Ashley Monroe on the business of music
Ashley Monroe is a 28-year-old country music artist who wrote the line, “Had somebody that I trusted leave me broke and busted.” That’s a pretty perfect distillation of what it feels like to be brokenhearted, artistic and poor. Lizzie O’Leary speaks with her about her relationship with money, her new contribution to the Amazon Acoustics playlist (she sings John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses”) and what it’s like on the road.
Monroe tells O’Leary that the lyrics she wrote to “From Time to Time” came to her in her sleep.
Hush, little darling, celebrate
Today’s gonna be your birthday
Even if it’s not the 10th of September
Sometimes down here you will find
Life won’t give you peace of mind
It’s like you’re holding on to a dying ember
Along with her contribution to Amazon Acoustics, Monroe has also released her third album, “Blade,” this year.
How much does being financially secure figure into her plans as a musician?
I didn’t really think about money until after my dad died. I remember the first time I thought about it afterwards was going to the funeral home and seeing how much a stone was, and thinking ‘Oh my gosh, are we going to be able to afford this?’ I was like my first dealing with money….
How does the music industry stack up to what she thought it would be, before she was a well-known country artist?
I used to see buses backstage when I would go see shows, and I would think, ‘Oh, they’re drinking champagne and they’re getting their hair done, and oh, probably getting a massage.’ And probably unless your Beyoncé, that’s not the case. And maybe not even her. But I’m still going to imagine somebody does that. But yeah … it’s not like what you think….
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