Singer and performer Ashny has opened up about the artistes she would love to work with, both locally and internationally.
Speaking in an interview with QEDng, the multi-talented entertainer also gave insight into her upcoming projects in music, fashion and film.
“Locally, I would say Aṣa. Aṣa would be my number one on the list. Aṣa, Tiwa Savage, infact all the amazing female artists out there. They are doing a beautiful job, amazingly great artistes and why not? I would love to work with any of them if the chance is open. Internationally, it has always been my first and foremost is Beyoncé. Beyoncé is one of my greatest idols, I love her so much. Every other one that comes, I’m open. I’m a very open person, artist,” she said.
Ashny also revealed details about her upcoming track ‘Mr. Allen,’ inspired by the legendary Weird MC.
“First off, I want to say a very big shout out to Weird MC. Thank you so much, aunty. I love you so, so much. Allen Avenue inspired Mr. Allen. So I’m a very big fan of Weird MC. She is one of the great artists I listened to growing up. I was so happy when the whole idea of making the track Mr. Allen came on board. I put in my all, my soul, my everything to deliver on that track. So yes, Allen Avenue inspired Allen.”
She added that she shared the song with Weird MC, who responded positively. “She listened. I wish I can just open the chat and show you guys the response. It was amazing. I was really happy.”
Ashny is also starring in an upcoming movie titled The Overcomer, which she said is inspired by her life as an artiste.
“What inspired The Overcomer is actually the story of my life as an artiste growing up. I would say I’m one of the first Nigerian female artistes to have a movie around their songs. The Overcomer is a movie around my song. I have a song titled Overcome. So yeah, that’s where the whole thing started from. So it’s a movie around my song, my hustle as an upcoming artiste, the life of a soon-to-be star and all of that.”
The film also highlights resilience and family struggles. Ashny added, “No, we won’t cry. Action, not action per se, but more of a life experience. Resilience as an artiste, the struggle, the hustle, how you just need to keep pushing, keep going. It also showed the struggle of me with my mom. The mom part was actually played by the legend Yinka Davies. She’s my mom in the movie. So yes, we established all of that. The struggle of having a mother that’s not so well-to-do, but still trying to support her daughter through her musical career.”
Speaking on working with comedian Koffi and other actors on set, she said, “Amazing, amazing, I would say. Everybody just came with their A game. We had fun on set. I can’t wait for the movie to be out there. It’s an amazing movie and I’m sure you guys will love it.”
On how she balances music, fashion, and acting, Ashny said, “Just work with your schedule. The time when I need to be on set, I make sure it doesn’t clash with when I have to be in the studio recording, or when I need to deliver on a job, trying to make outfits for customers and all of that. Sometimes I have workers who deliver on some of the jobs when I don’t have the time to actually be there myself. But what I do is I supervise some of it and I make some of them and supervise some of them. Sometimes I go to the market to shop for fabrics and all of that. So what I do is just to make sure these whole settings don’t clash with each other and work with time effectively.”
Describing her typical studio day, she added, “Studio day can be anywhere as it is here. No, no, no, no. Just bring a mic, set the speakers up. So it can be anything, it can be anywhere. There are times when my producer would come, he has a mobile studio, so he would come to my location and do what we need to do. There are times when I need to go all the way to his place and all of that. So it’s fun, fun all through. Fun, just vibing and expressing myself in music.”
Ashny is set to unveil her new album Femalepreneur on December 14 alongside a major brand showcase.
The singer, who is also an actress and fashion designer, said the event will showcase multiple sides of her creativity.
The musical and brand showcase will hold at the Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos, where the album will be officially unveiled.
