Ashnikko is the alt-pop rising star whose twisted mash-up of pop and dance is the perfect soundtrack to tumultuous, deranged times. Think Charli xcx running away with the Jim Rose Circus. Although, there is a sweetness to her ethos which belies the extremities to her persona, a belief in the power of unifying people. As Ashnikko puts it, in difficult times, simply getting fans to sing together is, “Such a liberating act, it’s proof they can’t break your spirit … Music needs to be something we consume together — when you sing with other people, you’re doing ritual magic.”
This is a liberating time for Ashnikko — real name Ashton Casey — having kicked off the cycle for her acclaimed recent second album Smoochies late last year by supporting Billie Eilish in arenas across Australia, someone she calls: “One of the best artists of our generation. I had a great time on those massive stages.” Duly inspired, the singer’s own headline tour is now underway, and is bringing maximalism and hedonism to a stage show which is equal parts freaky fairground attraction, scrappy school play and polished pop spectacular. The ambition behind it almost outstrips the actual venues: “My team are always on at me for building an arena show for theatres. I just love a creative challenge though.”
It marks a new phase of popularity for an artist who, after years of building a reputation as a songwriter, is now busy crossing over to the mainstream. Ashnikko first came to attention with boisterous early tracks inspired by childhood heroes MIA, Gwen Stefani and Björk and had the likes of Charli, Miley Cyrus and Yungblud professing their fandom. The likes of Stupid, Working Bitch and Tantrum all went viral on TikTok. A bigger breakthrough came in 2020 when Ashnikko co-wrote Boss Bitch with Doja Cat; other writing credits included K-pop boy band Together X Tomorrow’s hyperpop hit Frost.
The release of 2021’s genre-hopping Demidevil mixtape — featuring a hit take on Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi — was followed by Weedkiller, her first album proper. Now Smoochies is proving to be the culmination of everything she has learned during her unique career. Ashnikko grew up in North Carolina before the family moved to Estonia, then Latvia. Feeling like an outsider on the other side of the world, the singer spent a lot of time with fantasy books and reading about feminism on Tumblr. Aged just 18, Ashnikko moved to London alone.
“I didn’t have much of a plan but London is where I met my favourite people. It’s where I really stepped into myself and learned that I could have a gorgeous, juicy life. It’s my favourite city in the world.” The star still lives here and says she enjoys swimming at Hampstead Heath and taking herself on museum dates: “Romancing myself is a huge pillar of my work and I experience that with great gusto in London.”
When Casey first started making music, Ashnikko was a character she created. “It was the older sister that I desperately wanted as a teenager. I needed someone to look up to and to teach me why I was allowed to say ‘no’ while also giving me permission to be angry. Without that, I would have imploded.” Over time though, she has found that the lines between person and persona have blurred, in a way that she says has proved crucial to her self-worth. “There is no pretending anymore. I mean, yes, there is still a level of absurdism and surrealism within Ashnikko that is a performance, but at the core of it, I feel like I actually know who I am now. I feel really confident about myself and I want to celebrate that.” The singer now believes she acts as the big sister for her fans. “I like taking care of people. Growing up, it was musicians that really validated me and my emotions. To be able to do that for others now is incredible.”
Later this month, Ashnikko will play two dream-come-true headline homecoming gigs at Brixton Academy before heading to America in March. Those London gigs also coincide with turning 30, though the worry was about missing a party than the actual age milestone. “At first I was pissed that someone had booked a show on my birthday but actually, I can deal with a night where I’m getting loads of praise. I love being the centre of attention.”
In this respect, Ashnikko is a natural for the social media age. Whether it’s the Brits — where two masked men carried the singer’s hair (“Tonight I’m playing Ashnikko femdom,” she declared) — her series of Halloween-themed horror bops or some outstandingly NSFW lyrics, the viral moments just keep on coming. Although she insists: “I try not to be on the internet too much because it hurts my brain. Nothing really feels real there.”
Nevertheless, shortly after Demidevil was released, Ashnikko felt the need to clarify being pansexual and genderfluid after waves of online speculation. “That record was a diary, but then your diary quickly becomes a public discussion. Trying to control it is like trying to hold water in your hands and I really struggled with it.”
It’s why Weedkiller told personal stories of trauma, queer love and body autonomy through a dystopian fantasy lens: “Because of the virality of Demidevil, it felt like a lot of my art had been devalued and turned into these small sound bites. I wanted to make something a bit more considered instead.”
Having grown into an artist making serious statements, it’s remarkable that she has managed to balance that with fun on the mischievous second album Smoochie, which is both confessional and impish.
“I just didn’t have a heavy heart writing this album. I wanted something dedicated to pleasure that also spoke about the different highs and lows that come alongside that. I wanted to make fun party music.”
Playful lead single Itty Bitty is a celebration of the “sacredness” of going on a night out with the girls to get over a break-up. Pulsating club banger Full Frontal is about chasing mind-numbing euphoria. There’s also the sincere acoustic guitar-driven closing track It Girl which tackles the expectations that come with being femme-presenting and the difficulties in trying to grow beyond them.
“I am a multi-faced femme person who doesn’t want to be boxed in as one thing. I want to prove to myself, my mother, my future children and anyone who listens to my music that you can be this sexy creature that also exists in the grotesque, the scary, the messy and the joyful. We are not two-dimensional.” Despite the NSFW lyrics, Ashnikko’s mum is a huge fan.
It’s left the singer feeling free to “play around” with any genre or medium going forward. “I know my fanbase will ride with me forever and their support just makes me feel really understood. God, no one lets you be content in the music industry but I do feel so secure right now.
“I haven’t sat down and confronted political issues on Smoochies, but I’m a feminist therefore it’s a feminist record. I’m invested in the wellness of humanity, so that’s on there as well.”
There was a time when covering so many topics and genres on a record meant Ashnikko felt like an alternative artist on the sidelines but now that’s a calling card in itself. “We’re all capable of introspection and being a slutty little freak in the same day, so why can’t I do that on one album?”
This is similar to how Charli xcx asks questions about career, motherhood and complicated female friendships or how Sabrina Carpenter has used playfully polished pop to challenge the male gaze, and positions Ashnikko right at the centre of the diverse new music world. “There are so many women in music right now who are pushing boundaries. To watch the pop landscape change into this thing where anything goes is really encouraging.”
Ashnikko plays the O2 Academy Brixton on February 19 and 20
