We’re basically BFFs with Ashley Kutcher at this point, and we’re the type of friends that hype up everything that she does, including her debut album, House On The Water. We couldn’t wait to enjoy this project! We were like kids who could not wait to get up on Christmas day to enjoy their presents. Now that the album is out for the entire world to enjoy, we can finally keep gushing about Ashley and her incredible songwriting! You know that at THP, we always have some questions for our favorite artists, so we brought Ashley back for another interview so she could explain her thought process while creating her album and some of our faves from her newest project.
We hope that you’re enjoying House On The Water as much as we are; it’s another Ashley Kutcher masterpiece! 💙
Welcome back to The Honey POP! We’re so glad that we get to talk to you once again! How do you feel about your debut album’s release, and how much do the words “debut album” mean to you?
Thank you for having me back! I’m very excited that my debut album is out there in the world. I’ve been working on these songs for so long, and it feels great to finally release them. I try not to put too much pressure on the term “debut.” In all honesty, it just means my first. I plan to release so many more projects, and I feel like each time, I get a little more proud of the work I’ve put out there.
We’re still in awe of Survive My Own Mind and the storytelling from that EP! How do you feel you’ve evolved from that release to this one as a songwriter?
I just keep developing my sound as I go. I feel as if I showed a lot more of my writing style in HOTW. I’m leaning more into my natural “twang” or “countryish” way of writing, and it’s been SO fun. You can expect a lot more of this style in the future. Even though I’m always discovering new things about myself when it comes to music, Survive My Own Mind still has some of my absolute favorite tracks, like ‘Sleepy.’
You released some of the tracks from this album as singles. What was your thought process when you selected these songs as your previous teases before releasing the complete album?
There were different styles on this album and I wanted to showcase them. For example, ‘Boy From Carolina’ was my pop country song, ‘Matchbox’ was my acoustic songwriting showcase, ‘Trustfall’ was a ballad, and ‘Girl In The Mirror‘ was rock-leaning. While they’re all “me,” I just wanted to show variety when it came to my debut album.
Speaking of your singles, we wanted to talk to you about ‘Favorite Color.’ We caught that the final painting from the music video is quite similar to the album cover! What made you select these blue tones for both this track and the cover art for House On The Water?
Blue was very fitting for this album because it’s the color of water (House On The Water). Dark blue is also just my favorite color (pun intended). I was painting a House On The Water to foreshadow the album title, which was super fun to create.
We got chills listening to your voice throughout the whole album! We feel like you’re such a great singer who knows exactly how to convey the tone in the key verses of your songs. How do your emotions come into play when you’re recording your songs? Do they flow naturally as you’re singing, or do you prefer to go into the studio with a set tone that you want to portray?
Great question! Sometimes, I come into the studio (or write alone) with such a clear emotion and vision. Sometimes, it’s more of a challenge, and I have to talk with other writers for a while or find a melody I like and start randomly singing. No matter the topic or emotion I land on, the goal is to feel something (and hopefully make other people listening feel something as well). I believe lyrics are super important, but, in my opinion, how you sing those lyrics is even more important.
Since we’re talking about your emotions in your songs, we have to talk about your incredible bridges! What’s your personal favorite bridge from this album?
I really love the ‘Die In Your Arms’ bridge. We did a ton of vocals for that bridge and it makes me feel so much emotion.
Now that we’ve talked about the album in general, we wanted to focus on our favorite song from it: ‘Half Gone.’ Its second verse is absolutely immaculate! Can you tell us how you wrote this song and how it was to add it to the final tracklist?
For this song, I had a clear concept in mind. ‘Half Gone’ is about that time after a breakup where you have difficulty staying present. You feel like that person is still with you. Whether you’re in the car, with your friends, or standing in a crowded room, you swear you still see or feel them near. This makes it so hard to be fully present with anyone else, and you’re stuck in the “half here, half gone.”
Great stories have amazing endings, just like how ‘House On The Water’ closes out this project, so we wanted to ask you what made you choose it as the closing track and the holder of the album’s title!
The album tells my story of going from a toxic relationship to a healthy relationship and all the struggles in between. House On The Water represents both the happy ending and tells the listeners more about my childhood. I grew up on the water on the East Coast and that’s where I want to end up again when I’m older and want to start my own family. I thought it was the perfect name and ending to the album.
We know 2024 has just started, but with this incredible album, you definitely made our year a thousand times better! We will be living with House On The Water on repeat 24/7! What can we expect after this release?
You can definitely expect more music from me, along with shows and some fun festivals that I get to perform at for the first time!
We can’t wait to see what else Ashley has prepared for this year! Is there anything else that you would’ve loved to ask her? Do you also think that House On The Water is another Ashley Kutcher W? Let us know in the comments below, or tell us over on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! And if you want to chat more with us, you’re welcome to join our Discord Hive!
Need more interviews of your favorite artists? Don’t worry, we got you!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ASHLEY KUTCHER:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
