Back again with her 23rd all-time single (and still - just barely - 18 years old) Ainsley Costello adds yet another unforgettably heartwarming piece of music into her ever-growing catalog. Her latest release, 'Someone’s Someone' continues the trend toward a poppier sound that remains consistent with her use of live instrumentation coupled with a sparkly pop aesthetic. From within the heart of Nashville (the country music capital) Ainsley continues to carve out a niche for herself with this installment that some have called “pretty punk” - a term that is evolving as a description of where Ainsley is going and what is yet to come.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Ainsley Costello, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. Who are you and what do you do?
Hey! Thank you so much for taking some time to talk to me! My name is Ainsley Costello, I’m an 18 year old pop/rock singer/songwriter based in Nashville. I’ve been around music my whole life, but have been writing songs and gigging since I was 12 or 13.
What role does the artist have in society?
Very introspective question, I like it! I think the role of the artist in society is to feel like the best friend, or the big sister to the people who listen to you. Ever since I started writing, I always wanted my songs to feel like the friend who knows exactly what to say when you listen to it after a certain day or situation. Another way of looking it is that artists are kind of like the Ouija Board of their generations. It’s a weird way of putting it, but we tend to write a ton about what our age group goes through and articulate what other people feel like they can’t. We must be getting close to spooky season if the first thing I’m thinking about is Ouija Boards.
Your latest song is 'Someone's Someone'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
“Someone’s Someone” was a song that I wanted to write for a long time, because it’s a message I’m really passionate about. I felt like it was a song missing from the music I grew up listening to, so I wanted to make sure the first thing I thought of for the song, the line “there’s more to life than being someone’s someone” was the focal point. This was the first song I worked from the ground up with a producer which was a ton of fun. Zach Manno was on this song, and we’ve worked on a ton of stuff together at this point, but I’d usually sent him a bunch of already recorded live tracks and we would work around that. This time I just showed him the song on a guitar, and we went from there!
What’s your strongest memory of your childhood?
My strongest memories of my childhood were the ones involving music. Whether it would be going to concerts with my parents, going to see my dad’s bands perform or having my dad quiz me on guitar chords. Very musical childhood indeed. One memory that isn’t musical is when my two childhood best friends would come to visit. I moved around a bit so I didn’t see them that often, but whenever they would surprise me I would scream so loud everyone’s eardrums would be close to bursting. Literally, one time I screamed so loud because I was so excited they were there the mail man knocked on the door to see if everything was okay. Still have a loud voice to this day!
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
My most embarrassing moment would probably have to be when my second-grade crush found out I liked him. For a seven-year-old it was mortifying. Plus, he lived across the street which did not make the situation any better.
Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
I wouldn’t say the artistic life is lonely overall, but like life, there can be lonely periods where you feel like you’re not doing enough or aren’t feeling good enough. When that happens, I just try to surround myself with people who believe in me and want to work with me just as much as I want to work with them. I think the same goes for lonely periods in life too. Surround yourself with friends who love you and want to spend time with you, and just take it one day at a time.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
I really love to travel. I’m so lucky that I get to travel and see so many places for my job. I have some shows in New York lined up in the fall, so I’m stoked to go up there when all the leaves start changing color. I’m also a really big tea enthusiast. I drink tea every day and am a sucker for any London Fog latte you send my way.
What is your dream project?
My dream project is to go into the studio for a few weeks at a time to just create as much as possible with a producer/songwriter. Writing multiple songs a day, and if we’re not feeling something one day that’s cool, because we get to come back tomorrow and do it all over and try again. I love the studio vibe and getting outside my own space to go create. Two people I would love to work with are Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Jordan Schmidt who have worked on two of my all time favorite records.
What is your favourite or most inspirational place (in Nashville)?
I’m still figuring out what my favorite place is in Nashville! I moved here right as everything shut down and now that it’s been opening back up, I’m out travelling on the road. But I did see a show at the Blue Room at Third Man records a couple weeks ago and that was wonderful. It’s actually a blue room with a really cool and intimate stage, great sound, and overall great vibe. I can’t wait to see more shows there and do one there myself one day!
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to keep writing and touring! I can’t wait for the world to hear the next few songs I have coming out, and I’m even more excited to play them live.
Thank you so much for asking these lovely questions! If you want to follow me on any of the socials my handles are @ainsleycostello_official on Instagram, and @ainsleycostello on TikTok. Make sure to keep a look out for the video for “Someone’s Someone” which is coming out soon, and for the rest of the music I’ll be putting out this year!