Asher Monroe / DigiTour 2012 — Sponsored by Neuro
When I first began interviewing musicians and actors in 2009, I thought there was no one I couldn’t reach. It was the day ‘Fame’ came out and I instantly had the desire to talk with heartthrob male lead Marco, played by Asher Book. A week later we were on the phone talking about the film and his acting career. A few months after was when I started ateenview.com and now, two and a half years later, Asher and I chatted about his role on the DigiTour, the change to his name, his music and what you can expect to see this year. He is one of my favorite people to talk to and a true talent. Check out dates for the 2012 DigiTour below and make sure to catch Asher along with all the other great acts when they roll through a city near you! Trust me, this is a show you won’t want to miss.
Arin: You are part of the DigiTour this year, so what are you most looking forward to?
Asher: Well, I’m excited; this year’s going to be fun. I’ve gotten to meet some of the guys and every-one’s really talented on this lineup. It’s a cool way, I just think it’s great because YouTube is so big now and the concept behind putting together people’s favorite artists from YouTube on a tour like this, I think its going to be great. I think it will be received well and hopefully we’ll get a lot of people coming out to support it. I’m just excited, I haven’t been out on the road in a while and just to perform my new set and everything, it will be good for me too.
A: What can people expect to see from your set?
A: Well, I have been literally working so hard the last year/ year and half writing. I’ve been working with some really good producers and I have a lot of new content and I’m putting up music videos and that kind of thing. A really wide variety, there’s definitely something in there for everybody. Most of it’s very pop; I’ve got a very organic pop sound. This time around. I had dancers with me before, this time I’m actually going to be having a full live band, and it’ll be fun. This year will be a little different.
A: Tour starts in a little under a month, which city are you most looking forward to playing?
A: I lived in New York for a few years, I’m really excited for the East Coast. I’m definitely excited to be back in New York and I already heard that show is sold out so that’s kind of exciting, but there’s a few states. I loved Florida when I went and honestly everyone is going to be a different experience. Waking up in a new city is going to be a fun part of it.
A: Is there a song you are most looking forward to playing and seeing the crowd’s reaction to?
A: Well, I got to see a first cut of a new video that I’m putting up soon called ‘Every Night’ and that one’s kind of a more rock-based song and maybe I’m excited to do that because that ones a little different than my normal pop songs so that one will be a little fun.
A: When you write music, how does your writing process work?
A: Well I think every song’s kind of different. Some start when I’m on the piano, some start when I hear a track and I’ll get an inspiration or an idea that pops in my mind and I start writing, it really just depends. It also depends on where you’re at in your life, what kind of people you have around you and the kind of things that you’re into. I think you can pull inspiration from all kinds of different things. With music now, especially me, I’m always listening to all different types of genres so I don’t feel like I wanna stick myself to just one sound. You know I have kind of little different things for each one and they all come from me so, I think it all depends.
A: Is there a specific song lyric you’ve written recently, that you were just so impressed by when you wrote it?
A: There’s this one song I have, its called ‘Only Imagine,’ and it was one of the first songs that I wrote that I was so proud of. I think it was maybe the chorus and just the way, its kind of like a very dreamer song, just thinking of what life can be and just thinking very optimistic about things, and when I did that song I was literally so excited to play [for] everyone the following day, I was like ‘guys you have to hear what I came up with,’ I was just like I feel like this could be an exciting song so I think sometime you do, you look over and you go ‘I did that? That seems crazy.’
A: You went from using your first and last name [Asher Book] to your first and middle name [Asher Monroe], so what was the reason behind that?
A: I think it was like sometimes we all go through a reinvention period, for me, I always loved my middle name Monroe and I guess my surname, Book,was just what I went through with my acting and yet it did kind of cross over a little bit when I did V-Factory because they would put out Asher Book, but I felt like to really come out strong, I knew I was coming out this year, I just wanted to come out with a new [name], almost re-branding myself. I don’t know, I’ve always just loved Monroe and I felt it was a very striking name, Asher Monroe, and for me and my music I wanted a whole reinvention of everything and this is truly, the other stuff that I did it was kind of manufactured and it was done by a label, and this, everything I’m doing now, is truly coming from me so I just felt it was time for a reinvention.
A: What caused you to go back and work more on music?
A: I think once I just started seeing how things were coming together. I don’t wanna be guilty of this and knock on wood, but in the past I had so much on my plate and I had so many people in my life telling me different things, and I just had to really refocus my career and my life and I just had to do a lot of personal things and also things just in my career alone and once I just started seeing how, when you really realize that there’s actually, this is my passion, this is what I wanna do for the rest of my life, and I see that things are coming together with a song and I see the impact it can have on people and I see that people are really affected by the songs that I’m writing and actually they’re really coming out really good and so for me its kind of a proud moment of ‘wow if I keep pushing at it and keep doing it 100%, things could really happen’ and slowly but surely, things are slowly taking off and things are happening so for me. I just really wanted to put my full focus into one thing and do it amazing and not do a few things kind of half whatever so I just really wanted to take my music to a whole new level.
A: What was your reaction to the YouTube video’s passing the million-view mark?
A: Well, that’s the funny thing with YouTube. I think you never know the success or what’s going to happen with something like that because the most random video can go viral and then it takes off and I guess for me I just wanted to put up really great content that I was proud of and that I felt represented me and in doing so I think it’s great that I’m getting a good response and that fans are liking it and I hope it continues to grow even more, but that’s the fun thing about YouTube, you just get to watch the views and you get to watch the growth of your video.
A: What is your biggest goal for this year?
A: My biggest goal is just to get out there again, I’ve been kind of hiding a little bit I feel like I’m resurfacing back out there for people to see me and to get seen again and hear my music and I just want to flood the market with Asher Monroe material and I just really want people to get excited again and I want people to know that I’m really coming full force this time and that they can really get to see the real me more and there’s always things popping up now and I’ve been working with some big people and I’ve got the tour coming up and then hopefully I’ll go to radio after that, but 2012 is really my year to just get back out in the public eye again.
A: You have the two music videos out and the tour coming up, but what is coming next with the music and what can people expect to see?
A: Well, I might be able to squeeze and shoot another video but I can’t promise anyone that, but I do know that there is one more video coming out and it’s really awesome and I’m just so excited for people to see this one. I think the great thing about every video I put out is, ‘Like I Do’ was kind of fun, organic and heartfelt and ‘Hello Baby’ was a little more very pop, mainstream sound and it had me in space and crazy visuals and I think this next one will definitely bring a bit more edgy appeal and has a bit more rock side to it and something kind of a little unexpected. For now, that’s all I can really let people know. I know there’s some other stuff in the works, but maybe I’ll leave people on that one just to be excited for, and after DigiTour I think that’s when we start hitting radio.
A: Are there any charities or nonprofits that you’re into supporting?
A: There is definitely some stuff, I don’t have any specific ones. I’m kind of waiting to be attached to something that I’m super proud of, and I want to definitely become a part of a great charity and I think it’s a great thing to be a part of and it’s a great cause and I think being a public figure I think its just really important to represent yourself in terms of giving back to the community and giving back. For me, I love children, I love animals, I love all things like that, I’m just looking for something great to be a part of.
DigiTour Dates:
