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Kassi Ashton tempers her rural country roots with hints of gritty soul and atmospheric rock, creating a distinctive, unusual synthesis that can be heard on her 2018 debut single "California, Missouri," the title of which is also the name of Ashton's hometown. In the years after the release of "California, Missouri," Ashton sharpened her stylistic synthesis by emphasising a pop production in flair, culminating in the slick viral 2023 hit "Drive You Out of My Mind" and its brawny 2024 successor, "Called Crazy."
Born Kassi Meisenheimer, she was raised there, listening to country music and participating in musical theater, dance, and beauty pageants. Contemporary pop sounds of Adele and Amy Winehouse caught her attention as a teenager, strengthening her desire to become a professional musician. Ashton began writing songs when she was 15, and after high school she headed to Nashville, enrolling at Belmont University's School of Music. Her plans were derailed in 2014 when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After successful treatment, she returned to performing. In 2016 she won the university's annual Country Music Showcase and interned at the publishing company Carnival Music. After signing a representation deal with Creative Nation for publishing and management, Ashton signed to UMG Nashville/Interscope in December 2017. "California, Missouri" -- a song co-written with Shane McAnally and Luke Laird -- arrived swiftly in January of 2018.
"Taxidermy" and "Violins" both followed in 2018 along with "Drop Top," a track on Keith Urban's Graffiti U that featured Ashton. The following year, she released the plaintive ballad "Pretty Shiny Things" and the glitzy pop of "Field Party." Ashton released three singles in 2020: the bluesy slow-burner "Hopeless," the electro-gloss of "Black Motorcycle" and the seasonal "Hard Candy Christmas."
"Heavyweight," a song she co-wrote with Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, appeared in 2021. Two singles--the R&B-inflected "Dates in Pickup Trucks" and "I Don't Go Back"--arrived in 2022, with 2023 bringing a moody cover of Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" and "Drive You Out of My Mind," an insistent pop-leaning single that earned significant streams." Early in 2024, she released "Called Crazy," which emphasized her rock roots.~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine