Ashnikko

**Ashton Nicole Casey** (born February 19, 1996), known professionally as **Ashnikko**, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. She rose to prominence with her 2019 single "STUPID" with (Yung) Baby Tate, which gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok and was certified platinum in the United States and Canada. Ashnikko's debut mixtape, *DEMIDEVIL,* was released in January 2021, and spawned the singles "Daisy" and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia.

## Early life

Ashton Nicole Casey was born on February 19, 1996, in Oak Ridge, North Carolina, and raised in the city of Greensboro. Her parents exposed her to diverse musical genres, such as country music and Slipknot. She recalls becoming interested in music, specifically rap music, when she listened to *Arular* by M.I.A. at the age of 10  and did not listen to male musicians until she was 16 years old. As a teenager, her family moved to Estonia for her father's studies, spending a year there before relocating again to Riga, Latvia. At one point, she was the only American in Latvia to attend a Latvian public high school. At the age of 18, Casey moved to London by herself.

## Career

### 2016–2019: Career beginnings and *Hi It's Me*

Ashnikko's first song, "KROKODIL", was produced by Raf Riley and published to SoundCloud in July 2016. She released her first EP, *Sass Pancakes*, under Digital Picnic Records in 2017. The EP was produced by Raf Riley and features appearances from Avelino. Ashnikko's second EP, *Unlikeable*, was released in November 2018. The EP spawned the singles "Blow", "Nice Girl", "Invitation" featuring Kodie Shane, and "No Brainer".

Ashnikko released her third EP, *Hi, It's Me*, in July 2019. The EP was preceded by the promotional single "Special" and was launched alongside the EP's title track and lead single, "Hi, It's Me". The second official single, "Stupid", featuring Yung Baby Tate, gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok. The song reached number one on the *Billboard* Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, the *Billboard* Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and the Spotify Viral 50 chart. "Stupid" was also certified gold in the United States in August 2020, as well as in Canada. Another song from the EP, "Working Bitch", also found popularity on TikTok. Ashnikko embarked on a North American tour supporting American rapper Danny Brown in October 2019. She released the promotional single "Halloweenie II: Pumpkin Spice" in October 2019. She co-wrote eight songs, two of which she is featured on, on Brooke Candy's debut album, *Sexorcism*, which was released in October 2019.

### 2020–2021: Breakthrough and *DEMIDEVIL*

Ashnikko co-wrote the song "Boss Bitch" with American rapper Doja Cat, which was included on the *Birds of Prey* soundtrack, *Birds of Prey: The Album*. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ashnikko was scheduled to accompany Doja Cat on her Hot Pink Tour throughout the United States in March 2020 before it was canceled. In March 2020, she released the standalone single "Tantrum". Later that month, she performed "Tantrum" live as part of *The Fader*'s Digital Fader Fort event. "Cry", featuring Canadian musician Grimes, was then released in June 2020, alongside an animated music video. The song's music video was nominated for "Best Pop Video - UK" at the 2020 UK Music Video Awards. Following this, "Daisy" was released in July 2020, and a music video for the song was released in collaboration with Beats by Dre and TikTok a month later. "Daisy" became Ashnikko's breakthrough hit, charting internationally in countries including Australia, Belgium and the United Kingdom. It reached a peak of number 24 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming her first charting and first top 40 hit in the UK. Ashnikko's third Halloween song, "Halloweenie III: Seven Days", was released in October 2020. She was nominated for Best Push Act at the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards.

"Cry" and "Daisy" both appear on Ashnikko's debut mixtape, *DEMIDEVIL*, which was released on January 15, 2021. "Deal with It" featuring Kelis and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia served as the third and fourth singles from the mixtape, respectively. In support of the mixtape, Ashnikko announced The Demidevil Tour, which is set to take place in October 2021, with shows in North America, the UK, and Ireland.

More recently, Ashnikko co-wrote the song "Frost" released on May 31, 2021, which figures in Korean boy band Tomorrow X Together – TXT's album *The Chaos Chapter: Freeze* and its repackage album *The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape* released on August 17, 2021. She sent the hyper-pop, trap-based song over to TXT in English. The song was then translated to Korean.

### 2022-present: Hiatus, *Weedkiller* and world tour

After a year hiatus since the release of the two-side singles "Panic Attacks In Paradise" and "Maggots" on September 29, 2021, Ashnikko released her first single, "You Make Me Sick!", on February 8, 2023. On March 1, she announced the release of her debut album, *WEEDKILLER*, for June 2; the Weedkiller World Tour across Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe and will start on March 24 in Japan and end on December 11 in the UK; and the second single from the album, "Worms", which was released a day later.

Ashnikko performed at the Coachella Arts and Music Festival on the second day of performances during the festival's two week run on April 22, 2023 in Coachella, California.

## Artistry

Ashnikko's musical style has been described by critics as a fusion of several genres, including pop, indie pop, rock, alt-pop, hip hop, bubblegum pop, indie rock, punk, and electropop. She described her style of music as "angry, punk, hip hop, sad-girl-feminist, bubblegum, poo-poo music", and has clarified that her music is not intended to be comedic or parody-based.

Ashnikko is known for her Tokyo-inspired street fashion. She is also known for her unique, bright blue hair, which is originally brown. In the video for "Nice Girl" and some of her early vlogs, her hair is pastel green. Her hair in the "Daisy" music video is yellow, pink, and red.

Ashnikko has cited her musical influences as M.I.A., Gwen Stefani, Lil' Kim, Björk, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, Dolly Parton, Janis Joplin, and Joan Jett, and has stated that her favorite song is "Bossy" by Kelis. She has also listed Doja Cat, Grimes, Tierra Whack, Rico Nasty, Princess Nokia, Kim Petras, and Charli XCX as her "peers" and artists she "really respects".

## Personal life

Ashnikko stated on Twitter in June 2019 that she is bisexual and later clarified in a 2020 interview that she is pansexual. In May 2021, Ashnikko came out as genderfluid on Twitter, saying that "i just didn't feel ready to tell the internet yet but i guess now's a good time since everyone's doing a dissection into my sexuality and gender identity". She uses she/her and they/them pronouns.

In July 2020, while discussing the meaning behind the lyrics of her single "Daisy", she said that while her family practices Christianity, she does not.

In December 2021, Ashnikko began dating fellow singer Arlo Parks.

### Advocacy

Ashnikko has described herself as a feminist and has attributed discovering intersectional feminism through microblogging website Tumblr as a teenager as a turning point for her. She has been vocal about a range of social justice issues, having spoken out about the commercialization of feminism in November 2019, while advocating for victims of police brutality through social media.

## Tours

* The DEMIDEVIL Tour (2021)
* WEEDKILLER Tour (2023)

## Controversies

Ashnikko has been involved a few controversies throughout her career. Here are some of them:

* Gender and sexuality: In May 2021, Ashnikko came out as genderfluid and pansexual while responding to criticisms of her song "Clitoris! The Musical".
	+ Ashnikko's "Clitoris! The Musical" controversy arose in May 2021 when she responded to criticisms of the song. The song is a satirical track that Ashnikko wrote two years ago while dressed up in a vagina costume and doing jazz hands. Some people found the song offensive, and Ashnikko felt the need to clarify that it was not meant to be taken seriously. She also used the opportunity to come out as genderfluid and pansexual.
* Appropriation: Ashnikko has been accused of appropriating Black culture.
	+ Ashnikko has been accused of appropriating Black culture, which is a common issue in the music industry. In 2020, The Guardian compared Ashnikko to other white rappers who have borrowed from Black culture but have not worn durags or used gang signs.

## Trivia

* At one point, she was the only American in the country to attend a Latvian public high school.
* Their love Italian food.
* Their favorite color is blue.
* Their favorite rappers are Eminem and Doja Cat.
* Their zodiac sign is Pisces.
* They are a fan of Hastune Miku/vocaloid.
	+ She has released a version of Daisy featuring Miku.
* They have stated that Kelis' song ‘Caught Out There’ is one of her favorite songs in the entire world.
* They are pansexual.
* They are genderfluid. Their pronouns are she/they.
* They have a brother.
* Ashnikko gained popularity through the social media platform TikTok, where her song "Stupid" went viral.
* She has collaborated with artists such as Miley Cyrus and Cody Simpson.
* "Blow" from the "Unlikeable" EP was Ashnikko's first single.
* "Nice Girl" from the "Unlikeable" EP was featured in the Netflix series "Trinkets".
* Ashnikko's music has been featured in various media, including the video game "FIFA 21".
* She has been praised for her unique style and unapologetic attitude.
* Ashnikko is known for her Tokyo-inspired street fashion and her unique, bright blue hair, which is originally brown.
* In the video for "Nice Girl" and some of her early vlogs, her hair is pastel green. Her hair in the "Daisy" music video is yellow, pink, and red.
* Her EP "Hi, It's Me" is a break-up anthem that explores the stages one goes through after a painful break-up.