San Jose State communications senior and vocal artist Ashley Mehta’s musical unpredictability could make her the next household name from the Bay Area.
The Fremont native’s experimental mentality allows her to perform multiple genres of music. Whether it’s rhythm and blues, hip-hop, pop or EDM, Mehta embraces any new musical challenge.
“The one thing that has stayed consistent throughout my music is the pop element,” Mehta said. “Coming from the Bay Area helps so much with [experimenting] because most of the music here is rap and R&B.”
She said she has always been heavily influenced by pop music, whether it was on her own time or around the
house – where she said the radio was always playing in the background.
Growing up, Mehta said she listened to Michael Jackson and pop artist Tori Kelly because she admired their multifaceted artistry – Jackson’s dancing and Kelly’s ability to play guitar.
Aside from many popular artists, Mehta is also influenced by her family with whom she feels a strong connection.
Mehta said she isn’t the only musically gifted one in the family. Her brother is talented, her mother can sing well and her family also told her that her late father, who died when she was three years old, was a talented singer.
“I’m very spiritual in terms of energy and I know that [my dad] is watching me,” she said. “I hope to make him proud. Everything I experience and go through, I know he’s with me in that journey.”
Additionally, Mehta said her family is very supportive of her creative pursuits. Her mother often asks when she is releasing her next song and her brother often walks into her room while she’s working on music to express his excitement.
Maleni Morales, Mehta’s longtime friend and a student at California State University, Monterey Bay, has seen Mehta’s growth as an artist since they met as freshmen in high school.
“I have a lot of faith in her and where she’s going,” she said. “It’s just a matter of time before she really breaks out because she’s been grinding for a long time and I feel like she’s getting better and better.”
Morales said Mehta’s unique and distinct voice sets her apart from other artists and her original style doesn’t seem like a spinoff of other artists.
After performing many cover songs and writing her own material, Mehta stepped inside a professional recording studio for the first time in high school.
She said she then put her fear aside and vowed to pursue a music career while attending SJSU.
“It almost felt like it was meant to happen. I came to [SJSU] undeclared,” Mehta said. “I didn’t know at all what I wanted to do. The reason why [I’m a communications major] is so I can gain the skills to talk to more people and network.”
Mehta met her eventual friend and collaborator at SJSU, Rommel Serrano, a DJ and producer known by the
stage name Rommii. She messaged Serrano on Instagram in hopes of working together after listening to
his music.
“She works just as hard, if not harder than me,” Serrano said. “It’s cool because she taught me so much about song writing and pockets within vocals and I taught her about production and sound design.”
The duo found synergy in their work and released two songs together called “All of My Love” and “Where Do We Go.” However, Serrano said they have around 40 unreleased songs.
The duo have a joint EP scheduled for release sometime in 2021. Both artists said they don’t want to give away too many details in order to sustain an element of surprise.
“No one really knows fully that I’m going to dive into this whole R&B, hip-hop, electronic pop realm,” Mehta said. “We don’t know a genre [for our EP]. We couldn’t put it in a genre.”
She hopes to move to Los Angeles after she graduates in Spring 2021 to build her career.
Even as her sights are set on the City of Angels, Mehta said the Bay Area will always be a part of her identity and hold the most significance in her heart.
“I get chills just getting asked [about blowing up in the Bay Area]. It would mean the world to me especially because the Bay Area is family,” Mehta said. “The family I’ve created here with friends and everybody here who supports my music, I think it would just be so surreal.”
