Exclusive Introduction to A Singer You Need to Know: Finn Ashtyn
Exclusive Introduction to A Singer You Need to Know: Finn Ashtyn
Q: Who is Finn Ashtyn?
FA: "Finn Ashtyn is a singer/songwriter who became fed up with their current life. It really felt like it was either death or create a life for myself that I could live in. It felt like I was backed up against a wall. That’s what a lot of my songs are based off of."
From their youth, Finn Ashtyn wanted to be a singer up until the age of 12. At that time, their young mind had set unrealistic expectations for themselves. They felt that they should have already been a famous singer and that their career should have magically fallen into their lap.
Despite the discouraging feelings of not yet succeeding in their dream career, Finn still participated in singing since junior high. As a member of the school choir, they’ve performed both within a group and as a solo act. This was their favorite part of both middle and high school. Both activities have led them to regional, state, and all-state competitions, taking home many medals.
Q: Was there a moment in your life when you decided to pursue being a singer?
FA: “Definitely. It was about 3-4 months ago, and I had just been really depressed. I felt like I was just going down a dead end. I just had to be real with myself, like ‘what do you actually want to do? No more bullshit.’ That’s when I was like ‘it’s always been singing.’”
Outside of the school choir, Finn was very timid when it came to singing their own material. They would go up to the room in the house most far from everyone, to belt out their own tunes.
Seeking isolation, growth, and room to focus, Finn moved from Michigan to North Carolina 1.5 years ago. In their new location, they found a good job and created a nice setup for themselves and their family. Unfortunately, they still felt unhappy. Finn didn’t want to waste time moving towards an upward path in their current career, as they felt that it still would not bring satisfaction.
Finding that joy would not only positively impact Finn, but it would also benefit their kids. They did not want their negative mindset to harm their mini-me’s. Knowing that being the best mother that they could required taking time for themselves and doing something that brought jubilation, Finn decided it was time to go full throttle in pursuing their true passion.
Q: Why is singing your form of expression?
FA: “I did try art: drawing and painting. I never put in enough work to become good at it.”
Some of Finn’s earliest memories are singing to Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Ciara. They’ve been singing for as long as they can remember, and it’s always been their favorite thing to do.
Q: Are you doing it for passion or for fame?
FA: “Both. I want to be famous. But, it’s also the passion. I sang on stage for 6 years and that was always my favorite part.”
The adrenaline rush before getting on stage is what makes Finn excited to sing. Although it was nerve-wracking, it’s still a feeling they'd want to embrace time and time again.
Finn is ready to stop hiding and show off their talents. Having their face plastered everywhere will feel like sweet revenge. Anyone that has ever wronged them or doubted them in any way, will know that Finn Ashtyn has indeed made it.
Q: What is your inspiration for writing?
FA: “Right now, I’m working on finding inspiration in everything because usually, I’ll just wait for inspiration to come to me, and it’s not sustainable that way.”
Finn Ashtyn has found a working approach when writing their music. They didn’t want to limit themselves by waiting, which would only lead to writing a few times a year. Now thought of as a meditative process, Finn listens to a song and lets it speak for itself, while also allowing their soul to speak for itself at the same time.
Q: At this moment in time, since everything has the opportunity to change, what is your creative process like?
FA: “Right now, the process starts with finding a track. I have a bunch of saved tracks and if I hear it and jive with it, then it’s definitely something that I can keep. From there, I have to fit writing and listening into my current day.”
In their busy day, Finn Ashtyn takes every chance they can to write music. You might even pass by them driving down the street, freestyling to an instrumental they liked. Finn is ready to take notes at any given moment, whether it’s on their phone or their notepad.
When creating songs, Finn often reminds themselves of the quote “Stop thinking and mulling around about doing something, and just do it.” At times, overthinking when writing can be difficult to conquer. But, they remember that activation energy will be condensed if they just make that first move.
Sometimes, Finn finds themselves getting stuck while trying to incorporate structure into songs based on the album’s theme. They believe that moving one step at a time will eventually work out for them. Finding inspiration in anything first, discovering the theme, diving into writing without any pressure to have things calculated, and then organizing the structure in the end, will relieve some pressure from their process.
Q: Tell us about your first project.
FA: “The mixtape itself is going to be called Matter of Time. The very first song is also called Matter of Time because that’s the real opening: I spent all this time dillydallying and now I’m finally ready to commit myself to this. I’m really not afraid anymore of what anybody is going to think or if it’s not going to work out. No matter what happens, I’m going to do this shit.”
Finn Ashtyn’s Matter of Time will serve as a personal introduction. Currently, one out of the four or five songs has a name that matches the mixtape title. The other names will be released once they are decided. You can currently listen to bits and pieces of the songs on their Instagram and TikTok. The mixtape is expected to drop this fall.
Finn’s favorite song is the single, Matter of Time. This is the track that is constantly on repeat, where they happily sing it like they’re performing on stage. Even though Finn has the most fun with that first song, there are some songs that are more vulnerable and hit a sore spot. Those songs are about love and relationships. They find it scary to release true feelings. At the Michigan studio, they realized that it’s terrifying to sing in front of people who know their family, but then they understood that if they couldn’t do it there, then where will they be able to?
The goal of the mixtape is to encourage listeners to take risks and become their most authentic selves. Growing up in Michigan, Finn was not exposed to anyone in their family that was chasing the dream of being a singer, so they didn’t really know how or where to start.
Being mostly influenced by celebrities, this gave them the courage to focus on themselves and just do what Finn Ashtyn wanted to do. Something that they have worked through is using others’ experiences as motivation and learning lessons. After realizing that they could have been working towards this career from the age of 12, Finn has decided that they want to serve as a catalyst for change for others, so that supporters don’t experience the same gap in time.
They have come such a long way in only 3 months since deciding to take singing more seriously. Finn Ashtyn wants to inspire others to do what’s in their heart, regardless of the outcome. Just doing what you love can be exciting.
Q: Will you be sharing anything personal in your music?
FA: “This album is a little bit more generic. I’m not going to be mentioning anything that has literally happened to me. That’s definitely something that I want to do in the future.”
Since the first project is more introductory, Finn Ashtyn (at this time) doesn’t plan on mentioning anything related to betrayal, receipts, and what some may portray as negativity. They feel like that energy doesn’t necessarily fit, even though who Finn is today has everything to do with monumental moments from their past.
Following their cross-country move to North Carolina, Finn has discovered that being away from people they grew up with, provides them with more comfort in releasing music. Their new location has allowed them to open up to new things and experience growth in many areas. Perhaps being away from past people will influence them to speak their truth, even if a listener knows exactly what Finn Ashtyn is singing about.
Q: If you were to not sing anymore, would you still want to be a part of the music industry? Is singing your passion? Or is it music that’s your passion?
FA: “Music is another passion. I definitely want to be involved with music. The music industry is difficult to get into, but if I were to stop singing today, and I had a reputation, I would like to go in and be on the business side of things.”
Finn Ashtyn would be open to managing as well as using her experiences and connections to boost other artists.
Q: If you could share the stage with any artist, who would it be and why?
FA: “When I was younger, I definitely thought that Justin Bieber and I would be musically compatible. Other names that pop up to mind that I would like to share the stage with are Aminé, Smino, or Kehlani.”
Finn is really into artists that have the bubbly, upbeat sound.
Q: Anything else you'd like to share with the audience?
FA: “Real stories will be told. Tracks are coming out. I’m super excited to just really roll out everything I have to give and just keep it going. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me and get to know me. This has been very fun.”
It has been a pleasure chatting with Finn Ashtyn. I thank them for allowing me the opportunity to write this article and I am looking forward to hearing their music!
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