Stuart senior wins 13-week competition, and lands a demo deal
By: Rachel Silverman
This diva, in all of her 17-year-old glory, has hit the stage.
Ashley Anderson, a senior at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, recently won a 13-week New Jersey Icon competition and landed a demo deal with a two-time Grammy award-winning producer.
The competition, which took place at venues in Atlantic City and Cape May, pitted contestants against each other in categories that include stage presence, interpretation, technical ability and diction.
When declared the winner, the Clarksburg native was in disbelief.
"I could taste my heartbeat, it was so palpable," Ashley said.
But for Ashley, the trophy is more than a single accolade it marks a lifetime of performance.
Ashley has been involved in music since the tender age of 6, when she started taking piano lessons. Never one to shy away from the limelight, she began singing at a Barnes & Noble bookstore at age 7, and moved on to community theater soon after. Performing-arts camp only fostered her interest more, and by the time high school rolled around, Ashley had acquired an impressive resume of vocal training and theatrical roles.
"I have always had a strong passion for music," Ashley said. "Through music, I feel I can truly be who I am. I can really put my heart and soul into it."
In high school, Ashley’s interests shifted more towards the pop genre.
"I developed a different kind of voice," she said. "I became more interested in the recording arts."
With icons including Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross and Christina Aguilera, Ashley describes her sound as a unique hybrid.
"I kind of found in that old school R&B I really have a base," she said. "But I’ve also got contemporary R&B, with a live band feel."
Her repertoire, for example, ranges from contemporary melodies like Alicia Keys’ "If I ain’t got you," to classic ballads like Aretha Franklin’s "Natural Woman."
She also began writing her own material, putting together new arrangements of old favorites like Chaka Khan’s "Love the One You’re With."
"I find myself being kind of a diva person," Ashley said. "But it’s so much fun to write fast-paced club songs."
Ashley spends about three hours a night exercising her vocal chords, writing lyrics and tinkering with production programs like Pro Tools. She does gigs twice a week, often traveling to New York City to perform, and makes regular trips to Atlantic City to "chill with producers."
And when, pray tell, does young Ashley do her schoolwork?
"In the car, in trains, the subway, taxis," she laughed. "In the studio on break."
Luckily for her, Ashley says her Stuart peers and teachers have been very supportive.
"I pursue a lot of things outside of school. They respect that," Ashley said. "At Stuart, I feel really accepted."
And Ashley has supported her classmates, too. When Stuart sophomore Rebecca Annitto died in September, Ashley dedicated a rendition of Mariah Carey’s "Hero" to her former classmate.
"It just allowed me to open up completely and surrender myself to the audience," Ashley said. "It was good just to get it all out in song."
That sense of passion, coupled with her steadfast determination, will serve Ashley well in what is surely a cutthroat industry.
"It’s a risky business," she admits. "But you just have to keep swimming.
"I kind of thrive off competition," she continued, looking poised as ever. "With competition, I find I’m challenged to grow."

