“Her lyrics and stunning voice caught our attention, but her heart and drive are why we stayed hooked. Ashley McKinley is a 25-year-old singer/songwriter from Howell, New Jersey who is breaking into the Nashville music scene. She is a senior at Belmont University and is pursuing a degree in songwriting and minoring in music business. Interestingly enough, she first caught the songwriting bug when listening to an Avril Lavigne song at a young age and had an urge to change the lyrics and melody a bit. Then it occurred to her, “Oh, I don’t need to do that, I can just write my own song!” And she has been writing ever since. Still, who wouldn’t want to hear that Avril/Ashley mashup, though, right?” - Olivia Bandy
“Countrypolitan singer Ashley McKinley's voice sits front-and-center on this lonesome piano ballad. "Believe me, I tried to keep it together / Truth is that we don't belong / The truth is, we always felt wrong." As red and raw as those conversations can be, rare is the song that captures them so well. On "The Truth Is," McKinley succeeds.” - Brian Erick
“Upcoming singer-songwriter Ashley McKinley has released the brand new single titled “Break Even”!This latest release was produced by Will Cooper & features an acoustic backing track that showcases the delicate undertone behind this artist’s heavenly vocals.Ashley delivers a heartfelt performance that brings the heartwarming nature behind the lyrics to life, which allows listeners to reflect their own experiences & emotions to the story behind the song.This song highlights the creative nature behind this artist’s passionate musical talent by presenting her with an opportunity to display a heartfelt performance that you could easily listen to on repeat.”
“Ashley McKinley is a singer-songwriter from New Jersey. She recently released her first album titled "Wishful Thinking," composed of songs that she wrote and recorded independently. Most recently, she was accepted into Belmont University's songwriting program at Mike Curb College of Entertainment in Nashville, Tennessee and looks forward to continuing her career there.”
“The Howell singer/songwriter has twice brought her highly-regarded acoustic act to 95.9 The Rat’s Jersey Rock Live At The Pier Show and even performed in the WRAT studio. Ashley sounds great live and we’re very much looking forward to hearing her first studio album.” - Tom Hanley
“Ashley McKinley’s debut album is not yet out, but she’s already a Jersey Rock veteran. “The End” was shot on location at what looks to be Sandy Hook Beach. Keep an eye out for a cameo by one of the Nike Missiles on display at the former US Army Base. The setting matches the tone of the song very well, painting a picture of freedom and reflection. It was produced by Robert E. Proto of Our People Entertainment.” - Tom Hanley
Your music on Wishful Thinking flows beautifully for someone who has only had one album. Were you working on it for a long time?
AM: From ages 16-21, I had the privilege of being able to work in a studio for endless hours, with everything I needed at my disposal. From 16-18, I had a small EP recorded and almost ready to go that I pulled the plug on. A few of those songs were re-worked but made it on my album. I was mostly focused on making sure the songs sounded different from one and other than the same. I wrote a lot of songs that didn't end up on the album and one of the reasons was that they would sound too much like another song that was already going on. However, it was really important to me that it flowed together as a whole. I didn't want anything to come out of left field when the next song played.
-Oaklore Collective, Emily Meissner
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