Stalk Ashley makes debut on BBC Radio 1

Up-and-coming recording artiste Stalk Ashley recently performed on the BBC Radio 1Xtra Live Lounge alongside award-winning grime artiste Stormzy.

She performed a cover of Beyonce's Brown Skin Girl.

"This was really my first official performance, and for it to be on such a big, international platform is such a blessing," she told THE STAR.

Koffee, Chronixx and Kranium have performed on BBC 1xtra Live Lounge. BBC 1xtra is a digital, urban contemporary music radio station, catering to minorities.

"BBC Radio 1 is like the big pop, mainstream national station that the whole country listens to. It's usually done by Justin Bieber and all of the big artistes. It's a really prestigious thing, and nobody has done it from Jamaica," her manager, Julian Jones-Griffiths, explained.

Stalk Ashley said it was an amazing learning experience overall. "I was working with elite professionals, from the musicians to the back-up singers, my new glam squad. Everybody was on point. It was inspirational to be in that setting," she said.

She also described what it was like for her to work alongside Stormzy, one of the most internationally celebrated grime artistes in recent times.

"Stormzy is an incredible and extremely talented artiste, so I was a little in awe of him. To get to his level takes a huge amount of work behind the scenes, which motivates me and my team even more," she said, deciding not to dish on how the connection was made. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity and we will speak on this more in the very near future."

Stalk Ashley has been growing a dedicated fan base on social media using short clips of covers and original music. But there is intent to build momentum from the Live Lounge appearance. "I'm really in the studio constantly now making music. But we are planning another live band showcase in Kingston soon," she said. "We're dropping a song called Young soon. We will shoot the video and release it with the song in a few weeks."