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New England Baby

by Ashley Aisyah Hamel

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about

::ABOUT::

Ashley Hamel wrote “New England Baby” in her homestate of Connecticut, USA: a place of suburbs and small town living. Against this backdrop of comfort and ease, Hamel sings out her frustration. What emerges is the familiar story of a desire for growth outside the place where you grew up, brought to life through Hamel’s expressive vocals and a rich production - recorded entirely in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In fact, shortly after writing the song, Hamel did venture out of the state. Instead of following her peers to New York or LA, she set up shop in her mother’s home country, Indonesia, where she could experience “what it’s like to feel assimilated” as a mixed-Indonesian American.

There, Hamel collaborated with producer Leonardo Ringo, co-producer Gabriel Mayo, and a host of Indonesian musicians to bring her folk/pop English-language songs to life. “New England Baby” emerges as a unique collaboration poised to bring Hamel’s talent to international attention.

The first single off an upcoming EP, “New England Baby” will kick off a series of three EPs chronicling Hamel’s personal journey over the past five years. Each mini album will feature four songs tied together conceptually in the telling of a story about love, loss, and hope.

lyrics

:: LYRICS ::

Sitting here all alone,
Nobody knows my face at all.
Unless I'm on the microphone,
I really don't exist at all.

I try to be lovely,
I try to be cool.
I tried being lonely.
Does it make me more interesting to you?

Sitting here watching everybody
Do the thing they do:
Politely listening.
Bob my head, tap my feet,
It’s the least that I can do
Without causing a scene.

It's hard being lovely.
It's hard being cool.
It's hard feeling lonely
In this stuffy room.

I wanna know what it's like
To feel assimilated.
I wanna know who I am
Without feeling so damn jaded.

New England baby, you mess me up,
Living in peace and comfort til it's not enough.

Flying out on a Tuesday,
Nobody knows my face at all.
If you blink your eyes you'll lose me,
I’m stepping out of place into the sun.

It's nice to be lovely.
It's nice to be cool.
It's nice being lonely.
No one tellin’ you what to do.

I wanna know what it's like
to feel assimilated.
I wanna know who I am
without feeling so damn jaded.

New England baby, you mess me up,
Living in peace and comfort til it's not enough.

credits

released August 25, 2023
:: CREDITS ::

words & music © Ashley Aisyah Hamel

Producer : Leonardo Ringo
Co Producer : Gabriel Mayo & Ashley Hamel

Vocals, Ukulele : Ashley Hamel
Drums : Raveliza
Bass : Rhesa Adhitya
Piano : Dewita Ratih
Acoustic Guitar : Maga Siregar
Electric Guitar : Michael Felisianus
Accordion : Rivelino
Percussion : Leonardo Ringo

I'd like to give a special thank you to Capital Community College in Hartford, where I took a music production class and had four hours of free studio time a week. I wrote "New England Baby" during one of those sessions. <3

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Ashley Aisyah Hamel New Haven, Connecticut

Ashley Hamel is a singer-songwriter, improviser, and wizard rocker based out of Connecticut.

Her energetic live show combines her powerful pop vocals and rhythm guitar with strong songwriting and an infectious stage presence.

Her first full-length album, "WZRD" (Jan 2019) is a wizard rock concept album full of heart and a bit of a wink. ... more

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