Her heart pumped out of her chest and her hands trembled as she firmly grasped the mic. She looked at the crowd of familiar faces as they all jeered and yelled as she stood there, frozen. She inched closer to the end of the stage and took a deep breath as she waited for music to play. She began to sing, the melodies of the soft and sad song took over her, and in the middle of her performance, felt tears coming down her face. She was crying.
The eyes of all of Newark public schools were beating down on her as she began to sing. It was quiet, while the crowd silently starred at the young talent that they never knew went to school with them, until now. Her first performance made her believe in her talent and incited her passion for singing and the music industry.
There’s always the fairy tale story of the girl who fulfills her dream to be a famous artist. This is not that story.
Staying true to the dream you had as a kid is something that many people in the industry now were unable to do. Many people have to find another avenue to get into such a cut throat and competitive business.
Ashley Charles, a 20 year old student at Saint Peter’s University, grew up in Newark, New Jersey and decided that music was something she wanted to try at age five.
However, 15 years later has decided that the life of a artist isn’t one that she wants to live anymore. Producers and experiences with the music industry changed her whole scope on her own dream, and her voice may be heard in a way she never envisioned.
It began in church, where her family took her every Sunday. She watched the Gospel choir and they spurred her interest in singing, although she was afraid of the stage. She later joined them and sang in front of members of the church.
“Church was the only place I felt comfortable singing,” she said. “Church was a large part of my love for singing.”
As time went on, she knew she had to overcome her shyness, and her friends did too. They encouraged her to join a club that hosted events at her school called ‘Mic it Up’. All of the schools in Newark school district attended to watch kids perform and host the show. Then they asked her to perform.
“Performing there made me come out of my comfort zone,” she said.” I was shy and embarrassed before, it was stupid.”
After that, there was no muting the young singer. Charles sang everywhere she went to anything with a rhyme and a beat, and she tended to get in some trouble for it.
“It got me kicked out of school and classes,” she said. “I sang everywhere loud; I was called the distracted kid.”
“They said I distracted everyone around me,” she said. “But I was just being me.”
That’s not hard to believe, with her curly afro-styled hair, dyed all red, she’s hard not to see or hear.
“I’ve always been loud and crazy.”
A friend next her emphatically agreed.
Charles looked and gave her a good slap as she looked at me to continue.
But with all the craziness, she never lost focus on the music. She started to join other clubs that allowed her to travel and meet some famous musicians in the industry.
“Singing definitely gave me an opportunity that a lot of kids didn’t have,” she said. “I was traveling at thirteen and sang for other artists.”
Those artists including a well-known r&b star and winner of American Idol season three, Fantasia.
“I sang background for Fantasia at Gospel Fest,” she said. “I love her, she’s very diverse in her music and she gave us a speech afterward about life and stuff.”
“Oh, I just love her,” she said. “She was someone who made me want to peruse my singing career because she was diverse and different .”
With all of the traveling and singing that she was doing, it had a large effect on her childhood, and she didn’t have much time to just be a kid.
“It was complicated,” she said. “When you’re a singer, you have to do a lot of other stuff.”
“I didn’t get to go to a lot of parties; I was either at a show, in dance class, or hosting.”
Also, being around industry people and producers that were much older than her, she became more mature at a young age.
“It made me grow up really fast,” she said. “I hung around a lot of guys that were twice my age, so it was complicated.”
However, many of these people that she grew up with she trusted. People who she saw as family members changed her life and thoughts about music all together.
“Does it have to be real deep”, she said. “Would that make your story popping”?
She laughed nervously and played with her phone.
“Never mind,” she said. “It’s fine”.
“He was the owner and producer of the studio I used to sing for,” she said. “He wrote music for me, and I did the same for him, we had that connection, ya know?”
“He was an alcoholic,” she said. “So when he would get drunk, he would like talk to me crazy, and try to touch me and stuff.”
“I looked up to him like an uncle”, she said. “That’s when music got really real for me.”
“I don’t want to really work with male producers or artists,” she said. “Or at least not when I’m by myself, because I was by myself before.”
“I changed a lot,” she said. “With my whole view of music together.”
Being aware of the exploitation many women go through in the industry, and having experienced it herself, she didn’t want to pursue a career in singing anymore.
“And I know I happens to other female artists that work with male artists and producers”, she said. “That was a big thing that affected my childhood.”
However, she’s wants to try different parts of the industry that she feels she could maintain staying true to herself and having a career that she is passionate about. She’s turned her attention to radio.
“Well, it’s wishy washy, because when you want to be a singer, you’re always going to want to sing,” she said. “But I’m focused more right now on my radio show.”
‘News or Nah’ is the newest radio show that Charles will be hosting at Saint Peter’s University. Her and several of her friends will talk and discuss topics on music and the industry.
She also plans on transferring schools after this semester to Clark Atlanta in Georgia, where she will try to expand her education in the career she wants to pursue.
“I’m majoring in music management and business”, she said. “I’m going to make my way, just in my own way.”
She’s moving on with her career in a different avenue, but either way has plans to stay around the people that do what she loves, singing and performing.
“I don’t like the life that comes with being a singer nowadays,” she said. “If the music industry wasn’t so messed up, I would sing”.
The eyes of all of Newark public schools were beating down on her as she began to sing. It was quiet, while the crowd silently starred at the young talent that they never knew went to school with them, until now. Her first performance made her believe in her talent and incited her passion for singing and the music industry.
There’s always the fairy tale story of the girl who fulfills her dream to be a famous artist. This is not that story.
Staying true to the dream you had as a kid is something that many people in the industry now were unable to do. Many people have to find another avenue to get into such a cut throat and competitive business.
Ashley Charles, a 20 year old student at Saint Peter’s University, grew up in Newark, New Jersey and decided that music was something she wanted to try at age five.
However, 15 years later has decided that the life of a artist isn’t one that she wants to live anymore. Producers and experiences with the music industry changed her whole scope on her own dream, and her voice may be heard in a way she never envisioned.
It began in church, where her family took her every Sunday. She watched the Gospel choir and they spurred her interest in singing, although she was afraid of the stage. She later joined them and sang in front of members of the church.
“Church was the only place I felt comfortable singing,” she said. “Church was a large part of my love for singing.”
As time went on, she knew she had to overcome her shyness, and her friends did too. They encouraged her to join a club that hosted events at her school called ‘Mic it Up’. All of the schools in Newark school district attended to watch kids perform and host the show. Then they asked her to perform.
“Performing there made me come out of my comfort zone,” she said.” I was shy and embarrassed before, it was stupid.”
After that, there was no muting the young singer. Charles sang everywhere she went to anything with a rhyme and a beat, and she tended to get in some trouble for it.
“It got me kicked out of school and classes,” she said. “I sang everywhere loud; I was called the distracted kid.”
“They said I distracted everyone around me,” she said. “But I was just being me.”
That’s not hard to believe, with her curly afro-styled hair, dyed all red, she’s hard not to see or hear.
“I’ve always been loud and crazy.”
A friend next her emphatically agreed.
Charles looked and gave her a good slap as she looked at me to continue.
But with all the craziness, she never lost focus on the music. She started to join other clubs that allowed her to travel and meet some famous musicians in the industry.
“Singing definitely gave me an opportunity that a lot of kids didn’t have,” she said. “I was traveling at thirteen and sang for other artists.”
Those artists including a well-known r&b star and winner of American Idol season three, Fantasia.
“I sang background for Fantasia at Gospel Fest,” she said. “I love her, she’s very diverse in her music and she gave us a speech afterward about life and stuff.”
“Oh, I just love her,” she said. “She was someone who made me want to peruse my singing career because she was diverse and different .”
With all of the traveling and singing that she was doing, it had a large effect on her childhood, and she didn’t have much time to just be a kid.
“It was complicated,” she said. “When you’re a singer, you have to do a lot of other stuff.”
“I didn’t get to go to a lot of parties; I was either at a show, in dance class, or hosting.”
Also, being around industry people and producers that were much older than her, she became more mature at a young age.
“It made me grow up really fast,” she said. “I hung around a lot of guys that were twice my age, so it was complicated.”
However, many of these people that she grew up with she trusted. People who she saw as family members changed her life and thoughts about music all together.
“Does it have to be real deep”, she said. “Would that make your story popping”?
She laughed nervously and played with her phone.
“Never mind,” she said. “It’s fine”.
“He was the owner and producer of the studio I used to sing for,” she said. “He wrote music for me, and I did the same for him, we had that connection, ya know?”
“He was an alcoholic,” she said. “So when he would get drunk, he would like talk to me crazy, and try to touch me and stuff.”
“I looked up to him like an uncle”, she said. “That’s when music got really real for me.”
“I don’t want to really work with male producers or artists,” she said. “Or at least not when I’m by myself, because I was by myself before.”
“I changed a lot,” she said. “With my whole view of music together.”
Being aware of the exploitation many women go through in the industry, and having experienced it herself, she didn’t want to pursue a career in singing anymore.
“And I know I happens to other female artists that work with male artists and producers”, she said. “That was a big thing that affected my childhood.”
However, she’s wants to try different parts of the industry that she feels she could maintain staying true to herself and having a career that she is passionate about. She’s turned her attention to radio.
“Well, it’s wishy washy, because when you want to be a singer, you’re always going to want to sing,” she said. “But I’m focused more right now on my radio show.”
‘News or Nah’ is the newest radio show that Charles will be hosting at Saint Peter’s University. Her and several of her friends will talk and discuss topics on music and the industry.
She also plans on transferring schools after this semester to Clark Atlanta in Georgia, where she will try to expand her education in the career she wants to pursue.
“I’m majoring in music management and business”, she said. “I’m going to make my way, just in my own way.”
She’s moving on with her career in a different avenue, but either way has plans to stay around the people that do what she loves, singing and performing.
“I don’t like the life that comes with being a singer nowadays,” she said. “If the music industry wasn’t so messed up, I would sing”.