Asher Monroe gives a glimpse into his forthcoming album on new single ‘Try Me’

Asher Monroe has long been one of our fave artists. Diverse and multi-talented he constantly pushes his musical boundaries. His new single Try Me, is a glimpse of eagerly anticipated studio album ‘Windows of Time’.

 ‘Try Me’ is a powerful and emotive track, captivating listeners from the first chord. Its harmonious piano melodies and striking opening drum solo intertwine effortlessly with Asher’s vocal – allowing the tone of the track to soar into the perfect country-gospel pop soundscape. Touching upon themes of encouragement and the reinforcement of the ones we love, ‘Try Me’ is a track that will instantly empower and inspire you.

Discussing the track, Asher explains: “The inspiration for ‘Try Me’ actually came from someone who was very near and dear to me, someone who had fulfilled a tremendous amount of success to the public eye, but deep down was crippled in heartache, pain, cynicism and misery. I felt like this person, who I will leave unnamed, was always a victim of happenstance. The mentality was always me against the world. With so much turmoil this person was going through when it didn’t have to be that way inspired me to write this song. I wanted to encourage anyone who was going through similar issues to not always point the finger and blame everyone else for their problems but look introspectively inside themselves and take a more proactive approach to solving the chaos seen around them. Try Me is about taking the power back within us and leaving the victim mentality behind.”

This is the second glimpse Asher has given fans of his upcoming album ‘Windows Of Time’, Earlier this year he released  ‘Midnight Masquerade’, which was supported heavily by BBC Radio 2 and excitingly for his UK fans, his first single to officially be released in the UK.

His upcoming album which he created alongside acclaimed producer Walter Afanasieff – whose credits include Mariah Carey, Gary Barlow and Barbra Streisand, is an album packed with hushed drama, rich instrumentation and colossal choruses. The album’s cinematic style is ripe for the silver screen or, as Elton John suggested when Asher first played him the project, a Broadway musical.

The pair recently sat down for a chat for  Elton John’s Rocket Hour on Apple Music 1, to discuss Asher’s upcoming album and singles Try Me and Midnight Masquerade.

Asher on working with Walter Afanasieff
Elton John: We must say that we love your single, “Midnight Masquerade”. It’s a beautiful record. And you know what is different about this record? It’s big. It’s got an orchestra on it and not many records these days have big sound on it. And this is a very full sound. And am I right in saying that it was-
Asher Monroe: Walter Afanasieff.
Elton John: Did he produce this track?
Asher Monroe: He did. So, we did a lot of the arrangements together. He wrote a lot of the arrangements, I sang all the melodies. I ended up writing all the lyrics and he did a lot of the sprinkled production. And I had a few other people do some production work, but he did most of the heavy lifting.
Elton John: He’s worked with Barbara Streisand and he’s worked with Mariah Carey. So, you’re in good company here.
Asher Monroe: Definitely.

Asher on the sound of his new album
Elton John: Is this indicative of the album that’s coming out, ‘Windows of Time’, later in the year? Is it a lot of orchestral stuff on there?
Asher Monroe: I would say very much so. Most of the album has a very big orchestral pop sound. Each song is very uniquely scripted differently. I would say sonically there’s a thin line because me and Walter, we have a cinematic background, we have a musical theatre background, so that’s all carefully woven in there. But yeah, it was a fun project, definitely different than anything musically I’ve ever done in the past. I really wanted to elevate myself with this project so.

Elton on his kids loving Asher’s music
Elton John: And you do come from a musical theatre background. I think it’s very prevalent in your songwriting, which is a good thing because you’re great on melody and you’re great on structure. And sometimes that’s missing from modern pop music. So, this record stands out and I played this record to a lot of people and they all love it. They say, “God, who is this guy? Who is this guy?” And our boys love it, it’s the number one request on the way to school.
Asher Monroe: That means the world.
Elton John: “Play Asher Monroe. Play Asher Monroe. Play Asher Monroe.”
Asher Monroe: I love that. I love that.

Tune in and listen to the episode in full this Saturday (June 5) live at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET / 5 pm UK or listen back anytime on-demand at apple.co/_RocketHour.

You can also download and stream ‘Try Me’, here!

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