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 i:Vibes had the chance to put some questions to vocalist Ashley Tomberlin, who has worked with globally recognised artists such as Above & Beyond, Paul van Dyk and who was also part of the highly regarded Luminary project...
The sweet voice of Dallas resident Ashley Tomberlin has been on a steady rise in the last years. Not only have fans worldwide come to appreciate her breathtaking voice, but world renowned recording artists like Above & Beyond and last year's number one DJ Paul van Dyk have continued to fall under her spell. But before all of this, Ashley found her love for music while at university where a chance encounter with respected producer Laurence Rapaccioli aka Arksun soon changed her path forever. Shortly after their first meeting, they formed the project Luminary and a string of unforgettable tracks soon followed. Their first collaboration “My World” was released in late 2003 on Lost Language and in no time was hammered to death by top jocks like Armin van Buuren and Tiesto, even ending up on ISOS 4 that year. Their second release “Wasting” was immediately added on Armin van Buuren’s famous A State of Trance compilation and further garnered respect from the world’s dance community. Their next release “Amsterdam” was picked up by trance’s finest trademark label Anjunabeats and in many ways could be considered an Anjunabeats classic anthem. After signing “Amsterdam”, Above & Beyond couldn’t wait to begin a collaboration with the likeable American singer. What resulted was the beautiful “Can’t Sleep”, which was a huge success on Above & Beyond’s 2006 album Tri-State. Her beautiful voice could put almost any die hard trance fan to tears. And if that wasn’t already a major highlight in her singing career, she now may have reached the ultimate pinnacle by releasing three tracks on the new Paul van Dyk album “In Between”. Not only has she been featured on the new album, but with three tracks (Complicated, Get Back and New York City). It is no secret that Paul van Dyk has been a longtime fan of her voice, and has played Luminary tracks often in his DJ sets. Ashley is one of the top rated female vocalists in dance music at this moment. She combines breathless melodies with intense emotion .I interviewed her a year ago, and now I wanted to know what changed in the last year, how it was working with Paul van Dyk and if she can top all this in the future?
i:Vibes: Hi Ash, how’s it going? I’m in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I guess your home in Dallas now. You have traveled a bit in last month. How has your summer been?
A: Hey Miles, so great to hear from you again! I can’t believe it has been a year, but so much has happened since then. Over the last few months I have been to London, Berlin and now will be going with Paul to New York and L.A. To be honest, I just feel so lucky to have the opportunity to share something I love with a whole new audience. So basically my summer has been absolutely amazing!
i:Vibes: Since our last interview in July 2006, what has changed the most for you in the past year?
A: Well, so many things really. Most of all, my collaborations with Paul on his album have pushed me from being the girl behind the microphone in the studio, to being in front of a crowd and engaging an audience one on one. That alone has been a new experience for me, but having three songs on the album, it is something I never expected, so it still feels a bit unreal.
i:Vibes: You will be featured on the new Paul van Dyk album In Between with three tracks. How did you react when Paul van Dyk contacted you about working with him? I think you met him at one of his gigs in Dallas?
A: Well, I wanted to meet Paul originally because I felt like I needed to thank him for all the support he had given our Luminary tracks. I was honestly shocked when moments after we met, he asked me to work on his album with him. It is truly an honor to be given that kind of opportunity, but it just wasn’t something I was expecting. I remember when I first started singing, I told myself “if I try very hard, maybe someday I will be able to work with some of the most respected and talented producers in the business”. And then it just happened, and in an instant my life changed.
i:Vibes: Do you sometimes pinch yourself, just to make sure that it’s not all a dream? In a few short weeks you will be featured on Paul van Dyk’s new album that many all over the world will buy.
A: Most of the time it feels like I’m living two lives. One life is completely ordinary where I have good days and bad days too. I lock my keys in my car, I break up with boys and manage to survive! But then I have this amazing part of my day where I get to go home and write about all of it. It just feels so strange that the things I wrote about ended up on Paul van Dyk’s upcoming album. So yeah, it is all very surreal.
i:Vibes: Please explain how the whole working experience was with Paul van Dyk? I believe the first track you worked on was “Complicated” back in 2006. How did the tracks come about? Were you sending files back and forth or did you get an invitation to his Studio in Berlin?
A: I think for me, I have always been very private and independent when it comes to writing music, and I love Paul for completely understanding that part of me. I think that is often the mark of a true artist, when they understand that art can’t be manufactured, it just has to be experienced, then expressed. For me, that happens best in the solitude of my own studio where I feel free to explore what I’m feeling. I can’t imagine trying to stay inspired while waiting to get into a proper studio just so I can lay down the vocals.
i:Vibes: Did you have your freedom to do as much as you could or did Paul van Dyk really have control of the production of the tracks?
A: Well, like I said before, Paul was really wonderful to work with. I always do best when I get to just write what I feel, and I guess that is why it was so easy to work with him, because he gave me absolute freedom to come up with lyrics and vocals on my end. That is actually how we ended up with three tracks on the album. It started out as one, but Paul liked the other vocals so much, it ended up being three!
i:Vibes: How was this experience different for you in terms of writing compared to the Luminary and Above & Beyond tracks you wrote?
A: In some ways, it was kind of a mix. With Luminary and my partner Arksun, we have really been best friends for years now, so although I have complete freedom to write everything on my own, we do a great deal of sending ideas back and forth. It really helps me to have instant feedback on what I have written. With Above & Beyond, I spent a great deal of time talking with Tony McGuiness and the other Anjunaboys. They were accustomed to being a lot more involved in the lyric writing process which was very new for me, and somewhat of a struggle. Paul on the other hand gave me all the freedom in the world, and really trusted me to craft the songs on my own. In the end though, each experience has taught me something different, and I feel lucky to have had those opportunities.
i:Vibes: What was the total inspiration to the track “New York City” Its no secret that Paul van Dyk loves New York City, but what about you? I presume you wrote the vocals or did Paul have some input for the direction of the vocals?
A: It’s funny because it all kind of came out of this conversation I was having with Paul one afternoon when we started talking about New York. I think all Americans have a special love for New York City because it is such an important part of our identity. But he was telling me about how he feels when he goes there, and I just fell in love with the way he described it all. So I went home to write and record the track that night, and sent it to him. The next day I got a call from Paul who was just so excited about it. I was nervous he wouldn’t like it (I am ALWAYS nervous by the way!) but the next day he called me to tell me how much he loved it. I admit I breathed a big sigh of relief at that point!
i:Vibes: What is “get back” about? How has your mood been in general while these tracks were made?
A: This is a difficult question to answer. I guess this song was about the beautiful things in life that end for all the wrong reasons. The first reaction is to tell yourself that it was a mistake, or to try and forget everything. But late at night, all you want to do is get back to where you were before, when everything was simple, and good. I think for me, all the tracks I have ever written follow along like a story simply because they are about my life. Sometimes I want to release all the songs I’ve made in the order they were written in. I wonder what that would sound like? I guess that really didn’t answer your question directly, but that’s how my mood works. I just go through every day and write what I feel in the moment, so it’s always changing from one day to the next.
i:Vibes: Most ravers see Paul van Dyk spin, but very few people really are allowed into Paul van Dyk’s world. How intense was the working relationship with him? Did you only get to know him like this or did you ever get to witness another side to Paul van Dyk that the world never gets to see?
A: I think many people look at the label “#1 DJ” or “celebrity” but don’t see that he is just a man with a gift who is completely in love with music. If I had to use two words to describe Paul, I would probably say “humble, and passionate”. I admit I have had some people say things to me like “Paul van Dyk is just like every other big DJ with a big ego” etc. But the first thing that struck me when I met him was how completely unpretentious and genuine he is. I think that is something you just don’t know until you sit down and talk with him.
i:Vibes: What were the most important things that you learned from Paul van Dyk?
A: I think working with Paul taught me to be more fearless. I think like all artists, you can experience a lot of doubt when it comes to your work. You can’t help questioning yourself and asking “am I good enough”? In the end, I think I learned that you just have to make music that comes from your soul, and as long as it is real and honest, that is all you can ask from yourself.
i:Vibes: What is your favourite track of the three on the album?
A: Another really difficult question Miles, you are making this tough! I love “Get Back” because it still makes me feel a little hope about life. I wrote that about someone very important to me, and interestingly enough, it is the same person that inspired “Complicated”. Maybe the truth is, choosing a favourite track is like trying to decide which memory is more important to me. It is just impossible to do.
i:Vibes: Did you feel any added pressure working with the number one DJ in the world? How did you cope with the whole experience when making these tracks?
A: Paul does an amazing job of making everyone feel connected when he works with you. I think some people have that gift, and maybe part of it is just his passion for the music itself. But from the very beginning, Paul treated me like an artist, so I always felt like my ideas and words were extremely important to him in the tracks.
I know I probably pay too many compliments, but I just love genuine people
i:Vibes: “White Lies” is the first release featuring the Pussy Cats Dolls singer Jessica Sutta. Were you very disappointed that not one of your three tracks was the first release? Did Paul van Dyk give you some hope that maybe one of your tracks might get released later?
A: I think I feel like having ONE track on the album is an amazing gift, not to mention THREE! So when you ask if I was disappointed, I can’t even imagine feeling that way. I feel so grateful and lucky already! As for my three tracks, I really don’t know if any of them will be released next, but there are so many beautiful tracks on the album, I find a new favourite every day.
i:Vibes: You recently performed at the Love from Above in Berlin. How was that experience for you being on stage with Paul van Dyk and how did you like Germany, the people and when will you be back in Germany?
A: It was so amazing performing in Berlin, and the crowd was wonderful! I don’t know when I will get to go back to Germany or Berlin, but I hope it will be soon. I was sad to leave this last time, and wish I had gotten to see so much more, but will make sure to do that next time!
i:Vibes: What is the most important thing for you when you are on stage?
A: I love looking out at the crowd and seeing the reactions. In some ways, I really forget the distance between me being up on stage and all the people out in the crowd. I just want to share the feelings with everyone out there. I know some performers talk about just imagining being up on stage all alone, but without that crowd, I think I just feel dead inside, which always makes practicing very amusing because I feel so out of place.
i:Vibes: Recently, I played some of the Luminary tracks at a house party in Buenos Aires, Argentina and non trance followers who have nothing to do with dance music were amazed by your voice. Do you see yourself possibly making the jump into pop music?
A: It’s funny because I never planned to do Dance music specifically, but when I met Arksun, what we made just sounded absolutely beautiful, and that is what pulled me into this genre. So I don’t really know about crossing any boundaries, I just want to keep creating, and go in whatever direction my inspiration takes me. Maybe pop, maybe more dance, who knows!
i:Vibes: The success of having three tracks on the Paul van Dyk album might have satisfied any other person, but where can you go from here? I imagine you must be even more motivated now to take the next step to even bigger things in the music scene?
A: I’m really interested in making an album of my own. I have done some production in the past, but would like to get into that a bit more. I think what prevents me from doing that is my fear of not living up to my expectations. That always makes it difficult to create. I would also like to do some future work with Paul van Dyk just because this experience has been so positive. This has just pushed so many doors open for me, and I will always be grateful to Paul for giving me this chance.
i:Vibes: What is the most important message that you want the listeners to get when they listen to your tracks in general?
A: That music is just another story. Some are told with words and voices and some are just music, but in the end the story should take you somewhere. And all I want is to be part of that journey for people. Some artists want to hear “she has the most amazing voice!” and that is really wonderful to hear someone say about you. But what I want most is to hear someone say “that song you wrote that says everything I feel, that says everything I wanted to say”. Hearing that someone has connected with a story or emotions from my life, feels better than anything else I could imagine.
i:Vibes: Ash, thanks for taking some time to answer my questions, good luck in the future and thanks for letting me relive my real life sweet memories with your voice when listening to your tracks!!!!
A: And thank you Miles! I’m curious to see what we will be talking about next year!
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