Heather "Aslyn" Mitchell Nash (born September 21, 1980) is an American pop singer and songwriter from
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia. She released two full-length albums, ''
Lemon Love
''Lemon Love'' is the debut album recorded by pop singer Aslyn. All songs are written by Aslyn except "Here" which was co-written with her producer, Guy Chambers, and "493–1023" which was co-written with her brother Jeremy Mitchell. In its fir ...
'' and ''
The Dandelion Sessions
''The Dandelion Sessions'' is the second album recorded by pop singer Aslyn, following her 4-disc set ''The Grand Garden EP
''The Grand Garden EP'' is a 2008 EP recorded by singer-songwriter Aslyn and was released on Independent. The EP contai ...
'', as well as a 4-disc EP. She is also the sister of three members of the band Georgia.
Early years
Aslyn was born in west Florida and raised in
Chiefland, Florida
Chiefland is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2020 census, up from 2,245 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
A village of the Timucua ...
, outside of
Gainesville. At the age of seven, she began taking piano lesson Immediately submersing herself into the music scene, she did everything she could to gain exposure to live performing: entering talent contests, singing at weddings, and performing at church.
Upon graduating from high school, Aslyn attended
Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee and received her college degree. She then followed her dream of performing, which led her to
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, where she lived on various people's couches for a while as she performed throughout the town.
During this phase in her life, Aslyn purchased her first car with saved money. She referred to this car as a "
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...
", and it eventually inspired the title track of her debut album, "
Lemon Love
''Lemon Love'' is the debut album recorded by pop singer Aslyn. All songs are written by Aslyn except "Here" which was co-written with her producer, Guy Chambers, and "493–1023" which was co-written with her brother Jeremy Mitchell. In its fir ...
". She briefly dated
Butch Walker
Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was lead guitarist for the glam metal band, SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s. From 1997 to 2001, he became th ...
, mentioning him in her song "Golden" as "Number Five."
Musical career
While performing on a nightly basis, Aslyn began to immerse herself in many different genres of music. Many artists influenced her including
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Earth Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling b ...
, and
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
.
Beginning in 2002, Aslyn began to compose many of the songs that would be the basis for ''Lemon Love''. Record companies in Los Angeles began to show interest in Aslyn's music, inspiring her to begin searching for a record label.
Aslyn performed a very personal song for
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
entitled "493–1023" which speaks about her father's job loss and ensuing loss of family stability. Upon hearing the song, the record label signed her immediately.
While preparing to record and write the songs for her debut CD, Aslyn requested to work with producer
Guy Chambers
Guy Antony Chambers (born 12 January 1963) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams.
Education
Chambers attended Quarry Bank Comprehensive School sixth form in Liverpool. From 18, ...
. She had become interested in Chambers' work after hearing the heavily European sound on many of
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...
' albums. Chambers produced eight of the twelve tracks on ''
Lemon Love
''Lemon Love'' is the debut album recorded by pop singer Aslyn. All songs are written by Aslyn except "Here" which was co-written with her producer, Guy Chambers, and "493–1023" which was co-written with her brother Jeremy Mitchell. In its fir ...
''. For the remaining four, Aslyn worked with a California-based producer,
Eric Valentine
Eric Dodd, known professionally as Eric Valentine, is an American record producer who began his career as drummer and producer in the heavy metal band T-Ride.
He subsequently produced albums for artists such as Good Charlotte, Lostprophets ...
.
Two singles were released off the album: "Be the Girl" and "Gotta Get Over You". The first single that peaked at #35
/ref> on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Aslyn's sound as a performer has been classified as more of an "independent pop/alternative singer". Her single "Be the Girl" was featured in an episode of '' Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County'' on MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
."Be the Girl" also got featured in the " Bratz: Rock Angelz" video game.
After the release of her album, Aslyn began to tour the United States which such headliners as Ryan Cabrera
Ryan Frank Cabrera ( ; born July 18, 1982) is an American musician. He began his career as a lead singer for the Dallas band Rubix Groove before pursuing his solo career. Following the 2001 release of independent album '' Elm St.'', he released ...
, Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and signed with Round Hill Music. The band formed in 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and consists of Kevin Griffin (vocals and guitar), Tom Drummond (bas ...
, Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album ''Chariot (album), Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB/The CW, ...
, The Click Five
The Click Five (often abbreviated as TC5) is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then q ...
, and Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and sig ...
. The album peaked at #36 on the Billboard Top Heatseeker chart.
In January 2008, Aslyn released an EP entitled ''The Grand Garden EP
''The Grand Garden EP'' is a 2008 EP recorded by singer-songwriter Aslyn and was released on Independent. The EP contains 28 songs, most of which were recorded between Aslyn's debut album, ''Lemon Love'' and her second album, ''The Dandelion Ses ...
''. The EP features 27 songs divided up into four parts or phases, most of which were recorded between ''Lemon Love
''Lemon Love'' is the debut album recorded by pop singer Aslyn. All songs are written by Aslyn except "Here" which was co-written with her producer, Guy Chambers, and "493–1023" which was co-written with her brother Jeremy Mitchell. In its fir ...
'' and ''The Dandelion Sessions
''The Dandelion Sessions'' is the second album recorded by pop singer Aslyn, following her 4-disc set ''The Grand Garden EP
''The Grand Garden EP'' is a 2008 EP recorded by singer-songwriter Aslyn and was released on Independent. The EP contai ...
''. The following year, she toured with Toby Lightman
Toby Lightman is an American singer-songwriter. Her first album, '' Little Things'', was released in 2004 on Lava/Atlantic. Her second album, '' Bird on a Wire'' was released in 2006.
Biography
Raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Lightman beg ...
.
Her second album, ''The Dandelion Sessions
''The Dandelion Sessions'' is the second album recorded by pop singer Aslyn, following her 4-disc set ''The Grand Garden EP
''The Grand Garden EP'' is a 2008 EP recorded by singer-songwriter Aslyn and was released on Independent. The EP contai ...
'', was released on August 1, 2009 on iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
.
Aslyn also performed at the benefit Zac Brown Band
Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini (fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulele, ...
and Friends Concert on October 30, 2009 to help raise money for Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
' historic Georgia Theatre
Georgia Theatre is a live music venue and event space in Athens, Georgia. National and local acts across all genres have performed at the Theatre, including rock, folk, country, indie, alternative, hip hop and electronic. The venue is on the Athens ...
which burned down four months earlier on June 19.
In 2011, Aslyn released a live album ''Five Live'' on digital services on February 14. The physical version of the release was made available on May 14, 2012 through Amazon's Burn-On-Demand service.
Aslyn joined singing on the Get $leazy tour with Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round".
Kesha's music and ima ...
in 2011 in addition to also appearing on an episode of ''Victorious
''Victorious'' (stylized as ''VICTORiOUS'') is an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider that originally aired on Nickelodeon, debuting on March 27, 2010, and concluding on February 2, 2013 after four seasons. The series revolves around aspi ...
'' with the band.
Later that year, Aslyn contributed vocals and co-wrote some songs on Kalen Nash's ''Ukred'' album which was released in 2012.
Aslyn formed the duo DEGA with her husband, Kalen Nash in 2013. They are currently touring festivals and select tour dates. Their debut album '' DEGA'' is set for release in 2017.
Personal life
Aslyn married musician Kalen Nash on October 15, 2011. Her brothers were in a country rock band called 'Georgia'. They were signed with Atlantic Records from 2007 to 2010.
Discography
Albums
Singles
EPs
2008: ''The Grand Garden EP
''The Grand Garden EP'' is a 2008 EP recorded by singer-songwriter Aslyn and was released on Independent. The EP contains 28 songs, most of which were recorded between Aslyn's debut album, ''Lemon Love'' and her second album, ''The Dandelion Ses ...
''
Tours
2017
*Spring Tour
(with Washed Out)
2012
*Cayamo 2012
2011
* Get $leazy
with Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. Her first major success came in 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single, "Right Round".
Kesha's music and ima ...
2010
*Summer Tour
*Western Tour
with Toby Lightman
Toby Lightman is an American singer-songwriter. Her first album, '' Little Things'', was released in 2004 on Lava/Atlantic. Her second album, '' Bird on a Wire'' was released in 2006.
Biography
Raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Lightman beg ...
2009
*Cayamo 2009
2008
*The Rock Boat VIII
2007
*The Rock Boat VII
2006
*The Rock Boat VI
2005
*House of Blues Tour
with special guest, Ryan Cabrera
Ryan Frank Cabrera ( ; born July 18, 1982) is an American musician. He began his career as a lead singer for the Dallas band Rubix Groove before pursuing his solo career. Following the 2001 release of independent album '' Elm St.'', he released ...
*University Tour
with special guest, Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album ''Chariot (album), Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB/The CW, ...
*Ride the Wave Tour
with special guest, The Click Five
The Click Five (often abbreviated as TC5) is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then q ...
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aslyn
American women pop singers
American women singer-songwriters
American pop pianists
American women pianists
Carson–Newman University alumni
Capitol Records artists
Singer-songwriters from Florida
Living people
American rock pianists
1980 births
People from Levy County, Florida
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American pianists