I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)Harnessing her rousing vocals and whimsical, gutsy cello lines, Ashia creates songs with elements of cabaret, folk, blues, and pop/punk . "Pay to be Loved", her debut album, is described as "exuding a dark outlook that recalls Tom Waits and Edith Piaf...her probing lyrics on the underbelly of romance with delirious results", Brad Walseth, Jazz Chicago.com and "Ashia's unconventional sound is sometimes haunting, alternating among broad ranges of styles, volumes, and speeds at most unexpected moments...an album praiseworthy for its sincere originality and stunning musical range", Melanie Fried, Elmore Magazine. Her talents and hard work in classical cello training were noticed at the age of 21, as she was invited to play cello and sing at Cirque du Soleil's production of "O" in Las Vegas, NV for four months. She returned a year later, after traveling to Europe and studying, to join "O" full-time. Outside of working at"O", Ashia performed alongside band members of BlueManGroup and cast members of sister Cirque du Soleil shows, as well as completing a BA in music at Central Washington University. Her experience with circus performers infected her with a strong interest in theatrical and cabaret performance. Upon leaving "O", she co-formed a dynamic cabaret style duet act with aerial hoop artist, Fernanda Mas Monteiro, where she sings and plays a version of her CD title song "Pay to be Loved" . Scratching an itch to travel and squelching a hunger to perform to audiences abroad, she flew across the seas to her birth city Wroclaw, Poland and to Berlin, DE. Currently, Ashia lives in Portland, OR and is extensively performing her solo works as well as with Richie Young/Loch Lomond, Amanda Richards, and The Portland Cello Project.
