Ashley Renay

Ashley Renay's voice has been described as clean sounding with grit, and her songwriting is driven by her passion for understanding the human experience. For the past 10 years, Ashley has been on a musical journey full of ups and downs, doors closed and opened. The road that she thought would be straight and narrow has become full of twists and turns and has lead her to clutch a compass and hold on for the ride.

Growing up in a small town in Michigan, Ashley had a love of music from an early age. When she was 10 years old, she received a karaoke machine for Christmas. Soon her free time went from playing on the soccer field with the hopes of becoming the next Mia Hamm to singing in front of her bedroom mirror with artists such as Tanya Tucker, Leann Rimes, Reba McEntire, and Jewel. Recognizing the potential in her daughter (and because of Ashley's persistence about wanting to sing), Ashley's mom began taking her to karaoke venues, singing competitions, and talent shows. She became known as the local "Karaoke Queen".

When Ashley was 12, she attended a fair with a family friend who convinced the headline band "The Nolfs" to let Ashley sing a Martina McBride song called "Broken Wing" along with them. It was the first time Ashley sang on a stage with a live band. She was hooked. Soon after, Ashley recruited her brother Zack to back her up on the guitar and piano. The duo then began performing at local coffee houses, churches, and charity events around the West Michigan area.

When Ashley was 13 years old, she won the Michigan state competition for the Colgate Country Showdown. Local radio stations and newspapers then started taking notice, which led to numerous radio and newspaper interviews around the state.

Her success in the competition and the wholesome talent of the sister/brother duo opened many doors for them. Their schedule became booked with performances without ever having to promote themselves. Word of mouth spread quickly about the duo, and soon they were hosting their own hour-long, Sunday morning show on 106.3 WSCG out of Greenville, Michigan called "Ashley, Zack, and Friends". Then, in 2003, they were judged as the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts "Festival Idols." They were surprised and appreciated the recognition.

When Ashley was 15, she began playing guitar and was soon penning original material for the duo to perform. Songwriting opened a new, creative world to Ashley. Expressing herself and touching people's hearts through her own original music was one of the most satisfying things she had ever experienced. Songwriting became her focus, and soon she had enough original material to fill a three-hour time slot of all original music.

Ashley began attending Ferris State University in the fall of 2004, and during this time, Ashley and Zack began performing with other band members. Her band called "Rose Colored Glasses" was the longest running band and consisted of her brother Zack, drummer Josh McCarty, and bass players Charlie Campbell and Dan Nash. It was with these band members that Ashley released her first EP - entitled The Preview Collection (2005). In Northern West Michigan, the band won numerous Battle of the Band competitions, gaining a sizable following in the area. About two years later, the band called it quits when members began starting their respective careers in areas other than music.

It was at this time that Ashley decided to start performing as a solo artist. Performing in more intimate settings, Ashley was able to connect with her audience on a deeper level. She began performing at locations where people wanted to listen to the music and words of the songs she had created, as opposed to chanting for a favorite Guns and Roses cover.

In both 2006 and 2007, Ashley auditioned (along with 22,000 others) and became one of the top 40 contestants for USA Network's reality television competition, Nashville Star. Doing well in the competition provided momentum for Ashley's career and she looked forward to what the future could hold.

Soon after the Nashville Star competition, Ashley performed a showcase for a small independent record label that was starting in West Michigan. Ashley signed a contract with the label and recorded a 5 song EP. Unfortunately, the label failed to “get off the ground” during her contract term and in February of 2010 Ashley was finally able to cut her ties with the label. Ashley was excited to finally be able promote herself independently and have complete control over her career.

Immediately after ending her relationship with the label, Ashley began working on her first full length album “Beyond the Blue” with the “Lab Music Group” in Nashville, TN. Ashley spent a good portion of May 2010 in Nashville doing preproduction work, laying down the “bones” of the album and recording vocals. Her talented production team then spent the summer of 2010 finishing production on the album.

Soon after returning from recording in