Ashley Monroe recently released “There You Are”, a contemplative piano ballad that showcases Monroe’s ethereal vocals that have recently hushed theatres across the UK on her recent tour with Little Big Town and during her showcase over the weekend at AmericanaFest. The song was written by Jessi Alexander, Margaret Findley, and Sally Barris, who Monroe worked with on some of her most well-known songs such as “Weed Instead of Roses”.
We managed to catch up with Ashley as she talked about her latest single “There You Are” and more!
How has your latest song ‘There You Are’ gone down with fans do far?
I think it’s good, everything I’ve seen they seem to like it. I try not to look too hard so I don’t freak out if it’s not doing as good as I thought it would.
Can you tell us anything about your new album next year?
Well, I’m finishing it up now and I’ve recorded so many songs so I’m kind of like narrowing down and figuring out which ones are going to make the album. I can’t imagine how many songs I’ve written since I’ve been in Nashville. I kind of went back to the ones that have always been favourites that I didn’t cut. Hot Rod Pipe Dream was one and Risen Road was one and both of them I written in 2015.
What was it like showcasing this single in the UK when touring with Little Big Town?
Oh it was so good, I mean they’re all like dear friends of mine so it was basically like going on a trip with your friends and sing and listen to them sing so I loved it. I had never been to Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol or Cambridge so it was so cool. I would get up in the morning and just go explore every city. All of them were special, they really were.
If you could work with an artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
One on my list that I have been wanting to work with for a long time is Dolly (Parton). She wrote me a letter in 2004, she got a demo CD of mine she said she loved my songs and I reminded her a lot of myself and that she would love to collaborate one day. I’m hoping and keeping my fingers crossed that will happen. I was lucky enough to be writing with Marty Stuart recently and that’s really a dream come true too.
“There You Are” follows the release of “Hot Rod Pipe Dream”, which was co-written with her longtime collaborator Brendan Benson and co-produced by Monroe and GRAMMY-winner Gena Johnson. The official video for the song debuted with CMT on a billboard in Times Square.
Over the last year, Monroe has been releasing new music, played her first Nashville headline show since 2015, and hit the road for a UK tour with Little Big Town. She has recently released a cover of Fred Eaglesmith’s “I Like Trains”, “Risen Road”, and her late 2023 single “Over Everything” which Billboard called “Airy, understated and clear-eyed, the song is lifted by the quiet assuredness in Monroe’s vocal.” Monroe’s recent work has been met with praise by American Songwriter, CMT, Stereogum, and People Magazine, who interviewed Monroe about her musical “fresh start.”