Ash Olsen

About

" Potent, moving rhymes from one of rap’s best young voices "

When it comes to Ash Olsen, “not your average rapper” is something of an understatement. Most of the press surrounding the fast-rising 22-year-old Norwegian makes light of this, and with good reason. Born and raised on a farm in rural Fredrikstad, an hour south of Oslo, skateboarding was her passion as a young teen; music barely featured. But one listen to Tupac’s ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ changed her life; she went home, rapped along to it on YouTube, and was instantly hooked. She hasn’t stopped rhyming since.

Inspired, she devoted herself to her craft, devouring Tupac’s and Biggie Smalls’ discographies, learning English from scratch, and even perfecting a hint of an American accent. Tenacious and dedicated, Olsen has let nothing stand in the way of her ambition, not even the abuse that’s come her way as a young, white woman trying to demonstrate serious rap talent. But Olsen’s had the last laugh – labels were fighting over signing her back in 2020, and she’s been warmly received by radio, critics, and fans alike.

Olsen’s lyrics are bold and audacious, befitting someone who’s song and album titles are in ALL CAPS, but her music and beats have a softer side too; witness the downbeat, melancholic acoustic guitar of ‘WILDIN’’, or the slow jam romance of ‘HORIZON’. Keeping it raw and real is where Olsen truly thrills though, and with debut album ‘ASHY’ racking up the streams and a slew of festivals booked, her meteoric rise looks set to continue. “I thought: ‘I’m just going to do it; fuck it’,” is how she described finally committing to rap. Wise choice.