Ashley Riley Gives it Her “Best Try” with the Premiere of Her New Single

Fierceness and vulnerability might seem like different sides of the same coin, but with her new single, Ashley Riley is showing that they’re not all that different. Today, the singer-songwriter reveals her brand new track “Best Try,” a lighthearted song with a serious side to it. She originally penned the song as a kind of joke, inspired by a visit to her doctor. Riley wrote the song when she was feeling fairly jolly and laid-back about things, but its message is both deep and heartfelt.

The words and the melodies might suggest that she is coming from a very delicate place. But really, there is a certain boldness and bravery in being able to look at yourself in the mirror and have a laugh at yourself. Only a truly well-rounded individual can both appreciate the serious and the amusing side of things, and that’s what Riley is doing in “Best Try.”

There’s an interesting story behind the song, which Riley shares with us:

“‘Best Try’ is a really special song, I think, because it was written from such a place of honesty. I often joke on stage that it’s my song about high blood pressure and seasonal depression. There is a thing called ‘white coat syndrome’ where doctors make me nervous, and then my blood pressure is always a little high till I chill out. And my doctor was like, ‘You should meditate.’ I got a kick out of it because I already do.

“So I started writing this song with just a melody and being kind of funny, like what other pathetic things have happened that I could put in one song, and then I started really loving it. I also had this moment in Hawaii last summer. My family and I went and had the best time. We visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, which was great, and while there, we were visiting one of the demonstrations, and they were teaching us how to weave coconut leaves into fish. I thought I was doing it well, but the young woman kept saying, ‘Ok, let go,’ and I was smiling like, ‘Yeah, got it.’ That happened a few times until she was finally like, ‘Ma’am, you NEED to let go!’”

She continues:

“And it was one of those passing moments that wasn’t really all that deep but seemed really deep to me at the time. I laughed about it all day. I was like, ‘Yeah, I need to LET GO!’ Maybe, all this time, I just needed someone to tell me to let go.

“To me, this song has lots of humour behind it, but it is totally heartfelt and real. My humour is usually a little self-deprecating, but I do feel like it’s a lot about contradictions of keeping trying, letting go, the fact that it seems sad but was written in a lighthearted mood, etc. It’s one of those songs that, to me, is not just about one thing; it’s about a little bit of everything.”

As an artist, Riley is a songwriter’s songwriter. It’s like she was born to do it. She has spent a lot of time on the road, learning and earning her keep with her sleeves rolled up. Over the last decade, she has been carving out her own niche as a rootsy singer-songwriter. She got her start hosting open mic nights in her hometown of Decatur, Illinois. She soon formed a band and began to be known within the local scene. Riley has become well established in the Midwest, opening for artists like Kim Richey, Ellis Paul, Robbie Fulks, and Jill Andrews.

As a solo artist, Riley has had her music featured on Starbucks’ in-store radio, and her songs have also found their way into MTV’s Teen Mom and Are You the One. Her 2021 album Set You Free was well-received, which led to a busy touring schedule. She has also launched a podcast titled Made of Dreams. It’s an appropriate title for an artist who, no matter what the odds, has strived towards achieving her dreams, with both fierceness and vulnerability.

Ashley Riley “Best Try” single artwork