more female instrumentalists and even male vocalists which is great to see. Even in high school, I encountered this as there were so few females doing music and I don't know why this is - perhaps girls see how male dominated the industry is and feel discouraged and reluctant to join in. I must say that the classes at university where I am the only girl, which sadly is a lot of classes, are strange. I always love having another female in the classroom. But no, I personally haven’t encountered any discrimination for being a woman.
D: I feel like everyone is knowledgeable of the fact that musicians & vocalists accumulate very little money out of pouring everything into their albums and gigs. How do you deal with this and does it effect your views of the future?
A: I think everyone expects this now, especially if it's your own gig but I’m not saying you can’t generate any money from doing music because you can. I’m fortunate to see how well this can pan out in certain areas of the industry as I’ve watched my dad’s work but I see it all as my passion. I love doing it and putting on events and running the shows because it builds different skills that I'll be able to use in the future. So even though I’m not making heaps of money at the moment, it is something I love and it is making my mark on the music scene in Melbourne.
D: hmmm… sounds like you need to be good at self marketing which is something they don’t teach us at school.
A: No they don’t and that’s the thing, you’ve got to be flexible and open to doing different things to support yourself financially because unless you’re Dua Lipa, getting millions of streams, it can be difficult to generate much money from Spotify or Apple Music. That’s why artists use websites like band camp where listeners can purchase our music for however much they like which is a great concept. That’s where the community can really be amazing.
D: And finally, what are your personal goals for the coming years?
A: My goals would have to include playing live and performing more. Hopefully we don’t keep getting locked down but yeah working on collaborating with different artists, other creative people and musicians in the industry and just making more music of course.
Interview by Isabella Cini (she/her)
Images by Lotus Ryder West (she/her)
on tour
Asha Ryder-West w/ Pearl Blue + Maisie
Bar Open (Fitzroy, VIC)
Wednesday, 21 July 2021 8:30 pm
Purchase tickets here