Up-and-coming Kassi Ashton’s Wastershed Festival debut just a precursor to album out next month

On the cusp of the release of her debut album, Kassi Ashton accomplished another goal in the form of the Watershed Festival’s esteemed “Next From Nashville” stage.

About two hours ahead of making her anticipated Watershed debut, Ashton was calm, cool and collected behind the tented stage.

Come performance time, she gave a similar energy in the form of pure comfort while singing in front of one of the stage’s bigger crowds of the weekend.

Since Ashton’s youth, strong women and their music have had a lasting impact on Ashton and her sound today. Powerhouses of multiple genres have helped create the ideology found within her musical themes, from the classic rock of Stevie Nicks and the deep soul of Aretha Franklin to the country dynamo that is Reba McEntire.

“I grew up in a household that only played power females, so if she had been through some struggle and was wagging her finger in your face that’s probably what we were listening to,” Ashton said.

The singer-songwriter would explore her youth in the biography that is her debut single (titled after the town she was born and raised), 2018’s “California, Missouri.”

Since, she has released more than a dozen singles, accumulated millions of streams, and has performed at events and stages such as the CMA (Country Music Awards) Fest, Texas’ Two Step Inn Festival and the iconic Grand Ole Opry.

Ashton has become a seasoned artist, but she’s more than ready to release her full-length album, “Made From The Dirt,” the record she has put so much time, effort and personal honesty toward.

“It’s crazy, because it’s been so long that I’m excited, but I’m also like, ‘Damn I’ve been waiting!’” Ashton said. “You can’t even be nervous or overly worried because I’ve been doing this for so long and I’m going to keep doing this.”

The record dives into various aspects of Ashton, from her personality to story to everything in between. She purposefully sought for a cohesive, track-by-track outline of her disposition, “as a debut should be,” whether the listener has been around since her debut six years ago or is just joining Ashton’s somewhat recent jump in country notoriety.

“It’s an introduction fully,” Ashton said. “It’s kind of ‘How can I start to show all sides and how can I start to give you an introduction story into who I am?’ ”

The title of the LP is also one of the many cogs in the machine that make the record a true account of Ashton, her lifestyle and overall mindset – one that was “Made From Dirt.”

“I was not made from something shiny, I was not made with a silver spoon in my mouth, I am not fearful of hard work or elbow grease or hard times,” Ashton said. “Every time I get back up and I am better for it, so go ahead, I’ll bloom.”

The album features 10 tracks, six of which haven’t been heard by those anxiously awaiting its Sept. 20 release. Although she can’t wait for fans to finally hear every song, “because the album is fire,” the title track is not only one personal to Ashton, but a song she believes perfectly fits her goal of a true origin presentation.

“’Made From The Dirt’ is the Part 2, more mature, been through some” hard times, since the release of her debut single,” Ashton said, “ and I think that if people are just hearing my music for the first time it’ll be a great introduction.”

It’s been a year of accomplishment and bucket list items crossed off; the release of the album will take the top of the podium. Yet, she did manage to fulfill a goal in the form of performing at the renowned Watershed Festival.

The festival’s Next From Nashville stage may be a secondary to the Gorge Amphitheatre main stage, but it has been home to many of country’s biggest stars and future headliners who were once releasing their own debut albums, such as Morgan Wallen, Riley Green and Kelsea Ballerini.

This famed catalog also includes the Friday headliner of this year’s festival, Old Dominion, which Ashton has toured with extensively.

“It’s wild because we were sound-checking and looking at the flags they have hanging from the tent (which feature each year’s performers) … and Old Dominion, who I was on tour with all last year, were on that stage in 2014,” Ashton said. “It’s kind of nice to see who made it out, and who didn’t, and hope that you’re one of those on the flag that people look back on in a couple years and go ‘Oh, look, she played the main stage now, she did it.’ ”

Considering the record has yet to be released, it’s still a little early to truly be thinking about what’s next for Ashton, although she does plan to continue doing what she’s doing and simply improving on her skills as a musician and artist with whatever comes next – “honing in.”

She also looks to continue making music for the same reasons as she first started to begin with; the same reasons that continue to push her forward today.

“If I had one mission as an artist, it would be to leave people feeling empowered to be whoever they are and get through whatever is harping at them at the moment … it’s all aiming toward that,” Ashton said.