Central Coast pop singer ASTON has only released a couple of singles under her current moniker, but she’s already establishing herself as a rising star in the pop world. Her latest single, Killer Queen, is a descendent of tracks like Maneater by Nelly Furtado, and the confidence that Nelly exudes in her music is something ASTON is emulating.

I spoke to ASTON about the new single, as well as her views on pop music in general. She’s also got some advice for songwriters looking to break into the industry - she’s definitely wise beyond her years. The music industry is a tough nut to crack, something ASTON’s learnt, but she’s found her own ways to stand out, and they’re working for her!

Firstly, can you introduce yourself and your music?

I’m ASTON! I’m a pop singer/songwriter from Sydney.

Your new single Killer Queen calls to mind the confidence of artists like Nelly Furtado – can you tell me about the inspiration behind the track?

I was freaking out mid-Uber ride to Pete's [producer] house in LA. This usually happens so I go through any ideas that I have saved or just spend time listening to music that I love. I happened to be deep into a ‘00s pop bangers playlist when I stumbled on Maneater by Nelly Furtado! It was confident, strong and with the track produced by Timbaland, what’s not to love. I hadn’t heard a song quite like that in this decade, so I thought, why not bring it back.

I find the song title really interesting – how do you embody that Killer Queen attitude in your own life?

To be honest, it’s a bit of a ‘fake it ‘till you make it’ attitude. If you can manifest materialistic things and awesome careers, why can’t you manifest confidence?! Yes, it’s something you have to work on. Yes, you’re not always going to feel that way but, with the way the world is right now, it can be easy to dig yourself a ditch and it’s even much harder to pull yourself out. Anything is possible though.

We’ve previously spoken about writing sessions, and how you’ve thrown yourself into writing with all kinds of people – what lessons have you learnt from those sessions that you’ve taken into your own music?

DON’T BE PRECIOUS! That was the best advice I was ever given when it came to writing. So many times, people cling on to these songs and that can stop you from creating more. If someone in the writing room doesn’t like the song, I’m the first one to throw it out and start again! I’d rather waste time finding the right thing than continuing to work on something that we hate. Seems pretty obvious but you’d be surprised.

You’ve worked in both the US and Australia – can you tell me a bit about the differences between the two countries in terms of their approach to songwriting/pop music?

I think specifically in the US there’s always this vision of creating a global song. That’s the beauty of Los Angeles! It’s a melting pot of some of the most incredibly talented creators from around the globe. Australia has the potential to work like that with all the recent global success, but many artists and producers leave Australia once they reach a certain level or are looking to grow more.

Following on from that, it feels like overseas we’ve seen a lot of pop artists take risks in pop music that might not be reflected in Australia just yet. Where do you see the future of Australian pop heading?

It’s hard to tell. I don’t focus too much on what’s happening in pop here as it doesn’t always reflect what’s happening in the world. It would be nice to see some killer pop acts make their way to the front in Australia, but I just don’t see that happening anytime soon.

I know you’re a fan of left-field questions, so if you had to be stuck in one season of weather for the rest of your life, which one would you choose and why?

Summer! Specifically, 27 degrees, humid, sunny and a little overcast. The weather that most people hate HAHA!

Editor’s note: Humid weather is the worst type of weather.

Finally, what are your next few steps, both personally and music-wise?

Apart from releasing more music, definitely collaborating and going on tour (when possible of course). Even though I feel like I’ve been in this industry for a hot moment I’m still very new! I find that exciting because there’s so much more room to grow!

 You can follow ASTON on Facebook here, Twitter here and Instagram here.