A Fourways local who is working to make a name for herself in the United States, recently released her new single, Best Friend.
Ashlinn Gray, who is now 22 years old, started her music career at the age of 15 and always knew she wanted to be in the entertainment industry. “I love the creativeness of being an artist, from creating the songs, to the artwork and the live performances.
“I always thought my acting would be my calling, since back then my singing wasn’t very good. But after five years of hard work at my voice training, I was able to work up the confidence and skills to be able to say music is my calling.”
Gray is now settled in Los Angeles but said that it took a while to feel grounded in the city. She said the first couple of months were the hardest as she missed her home country and her family.
However, she has found the move to be beneficial in pushing herself to achieve even bigger goals with her music. She said she has ‘grown as a performer and writer in the US’.
“The level of skill here is high and it has pushed me to work harder in those areas. There is more opportunity here in Los Angeles; you’re always working on your craft to make sure you are prepared.
“Coming to the US was hard since I had a more well-known career in South Africa. I had to start from the bottom, and it takes its toll when you worked so hard in SA to get to a particular level and then have to start from scratch.”
Gray released her new single on Valentine’s Day to celebrate the love one has for oneself. Initially written about the loss of a best friend, she turned it into an anthem of being your own best friend.
“Through the process of writing the song, I realised that in order to have a best friend, you have to be your own bestie.”
The topic of self-love is a frequent visitor in Gray’s music, and she admits that it is something she only started writing about as she has gotten older. The singer said that we often disregard ourselves.
The fruits of Gray’s efforts and work have landed her an opportunity to audition on the popular American singing competition American Idols. Not one to turn down opportunities, she recalled feeling excited and surprised at the invite.
“I’m hoping to learn as much as I can from the judges. It would really be great to soak in as much as possible during my time with them.”
The singer told Fourways Review that to have a sold-out tour one day is a big dream, but also to ‘have a bunch of people in a room singing about the same thing and feeling like they’re not alone would be amazing’.
Gray’s new single, Best Friend, is out now on all streaming websites.
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