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Aslyn: The
Return of Classic Pop
By David Chiu
Listening to the music of 25-year-old singer
and songwriter Aslyn is like hearing the sounds of '70s pop radio
dominated by Elton John, Billy Joel, and Carole King. The style
of this young native of Gainesville, Florida borders more on
the sensibilities of those aforementioned artists than the preprogrammed
pop of Britney, Lindsay, Jessica, and Beyonce. Augmented by her
soulful voice and dominant piano playing, Aslyn looks to make
pop music respectable again.
The newcomer recently released her Capitol
debut Lemon Love, an album brimming with hooks and stories
about the ups-and-downs of relationships. The musician, who now
resides in Atlanta and who has played along with Gavin DeGraw
and Ryan Cabrera, took time to speak to NewBeats about her music
and career so far.
How has been the experience of being
a major recording artist with a record and going on tour?
It's definitely everything that I could
have imagined. It's a surreal experience to see your record in
a store. For me it's making the songs come alive and trying to
connect with people.
Your music has often been compared to
the Beatles, Elton John, Queen, and Carole King? How do you feel
about such references?
Those people were contemporary pop artists
in their time. Now they're classic because they write such amazing
songs that can pass through the times. That's something I want
so badly to do. To be compared-I don't know what to say other
than 'Thank you.'
Do you draw on personal experiences
when you write or are you an imaginative songwriter?
There are twelve stories on the record
and they are real stories. The more vulnerable I get the more
I feel connected to the songs. You can write a song and it can
be a very personal song to you, but then people can take it and
make it their own, and be moved by it.
So music is like therapy for you?
[Music] is really the only way I could
work through something. When it comes to music, it's been my
way of getting through everything.
How did you arrive at naming your album
Lemon Love?
I don't know [laughs] I really wanted it
to be the name of the record because of the struggle behind it.
My whole journey in music I don't feel like it was handed to
me. Everything from relationships to going through four cars
in one year. So that's why I picked [Lemon Love] as the
name of the record because it did represent some type of struggle.
"Wally," a song about your
grandparents' love, has really resonated with people.
It's the coolest thing. That is a song
in my career when I was playing in clubs that I have strangers
come up to me and be like [singing "I never stop falling.."]
Wow! It's an amazing thing. I guess people are still inspired
that beautiful story of people staying together.
What is your favorite song on the record?
On a different day I have a different favorite.
I really enjoy "Just Enough" a lot. 'Cause really try
to go back at night and performing these songs, trying to remember
what I felt when I wrote it. That was fun for me singing it over
and over, because that was my moment of realizing I had moved
on and I was okay not being with someone.
You studied music at an early age. When
did you know you wanted to be a musician?
I always knew I wanted to be in music.
When I started writing is when I realized that I wanted to do
what I'm doing now. There's something freeing about it and I
wanted to feel that the rest of my life.
You choose to pursue your career in
Atlanta rather than the big cities of Los Angeles and New York.
Why?
I could've been eaten alive if I tried
to move to New York City and not knowing anybody. [Atlanta] felt
like a little slower and a little more familiar.
What has been the biggest thrill so
far in your career?
For me, I just learned that when I play
at night the more I see people connect with something that came
from my heart, that's a big deal to me. It blows my mind when
people come up to me and say 'You wrote that song for me.' It
really moves me. That what fuels me to keep doing this.
What's next for you?
My goal is to write songs that ten years
from now I still want to hear-just write from the heart. I'm
planning on working hard and trying to connect in any way I can.
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