Interview with Ashleigh Summer

Turtle in the Sun was recorded over several years on a working farm surrounded by orchards, walnut trees, and pampered chickens. How much did that slow, rural environment physically protect your creative process from the hyper-fast pace of the modern music industry?

I need to feel a bit detached from the pace of the modern music industry to feel safe & seen & creative, and my producer's family's farm is such an oasis for that. My favourite recording breaks were wandering around the farm, hand-picking some organic fruit and produce for lunch, and hangin' with Petey - one of their spoiled chickens. The current Spotify culture strongly encourages and rewards artists to drop new tracks every 4-6 weeks, and imagining keeping up with that pace is overwhelming for a creative introvert like me who writes when I feel I have something to say/share. I've definitely realized over my recording career that a peaceful environment supports my nervous system and frees me up to give my creativity free rein.

The title track features a surprise, brief appearance by a "choir of mermaids." How did that whimsical idea come about in the studio, and how did you layer the vocals to give them that magical, deep-sea texture?

Thanks for noticing that moment! I have a dear friend who I think of as my 'mermaid' friend. We both experience a lot of legit delight at the beach – particularly the beaches we grew up near – and this friend happens to be a beautiful singer. My producer and I came to the point in the title track where we wanted to create a bridge that felt like a little island within the song, and we thought a chorus of 'sirens' might add a little mermaid magic. It just felt natural to include my mermaid-friend in that plan. I also asked my producer your question, and he responded in typical modest fashion, “2 ingredients: a veritable sea of old school stacked vocal takes and a bit of software”. Speaking for myself, I love how he records and layers background vocals in general. He has a really eclectic musical background that includes jazz and world music, and I often hear his influences reflected in his harmonic choices.

"This Time I Know" is a mandolin-forward anthem about the exact moment a person stops second-guessing themselves. Was there a specific breakthrough in your own musical career where you finally stepped completely into your own self-trust?

Haha, I wish! I find both self-knowledge – and confidence in my path – to be so ephemeral and ever-looping. When I wrote this song, I fully felt that moment of clarity. But moments pass, and self-doubt has a way of popping up like a jack-in-the-box. For me, self-trust will always be more of a practise than a destination. One thing I'll say is that just the act of writing and recording a song like this is an act of self-trust. And I'll add that every time I sing this song I feel like I'm closer to fully embodying the conviction I had when I wrote this.

Your music is heavily built around beach-portable instruments like the ukulele, banjo, and cajón. What is it about these organic, acoustic textures that makes them so uniquely capable of delivering messages of pure joy and lightness?

I don't know many people who can remain mad or sad in the face of ukulele music. I swear it's the cheapest upper out there! In my life, eating mango is its sole rival for the quickest way to raise my vibe. I read recently that the kinds of sounds made by a ukulele or banjo (i.e. bright & plucky) are basically a fast track to a dopamine release. As for the cajon, much of its appeal for me is its organic simplicity. Hearing a human hand hitting or brushing a wooden surface is just such a simple, and kind of ancient, phenomenon. Every thud of a palm or drumming fingers on an instrument made from a tree just brings this earthy & sometimes fragile honesty that I find comforting and uplifting.

You’ve performed in some incredibly eccentric venues over the years, including a literal pyramid and a classic paddlewheeler boat. Which of those unique stages had the most fascinating acoustic reverb, and how did the unusual crowds react to your folk-pop sound?

I loved getting to play music in a pyramid, but honestly that was the most challenging venue I've ever performed in. It was a 4 story high replica of the Great Pyramid built with dense concrete and designed with sacred geometry. SUCH a cool venue(!), but the concrete walls seemed to suck the moisture right out of the air, leaving my throat like the desert after just a few lines. The acoustics were also challenging, with the pyramid shape scattering the sound every which way. On top of that, with no temperature control, the pyramid felt a bit like a vault and I was always chilled to the bone, even though it was high, hot summer weather outside. As a singer, cold can tense up your body to where it's hard to relax your breathing. The paddlewheeler was pretty easy by comparison. Acoustically, the pyramid was almost eerily quiet, while the paddlewheeler had its own soundtrack of engines and churning water, so they ended up being opposite kinds of acoustic challenges. Genre-wise, I actually sang old jazz standards on the paddlewheeler, which folks seemed to love – that music vibe is a good fit for a vintage paddlewheeler. I was just starting my folk-pop journey when I played the pyramid, and I feel like some of my first originals were a bit weird. Thankfully, people seemed willing to come along for the ride, and that gave me the confidence to keep writing.

Your bio mentions that you're "often thinking of baked goods." If Turtle in the Sun were a specific pastry or dessert sitting in a cozy seaside bakery window, what would it be and why?

That's a super fun question! I don't know if Turtle in the Sun is one specific pastry as much as it's the feeling of finally having time to sit outside and enjoy one. That said, when I was planning my album release party, I wanted to serve a few Turtle in the Sun-themed appies and came across an amazing recipe for Lemon Crinkle cookies. They looked like mini-sunshines and also mimicked the back of a turtle with the crinkle effect. Ended up being the hit of the party! I also made one of my mom's vintage recipes: cheddar-infused pastry wrapped around a green olive and baked, which made for a fun, abstract little 'turtle in the sun'.

Living near the Salish Sea on Canada's Pacific coast offers a stunning backdrop of natural beauty. How does the specific rhythm of the ocean and the coastal air creep into the groove and tempo of your songwriting?

I definitely feel like every song on this album is a reflection of what was around me as I wrote it. Because I wrote almost all of the songs off Turtle in the Sun while walking or sitting by the ocean, or walking through the forest, many of my grooves reflect the rhythm of the waves or the tempo of my footsteps as I'd walk on the seawall. If you listen hard enough, you can even hear echoes of the wind in the trees on a couple of my tracks.

You have a background writing for both stage and screen. How does composing narrative music for characters in theater or film differ from writing deeply personal, cozy folk-pop tracks for yourself?

I find that writing from the point of view of a fictional character can be tricky at first...until you're able to feel into the heart of the emotion a particular character might be feeling in that scene. When writing songs I'll be singing myself, the emotion always comes first, but when writing for other characters on stage/screen, you start with story, and trying to fully understand the character you might be writing for, so it can be a more involved process. I enjoy both, but writing my own songs feels a little like coming home.

"Sweet Life" focuses on finding absolute joy within the messy, unpolished everyday moments. When your own day is feeling exceptionally chaotic or stressful, how do you ground yourself to tap back into that carefree "summer all year long" mentality?

It's definitely an ongoing process, and as one of my dear aunties always says, an “attitude of gratitude” is hugely helpful! Maybe because I grew up with a single mom and not much money to spare, I learned early to be grateful for simple things. Watching sunshine sparkle on water gives me more energy than 5 cups of coffee. I'm also lucky maybe in that I was brought up with a lot of healing nature around, like beautiful lakes and pine trees that smell like heaven. Getting my backside out into the wild air as often as possible definitely grounds me and puts things in perspective.

In an era where music streaming algorithms heavily favor high-energy, fast-paced electronic pop, were you at all nervous about releasing an entire conceptual album dedicated strictly to the art of slowing down?

Heck, yeah. But I've never been one to follow trends or aspire to create a different flavour of what everyone else is doing. If it doesn't speak to my heart, I'm not interested. Some consistent reflections I hear from folks who've heard my music is that certain songs bring them back to Earth, or bring them feelings of joy and calm. I personally have a somewhat jacked-up nervous system just by nature, so hearing that my music brings peace or uplift or both reminds me that if I know only one thing for sure, it's that I wasn't put on this planet to create music that caters to streaming algorithms.

Now that Turtle in the Sun has been officially released out into the wild to remind us all to look up and daydream, what next slow-cooked adventures or quirky human stories are you looking forward to exploring?

You're kind to ask! I'm actually starting to work on a holiday album next. I feel like specifically 'Christmas'-themed albums are thick on the ground, and I've always wanted to explore and celebrate the ancient and more nature-centric practise of welcoming the winter solstice. I've helped create two holiday albums in the past, full of my favourite songs and some traditional carols, so with this project, I'll be diving into some quirky and different angles of celebrating the season of light. I know it feels wildly out of season to be talking about that, but one of the weirdest things about making holiday albums is that you can end up writing about snow while wearing flip-flops!

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Ashleigh Summer on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist