Not many rappers grow up on a farm. But Norway’s biggest breaking talent, 21-year-old Ash Olsen, isn’t your average rapper. Spinning hypnotic rhymes inspired by her life in rural Norway with the bravado of an American street rapper, she’s ready to graduate from her bedroom to the big stage.
‘DAT THING LIKE ME’ is a striking introduction to Ash Olsen’s talents. Set to an instantly addictive beat with viral potential, her versatile lyricism shows a command of hip-hop slang that’s remarkable for someone whose second language is English. What’s more, her vocal is versatile, mixing confident melodic high notes with barely enunciated bars.
In addition to ‘DAT THING LIKE ME’, the ‘ASHY’ EP features all of the tracks that are part of her rise to date: ‘KITKAT’, ‘WILDIN”, ‘ROSALIA’, ‘TUTTIFRUTTI’ and ‘VIBE KILLER’. It’s completed by two new tracks. ‘SAFE HOUSE’ trades her transgressive attitude for a raw, revealing ballad with minimal instrumentation accompanying the beauty of her vocal. ‘HORIZON’ is even more evocative, as Ash raps to a serene backdrop of acoustic guitar and elemental percussion.
Ash Olsen says, “I’ve been working on the ‘ASHY’ EP for a very long time and I’m overjoyed that it’s finally out. ‘DAT THING LIKE ME’ is one of the highlights. The song and the lyrics have a playful vibe, and we had a lot of fun making it.”
Back when she was a skateboard-obsessed teenager, Ash heard Tupac’s ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ and was inspired to try to rap for the first time. After learning the art of a razor-sharp rhyme and picking up a distinct American accent, she realised she would have to be fluent in English to have any chance of making it as a rapper. Only knowing the basics, she dedicated endless hours alone in her room to master the language.
Initially also inspired by Biggie Smalls, Ash subsequently discovered XXXTENTACION and Juice WRLD. She now writes all of her own material, and produces the tracks alongside Malte Andreas Höglund. She simply makes music that she would like to listen to, without letting anything stand in her way.
She released her debut track ‘KITKAT’ in 2020, which has since exceeded a million streams, and added to her growing reputation with another four tracks this year, most recently ‘VIBE KILLER’. Although she has been offered deals by record companies all over the world, she instead decided to stay independent. The ‘ASHY’ EP is out via her own EZ Money label, with distribution from The Orchard. Ash Olsen is from Fredrikstad, an hour’s drive south from Oslo.
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