J-14 is scouting out the hottest bands around... and this week's pick is Ashland High!
Here are five things you need to know about Ashland High whose debut album Geronimo is out now.
1. Pop-rock band Ashland High was created by Trace Cyrus after his departure from Metro Station. He put together written material and throughout the past two years has accumulated over a 150 songs. Though releasing a solo album was always something he wanted to do, he never thought he could do it. "I never considered myself a singer," Trace tells J-14. "The past two years have been me trying to get better at singing and songwriting."
2. Trace came up with the band name Ashland High from his hometown in Kentucky. "Ashland High is where my mom went to high school. I kind of look at it like Ashland High would have been where I would have been in my life if I had never gotten out of that town. That would have been the highlight of my life," Trace tells J-14. "So I wanted to somehow relate to the kids in that town. I'm very proud to be from the South."
3. Girls are what inspire Trace the most. "I call every song a love song. Even if it's not some slow ballad that you consider your standard love song, I feel like if you write a song about a relationship or love, it's timeless. Any age group can listen to it and 50 years from now, it's still going to be popular."
4. Trace has also found inspiration through his fiance, Brenda Song. "I wanted to make a mix tape and take my life in to a different direction and I think [being engaged] helped me do that. Brenda inspired me in that way, so she definitely helped a lot."
5. Ashland High's debut album Geronimo was released for free on New Year's Eve, wanting to give back to the fans that have followed and supported him throughout the years. Download it for free here!
Check out their single "Jealous Lover" below and let us know what you think!
Courtesy of Frank Moreno
