KIYA ASHTON

Kiya is an established singer/songwriter and performer in Guernsey's local music scene looking to dip further out to sea with her new album ‘Changing Seasons’. Kiya is now back gigging solo after an amped up stint with band The Folkadelics.

She takes inspiration from artists like Fleetwood Mac, Tori Amos & The Cranberries as well as more recent acts like Wolf Alice, Paramore & Avril Lavigne, and even some of metal's moments from bands like Korn. Kiya has always grown up with folk music around too. Find her influences under the Artists Playlists on Spotify.

With these influences, Kiya has crafted a multi genre sound often branded 'Dark Folk' that compliments the emotional tales of her songs and takes you on a journey.

Kiya began studying vocals at the age of 11, working through exams and improving her technique as a live performer. She took her final Grade 8 Vocal Exam in April 2021, achieving a Distinction. 

At 15, Kiya took up guitar to further herself as a songwriter. She had begun writing music on piano, but found lugging a keyboard up to Vale Castle a bit much one year, and opted for something more practical... 

This choice and the new possibilities that came with it inspired Kiya, and very quickly bore the fruit of songs 'Freedom' and 'Sweet Decadence'.

As you may have guessed, music has always had a massive presence in Kiya's life. She's grown up in a very musical family who have always been there to inspire, advise and support her. The local community has played a vital part too, with many excellent local forces seeing Kiya's potential and passion for her craft early on, and supporting her however they can.

Back in 2018 at the beginning of this project, Kiya recorded her debut EP Sweet Decadence with Apocalypse Studios. Kiya experimented on this project, utilising the capabilities of the studio. 2 of 3 tracks were filled out with big guitars and bass, all the synth imaginable, string sections and drums, and it came out sounding huge! And whilst it's not exactly what Kiya's music has evolved into, it was essential to hear what could be made of the songs that came from just her voice and acoustic guitar. 

The EP was funded by SOUND Guernsey, a project that was there from the start for Kiya, putting on live gigs in local venues with local acts for u18s, allowing young people to see and enjoy the excellent music in our local scene. Kiya performed at SOUND a few times in short lived rock bands before deciding to write and perform solo. 

2 years later, Kiya released her EP Chirrup in September 2020. This project showed all that Kiya had written since Sweet Decadence, and was important in showing how Kiya's music had matured, presenting them in their stripped back glory, just as she performed them live, with the exception of some pretty, haunting harmonies, and a short solo in 'Anchor', the song that was written in lockdown and snuck on the end when recording resumed. 

Fast forward to 2024 and Kiya has featured on local film Occupied's soundtrack with a rendition of Sarnia Cherie, composed and performed an original soundtrack for local film At Death We Part, joined the team at Thirst Music School as a Vocal Tutor in 2022, and at the end of 2023 released a demo single “Dizzy” which was recorded at home, giving it a particularly special raw & unplugged acoustic vibe. Her third solo release is now written and recorded, with album 'Changing Seasons’ set to release on the 15th February 2025. 

Over the last few years of performing as Kiya Ashton, there have been some amazing moments and memories made. 

Some highlights include her favourite local festivals, Chaos and Vale Earth Fair where Kiya has been performing since 2017. Singing Sarnia Cherie from the Occupied Soundtrack at the Specsavers Hangar Ball 2022, where Kiya brought a tear to one Judge Rinder's eye. She also played as a special guest for the 2019 Guernsey Community Foundation Awards, and she gigged The Sark Folk Festival the same year, when Kate Rusby headlined. 

There have been many smaller gigs that have held special importance to Kiya though, including her events Nocturne and International Women's Day, and the launch of Chirrup in September 2020. Kiya's event organising ventures have taught her a lot about the music scene, and she is forever eager to better her skills, one event after the other, and to bring you an encompassing atmosphere. 

There are many more beautiful times to come, so keep a watchful eye on the events tab, and don't miss a thing! Subscribe to the mailing list, follow Kiya on socials, and stream/buy her music. 

Photo by John White