Ashley Turner

I grew up in Dallas, Texas where I lived and breathed all things song and dance. There were many years of piano lessons, dance classes, and theatre shows. I was very involved in dance (mostly ballet) until I was about 15, when I started to channel that passion into theatre. Safe to say I was a “theatre nerd” and proud of it. But all these creative experiences in dance, music, and theatre have play...ed a big part in my songwriting. And being the creative hub that it is, I found Los Angeles to be a great fit when I moved here in late 2008.

Those who know my music agree that it’s pretty hard to describe, but we all try nonetheless. So far we’ve come up with: victorian funk pirate rock, a cheeky throwback to old Hollywood, Moulin Rouge, whimsical, quirky, theatrical, a touch of circus (but clowns really creep me out). Some have also compared me to artists like Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, and a “cabaret” version of Sara Bareilles.

I’m inspired by the likes of Queen, the Beatles, Danny Elfman, and Stephen Sondheim just to name a few. My latest music draws from elements of cinema, theatre, literature, and some childhood nostalgia. I reference cartoons from my early years in a song about a feisty anti-heroine named “Miss Disaster”. Let’s just say that if She-Ra and the Hulk were to have a love baby, she’d be like Miss Disaster. And since I don’t take myself too seriously, I’ll sometimes throw in a quote from a comedy favorite. Anchorman, anyone? Listen for it…few people catch it. Then there are references to classics like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. And speaking of OZ...

I just completed my first EP entitled “Red”, produced by the Wizardz of Oz, a dynamic Aussie duo who understand me and my crazy musical visions. But since “visions” doesn’t seem fitting when describing something heard, not seen (I know I’m way too literal), we started using “aussions” to refer to my “audio visions”. Audio + Vision. Get it? With a double “s” for the Aussie who coined the term, which is actually in the urban dictionary now (thanks, Liz).

The End.