Ashlee Keating on Getting “Freaky”

Ashlee Keating is not new to the music scene. From performing on Broadway as a child and being part of the Radio Disney family to becoming a two-time Billboard-charting artist, South Jersey native Keating is now experiencing her biggest breakthrough yet. 

“Freaky” is her latest release and her most authentic single, as she sings, “Give me your all and don’t hold it back.” Grungy and gritty, “Freaky” strays from the typical pop-girl persona that’s been dominating recent charts and embraces R&B and hip-hop influences that Keating says are who she really is.

Speaking about encouraging herself and others to live their truth, here’s what Keating had to say about being a child on Broadway, touring with Demi Lovato, and embracing her inner “Freaky.”

I saw that you’re originally from Linwood. I’m also from South Jersey, so I know where that is. 

I love that. I can hear your accent. 

So then you’re in LA right now, right? 

Yes, I am. Yes. 

Which do you prefer? East Coast or West Coast? 

Girl, I’m always gonna be a Jersey girl. You know what I mean? I’m Italian. I’m from South Jersey. You can’t take the Jersey girl out of me. I love the West Coast, too. I think they’re just so different, but I love representing where I’m from in New Jersey. I’m an East Coast girl at heart. I can literally feel people’s energy when I meet them. I’m like, “Are you from New York?” I can always tell. 

Speaking of New York, you had your Broadway debut when you were six in The Sound of Music. How do you think being on stage that young influenced how you perform now? And then would you ever want to be back on Broadway? Is that ever a dream of yours? 

I think there’s some amazing, amazing Broadway productions now, and I love how they’re incorporating a lot of pop music. I really would love to be in Burlesque. I could so see myself in that. I love that movie. I love Christina Aguilera, of course, and she killed it in the movie. They have not brought it to Broadway yet, but baby, I want to be in that. I feel like that would be such a cool show to be in. I love how I’m manifesting that right now.

I definitely could see myself on Broadway again, for sure. I love it. It’s just so special. I was thinking about this randomly not too long ago: it taught me so much because even when you shoot music videos, or you’re on set, it’s very similar, except there are no cuts. When you’re on Broadway, you have to be perfect. I’m already a perfectionist, being a Virgo. It was instilled in me when I was basically popped out of the womb. So I’ll never forget it. 

I definitely learned a lot [being on Broadway], and it really teaches you how to perform on stage. When you have a mess-up, you can’t really show your mess-ups, and you just keep performing. It’s a live audience, and you perform a lot all week. So it really gets your endurance going. It’s very similar to touring in a sense, you know? 

Do you think you bring any of these life influences into your music when you record, or when you write songs? 

Oh, absolutely. If it doesn’t resonate with me, I don’t record it. I’m always a part of the writing process. Even if there’s a demo that’s sent to me or a record that someone feels is good for me, I usually make it my own after that and put my twist on it— I like to say the “Ashlee Effect”— and rewrite it. 

That’s how “Freaky” happened. We rewrote it completely and made it very Ashlee. I really love to just bring my life and definitely my personality into my lyrics because I’m a goofball. I’m fun. I’m funny. I’m sassy, extra, the Jersey girl vibe. I love to do the most. So I love to bring that and bring self-confidence into my lyrics as much as I possibly can because I want to inspire my listeners and my fans to feel the best when they listen. So yeah, I definitely incorporate all my life experiences. I could be in a club and be like, “Oh my god, I just had the greatest idea.” Or in the car. I was going to get coffee the other day, and I heard a random beat. I was like, “Oh, let me voice record this real quick.” A lot of my ideas seem crazy at first, and then they end up being the best songs ever. I’m very random. I’m very creative. That’s how my music comes to life. 

You mentioned your new single, “Freaky.” I noticed that song is very sonically different than your EP. What inspired you to make that musical shift? 

I was thinking about this the other day. That’s really who I am. I don’t know why it took so long to get to this point, but when I was 12 years old, I, believe it or not, listened to a lot of JoJo and absolutely loved her. I always really loved R&B and hip hop music. That’s actually the core sound that I always listen to. 

But I’m a pop girly, you know what I mean? I’m very diverse in my sounds and my music, but I think my real heart and soul is pop, R&B, and hip hop. That’s just something that I listen to every day. It’s really random because no one in my family was listening to that kind of music. So I’m like, “Where did I get this from?” 

I think never forcing music and timelines is the best thing. I wrote “Hurt Me So Good” myself, which kind of had a little bit of an edginess, urbany feel to it. My song “Yes” is completely dance pop. But that’s very my personality; sonically and musically, that isn’t it. I think when the pandemic happened and my live project, I started transitioning because I was actually living back in New Jersey again. I went back and listened to a lot of old music and went back to my roots, where I grew up and who Ashlee is. That’s when the transition started happening, when I started doing “Saucy.” That project started the sonic change, and it’s just been growing from there. It’s really evolving, and I’m becoming more and more of that girl. So I’m really excited for people to see that. I was a little afraid to transition into that, but that’s just who I am. So I’m really excited to start sharing more of that. 

So do you have songs lined up for release that are kind of similar to the vibe of “Freaky”? 

There’s just so much, but y’all just have to wait and see. I’m always creating, and every time I go in the studio, I’m like, “Damn, how did I just outdo the last one?” So, like I said, I’m just going to continue to evolve, hopefully. 

It’s exciting for “Freaky” to be doing its thing and showing people that side of me. It just happened this year. I wrote and recorded it this year. It came out fast, and it’s been doing its thing. It was honestly just one of those sessions that I got into. I was creative and having a good time. Hence the “Oh no, my tequila gone.” That was a whole random, funny moment that was just recorded. I was like, “Oh my God, we’re putting that in there.” It was an unexpected thing, and I’m just so grateful. 

And I definitely think you can feel the confidence in it too. You can tell that you’re comfortable with it, which I think is always the best part of any song. 

Oh, thank you. I want the song to let people feel really liberated in their bodies and confident in themselves to have fun and feel freaky and love themselves from every part of them. 

You mentioned that you’ve listened to a lot of R&B music. What are some artists that you have in your rotation now that you think inspired “Freaky” or that you’re just always listening to? 

Well, I love Doja Cat. Love her. Could totally see a collab someday with her. I love SZA. My gosh, Summer Walker. Girl, she gets me in my feels. I love her. I love Usher, of course. That goes way back. His music is insane. Chris Brown, love him. Every song he puts out is a hit. I love Leon Thomas. That’s a friend of mine. He’s amazing. 

So then you’ve opened up for Demi Lovato and Keke Palmer. Being in the same space and watching them perform, is there anything that you’ve taken from megastars like that and incorporated into your own performance and how you present yourself on stage? 

Demi is such an icon. Love her. And it’s so funny. I was doing something recently, and somehow someone scrolled on my phone all the way up years ago, and it was a picture of me and Demi. And I was like, “My God, we both look so different.” But yeah, Demi’s amazing. I really love her song “Confident.” And she’s so fierce when she performs, as well. She has such a soulful voice, and it’s so beautiful. She’s just a really amazing performer. I love watching everybody’s performances come to life on stage, and I love confident performers who come to life on stage. So I think watching her evolve and do her thing has been amazing. I definitely take from all these different artists and make my own thing. 

So then looking forward to the rest of the year, or even a couple years in the future, what are you hoping to put out? What’s on the horizon for you? 

I definitely cannot wait to get out performing. That’s first and foremost. I love my fans so much; meeting them, and even the videos and things that they send to me randomly on social media, makes me tear up. I do it for the fans. Inspiring them means the absolute world. So getting to hug them and see them and take selfies and pictures, that’s literally the best thing ever. I’m really excited for touring, performing, and doing my thing. 

There’s just gonna be lots of new music. So yeah, just stay tuned. But we’re in “Freaky” land right now. You know, she’s a moment. She’s there. 

Do you have songs that are already written that you are hoping to work on soon? 

Oh, for sure. Okay. I mean, there’s a ton. 

So we’ll see some new stuff really soon. 

Yeah, you just never know. I know that the fans are waiting, and I’m like, “Y’all don’t worry.” There’s lots of surprises coming. 

You’re like, “It’s coming. Let it cook. Let it simmer a little bit. And then you’ll get it.” 

Yeah. But for now, “Freaky.” There is something coming very soon. That’s all I can say. I probably could say more, but I didn’t ask yet.