Seattle-based radio host and music selector, Miss Ashley, shares her story and music selections.

Music really brings people together, and it’s not every day I get to meet another reggae radio host. When I first got connected with Miss Ashley from KEXP-Seattle, I felt we were two peas in a pod. Along with hosting KEXP’s Variety Mix on Sundays from 12pm-3pm PT, she produces shows and even steps in to assist with KEXP’s long-running reggae show Positive Vibrations. Bonding over our shared appreciation of Jah9 and women in reggae, I wanted to get to know more about Miss Ashley—someone who does a lot of important work behind the scenes to boost the visibility of up-and-coming and established reggae artists. 

I recently interviewed Miss Ashley for my radio show, 2 DUB on WORT FM, which aired on Saturday Match 25, 2023. Here’s an edited version of our conversation below. Read on to get to know more about Miss Ashley, her career, and some of her amazing music selections featuring women in reggae!

KK: First of all, welcome Miss Ashley to 2 DUB on WORT. This doesn’t happen too often where you get a crossover—this is a KEXP/WORT crossover tonight! I would love to hear more about your story and how you got into radio.

MA: I got started in radio kind of just kind of on a whim. My mom actually suggested that I check out KEXP. This was way back in probably 2007. I actually had a lot of interest in production. I wanted to work behind the scenes in some way in the music industry. So I checked to see if there was a production internship at KEXP, there wasn’t, but they had me do an internship in DJ assisting, so I did that and then an internship came for production later on. I ended up doing both and just spending a lot of time at the radio station, volunteering my time and just learning the ropes. Then just by chance, there happened to be a slot that needed to be filled for the overnight show over the weekend, so I turned in a demo and was hired. That’s how I got started at KEXP, and I’ve been there ever since. 

KK: What shows are you involved with these days at KEXP? 

MA: I have a show every Sunday on KEXP from noon to 3pm [Pacific Time], and I’m also a producer for one of our shows that’s on every weekday—it’s the Early Show from 5am to 7am, Monday through Friday. I’m a producer for that one, and Gabriel Teodros hosts the show. I’m also a programming project manager on KEXP. 

KK: I would love to hear about the music scene in the Seattle area. I’ve actually never been there and would love to hear what it’s like.

MA: There’s a lot of music happening here all the time, you know, as I’m sure you can imagine. I was just a mentor for a 21 and under music showcase series called Sound Off!. It’s where 12 bands under the age of 21 perform original songs, and some of them for the first time. This was really cool to be a part of. They were performing in front of a couple hundred people. And I’m not just saying this—they were all talented, like really talented. I was blown away. I couldn’t believe how composed and professional they were when they came on to stage. Seattle, being rooted in so much musical history, has drawn a lot of artists to the area. But there’s also something to be said for the long, gray rainy season to inspire creativity and active listening, and going out to shows, so there’s a lot happening in the music scene here. Whether it’s due to the history or just what’s going on now, it’s definitely a music hub today, and now with an even more diverse range of sounds, though so it’s known for its grunge era. But Seatlle’s soul scene actually predates that. Then you know, the hip-hop scene blew up circa Sir Mix-a-Lot, and it hasn’t really stopped since then. I mean, it’s quite a goldmine for hip hop and R&B now as well, and jazz—the jazz scene is a conversation of its own here.

KK: I also love our shared love of reggae, which is what got us connected… I love our conversations about women in reggae, and having it be Women’s History Month, I would love to hear about which women have had the biggest influence on your life and your career.

MA: Definitely. My mom, gotta start with that one. She really encouraged me to think outside the box and to try radio among all the other life lessons that she’s taught me and continues to teach me. And then in my career, it’s really been colleagues who have been the biggest influence on my career and my trajectory. Having been with KEXP in some capacity for 15 years now, I have several colleagues who have become close friends and have been pretty vital to my growth in my career, direct or indirect, as a mentor advocate: Cheryl Waters who hosted the midday show, and Mel Trejo, who was our former DJ Manager when I first started at KEXP. Those were kind of my earliest advocates and mentors, and then Sharlese Metcalf, DJ extraordinaire, Education Program Manager here at KEXP, is my current long-standing work partner and such a good friend and mentor. But also, I do want to just say I couldn’t mention advocates without mentioning a couple of men in my career too, who have been foundational: and that’s Kyle Hopkins, aka Kid Hops, host of Positive Vibrations, our long-standing reggae show every Saturday morning, and Gabriel Teodros, I produce his show now. He’s been a huge advocate for me recently. These people have all been vital to my growth in my career.

KK: I know that we have some shared appreciation of a lot of the same musicians in reggae, and we had first connected over a Jah9 interview that I had done for Rootfire. So I’m so curious to hear about which women in reggae you have gotten to interview before and what that was like for you.

MA: I’ve had the opportunity to host some badass women in reggae that I’m very excited about. I had the opportunity to host Jah9 live at KEXP back in 2017. She brought such a nice vibe, of course, as you know, and energy to the space and was so kind and open hearted. It was so easy to connect with and talk to her, plus, her set with Dub Treatment Band was pure fire. I definitely recommend checking that out. I also hosted an interview with her during the pandemic—that wasn’t her coming to the studio, she was quarantined in Tanzania at the time. It was for our arts and public affairs show, Sound & Vision. We talked about healing and comfort and challenging times, which was really fitting for 2020, the time when we did the interview. So it felt good to just talk to her about that, let me tell you. 

Miss Ashley and Jah9

Then during the pandemic, KEXP pivoted to what we call Live on KEXP at Home sessions where the artists would record an exclusive session from their location. Then at its premiere, the KEXP DJ hosts would conduct an interview with that artist, and I had the opportunity to host both Sevana and Lila Iké from Jamaica. And these were some of my favorite moments probably of my whole career so far, because I so genuinely enjoy their music and admire the work that they do. I remember the night before the session with Lila with the interview, her management sent over the audio, and gave it a preview before I went to bed—and my jaw dropped to the floor. I was so excited I could hardly sleep at night because I was just excited about sharing that experience with the world and to meet Lila and get to ask her a few questions. So the fact that we have these sessions recorded exclusively for KEXP is so meaningful to me. And again both Lila and Sevana could not have been sweeter, they really personalized the experience, the set that they put together for KEXP, and it was so thoughtful. So those Live at Home sessions were a pandemic silver lining because they would not have happened if we hadn’t made that pivot in order to keep live sessions happening for our community.

KK: I love that—I’ve had the experience as well, where one of my favorite musicians or bands is performing on my radio show. And as it’s happening, I just cannot believe this is happening, you know…being so present in those moments to say what an amazing opportunity it is to see one of my favorite artists do something here. It’s some of the greatest joys I’ve ever had in my life as well. Then having personal conversations with some of your favorite musicians in the form of an interview—you leave with great insights about life and health and healing. I got to interview Soom T for Rootfire during lockdown as well—we had a chat on WhatsApp that I recorded, and we got to talk about what was going on in the world and in our lives with someone who I admire so much. So we are some of the lucky ones Miss Ashley, I’ll tell you.

MA: Yes!

KK: What advice do you have for other women in the music industry?

MA: My advice to other women in music is probably advocate for yourself, and speak up. That was huge for me, at least, it’s gonna be different for everyone. But I needed to do that. That’s ultimately, I think, what got me where I am. But I also try to have an open mind and build your network of people who support each other. I think that’s really important too. Practicing patience is extra helpful. I think that’s something that I inherited—I have patience, but I’ve noticed how valuable it is to have that skill. It took me about 14 years to get where I’m at today. So now that I’m here, I’m already thinking about where I might find myself 10 years from now. Patience and perseverance are worthwhile, especially when it’s for something that brings you joy.

KK: Yes, I couldn’t agree more. There are many chapters of our lives and many ahead, so keep planting the seeds. 

MA: Exactly. 

KK: So what can people do to support women in reggae? It’s a topic that you and I are both passionate about, you know, playing music on our shows and everything around that.

MA: I mean that’s, yeah—what people can do to support women in reggae is listen to shows like yours and mine. And then buy the music or stream the music and go to the shows, buy the merch, and spread the word. I think it’s pretty simple. Go where the women in reggae are, and take note from Kayla Kush: “They are out there.” They are out there!

KK: Haha, yes! Thank you. “Go where the women in reggae are,” right? So let’s talk about these songs that you picked tonight. I’m so impressed by this selection of yours. 

MA: This playlist that I put together has a mix of dub and roots reggae revival thing going on, two of my favorite sub-genres, and features artists from around the globe actually. “Queen In My Empire” by Rhythm & Sound to start things off. Actually, I DJ the Early Show at KEXP, and on International Women’s Day and I started the show with this song because I think it’s so powerful. I’m a huge dub fan. I love minimal dub, and probably my favorite Jennifer Lara vocals are on this track as well. I think just as a side note, if I created a new specialty show or a one off or something I would, it would probably be all dub because that’s my favorite genre or subgenre of reggae. I’m also a huge fan of production—I always wanted to be a producer myself—and Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald created something that I never get tired of hearing. Rhythm & Sound—a foundation album for me and my reggae journey.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6v2UEPYApEZYDPya8ulo1p?si=101801c1bc3245da 

MA: “Lowe Mi,” Sevana’s latest single, I love this so much. This one has a gorgeous video to go with it. I already mentioned how much I love Sevana, and she stole my heart again with this one, a new favorite in her catalog. For me it’s such a needed message right now with its self affirming language and homage to family and the moments of joy and solitude. Love it. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/23sdZgBlHvaHJcfOLu2PgZ?si=267ed39622e1499a 

MA: “Wanted” by Lila Iké—first of all, hell yes to the use of this Gregory Isaacs rhythm track Hot Stepper. Lila is probably THE woman in Jamaica doing the style of music I’m most attracted to right now. And I just love her, I love this single, can’t wait for more. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/4F8EDSwqScQxFaLjtScKWO?si=17b72e022a124711 

MA: “Lonely,” by Koffee. Koffee is just one of those artists that we’re proud to say we started playing at KEXP before she became globally famous, maybe you did too. I had the opportunity to see her perform “Gifted” last year as well, and I just felt so proud of her. She’s so young, already so accomplished, a true inspiration to all. I love how genuine she was live, and I love the vulnerability on Gifted, her debut full length. I feel like she’s stayed true to herself throughout the whole record, and I think that’s important particularly in a debut release. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/5rPIC7hQVaDSZryekHY89Z?si=f32cc9e368724483 

MA: Next we have “Kush Kween.” Oh man, I love this tune so much from Hollie Cook’s 2022 release Happy Hour. Another all time fave, pure talent. I saw this one performed live with her band and was blown away, it is still a favorite show of mine. This song “Kush Kween”—come on, the most dignified song about a woman ganja farmer you can get, right? That one is for all my fellow lovers of the herbal healing—and a two for one with Jah9 versing on it. Love the Hollie Cook / Jah9 combo—I would love to hear more of that in the future actually. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/6LTwLeddJ64NBmBV7zkB6e?si=9868aeb44beb4ad2 

MA: Then we have “One Shot” by Navy. Navy is relatively new to me. I found Taste of Pluto, the band she was part of, on an algorithm with the song “Scorpio’s Letter.” And then in 2021, she released BLEU, Vol. 1 and I got into it. So I really recommend checking that album out by Navy. She’s actually from the Isle of Dominica.

https://open.spotify.com/track/14b19xNkaa81ANXj5arAhS?si=6cabaa37ac354786 

MA: “Cry for Another” by Claude Fontaine is so intriguing to me. Well, Claude Fontaine in general is intriguing to me. I want to know more about her because through a series of networking miracles, she was able to enlist musicians who have played with Althea and Donna, Miles Davis, Steel Pulse, and King Tubby—like guitarist Tony Chin and bassist Ronnie McQueen. When this album came out, my first reaction was: “Is this new or reissued from the distant past?” It has that very antique sound, and I love when artists kind of trick us in that way sometimes. I played that Claude Fontaine album a lot when she first dropped her self-titled album in 2019. I think that was like my most played song since I’ve started at KEXP, which is crazy. And she’s from London. It’s been a few years now and I’m definitely curious to hear if she’s gonna put out any more music. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/6bIXC6aTikHzCh2P8wlbcD?si=009c7d333c844d35 

MA: “Moonage Daydream”—I just discovered this. I love Naomi’s voice, she worked with Lila, Sevana, and Jaz on that Rock & Groove riddim, and this new song with Easy Star All-Stars popped up, and hey, I love a good cover. I think she’s really eloquent with covers too—she did a Garnett Silk cover of “Splashing Dashing” that’s really good too. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/01jTcKw2oL7Ho0J3wvkR7e?si=af1ab8845bf94cf3 

MA: “Rock & Groove” by Jaz Elise, another favorite. These women, they all kind of collaborate together like I mentioned—Jaz, Sevana, Lila, and Naomi performed the Rock & Groove riddim live and freestyled for BBC Radio One extra at Protoje’s Habitat Studios on International Women’s Day. That was in 2020. And it’s a must—I go back to the song and those riddim tracks all the time—I sometimes I’ll play all of them. They all each have their own track on that riddim. And it’s just so so good.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4thRlKnlLIb7cB7lfbJJsP?si=f08cda0e3e574788 

KK: The thing I love the most about that BBC live recording that I’ve seen on YouTube, is the host thinks that it’s time to wrap up, so he tries to cut them off—but they just keep going. Well what an amazing treat to have you on 2 DUB tonight. Thank you so much, Miss Ashley, and I look forward to collaborating with you again in the future. 

MA: Thanks for having me. And Happy International Women’s month. I love talking about reggae!

Be sure to check out Miss Ashley on kexp.org, and follow her on social media at @missashleyam.