“My music sounds a bit like Joni Mitchell grew up in Africa.”
ASHLEY MAHER is a rare artist, a singer-songwriter who melds her Western roots with a deep and loyal
passion for the rhythms and traditions of African music, especially the mbalax music of Senegal. Her
highly individual and infectious brand of world/folk/jazz has gained her an international following,
seven acclaimed albums, and performances with several major African icons.
Ashley was born in Canada to British parents, and now lives in Los Angeles. After a musical childhood,
she began formal vocal training at sixteen, culminating in a year studying opera in Italy. Ironically, she
returned from her year abroad, hungry to reconnect with her most natural voice. And at this key point,
she happened upon on a class led by C.K. Ladzekpo, a Ghanaian master drummer.
“I felt as though I had been hit by lightning. Every cell in my body lit up like a candle!”
Ashley studied with Ladzekpo for two years, feeling her way into expressing sounds and rhythms that
felt uncannily natural to her from day one. After university, Ashley relocated to London’s flourishing
global music scene. Her demos recorded with London’s premier dance/drumming group, Adzido led to
bids from five labels and two well-received albums with Virgin Records: Hi and Pomegranate.
From then until today, Ashley has continued to record and perform internationally, with Los Angeles as
her base. After Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour recorded a song she co-wrote called Boul Bayekou
in 2007, and flew her to Dakar and Paris to perform for him as a sabar dancer in 2008, Ashley began
over a decade of twice-yearly musical sojourns to Senegal to record, perform, collaborate, and shoot
music videos. She successfully crowd funded her most recent two albums, YES and Made In Senegal,
recorded with Dakar’s top mbalax musicians. Made in Senegal, Ashley’s seventh album, was recorded
live over ten days at Papis Konate’s busy studio in Sacre Coeur, Dakar. The result is Ashley’s sunny
Californian vocals, stories, and harmonies, stirred into a rich, fresh, steaming, intricate brew of vintage
and modern mbalax.
Wherever Ashley appears, whether with a large band or in more acoustic settings, audiences are
enchanted by the soaring voice, ardent song-craft, nimble feet, swaying hips, and mesmerizing stage
presence of a true artist. As a British critic once said of her:
“Today, Ashley’s a cult figure for a discerning few. Tomorrow, perhaps, she’ll be a heroine for millions.”
ASHLEY MAHER DISCOGRAPHY
Made in Senegal – 2019
Yes – 2016
Amina – 2010
Flying Over Bridges – 2006
The Blessed Rain – 1998
Pomegranate – 1992
Hi – 1990
Live Clips Playlist
ON STAGE
Ashley Maher – vocals
Amady Sidibe – guitar
Ibou Mbaye – keyboards
Jean Mermoz – keyboards
Giphy Baron Kangu – bass
Raphaël Ojo – drums
Babacar Seck – sabar
Yatma Thiam – tama
CONTACT
Carlos Rodrigues
Odaras Productions
Case Postale 1363
1820 Montreux, Switzerland
WhatsApp: +41 79 411 69 54
info@odarasprod.com