Listen: Ash Costello reveals how Gwen Stefani inspired her to be a rock star
Ash appears on Kerrang! Radio’s International Women's Week series
New Years Day singer Ash Costello says that seeing Gwen Stefani perform with No Doubt in the 90s inspired her to become a rock star.
To celebrate International Women’s Day this Sunday (8th March), every day this week at 1pm on Kerrang! Radio, Sophie K is hosting a series of special International Women’s Week shows featuring interviews with a number of eminent rock stars.
On Monday (2nd March), the series opened with New Years Day's Ash Costello who opened up about her big musical idol Gwen Stefani.
“Gwen Stefani was my huge inspiration when I was younger,” Ash told Sophie. “I grew up in Orange County, California in the 90s so that was like No Doubt central. If you were playing in band or singing in Orange County in the 90s, it was kind of a requirement to like ska music and No Doubt. It was like an unspoken rule.
“My mum took me to see (Gwen Stefani) play on the Tragic Kingdom tour in the Anaheim Pond in like 1995. I saw her on stage, and I told my mum ‘I want to do that.’ I thought she was so incredible. I thought she was the perfect mix of girlie and also very powerful and badass. I loved that she walked this line right in the middle.”
Asked by Sophie how her mum reacted to her starting a band, Ash replied: “My mum was super supportive right away. My mum was a runway model in the 1970s and she wasn’t very supportive of that career choice, so she always said ‘when I have kids I’m going to tell them to do whatever they want to do.’ So, she right away said ‘if that’s what you want, we’ll go out’ and she bought me my first mic, my first PA system and right away we got a band together in high school.”
“My mum told me it was going to be hard and to prepare myself for it. I think no one really understood how hard – there have been some really hard times. But my mum has always been my cheerleader. So aside from musicians, my mum is also my biggest inspiration. And also my number one fan! She’s got a New Years Day shirt for every day of the month and she wears them like every day.”
Listen to the full interview with Ash Costello here:
Following Ash Costello, Tuesday’s International Women’s Week show featured interviews with Nova Twins and Milk Teeth singer Becky Blomfield.
Wednesday’s (4th March) show boasts interviews with PVRIS’ Lynn Gunn and Milk Teeth guitarist Em Foster, before Skunk Anansie’s Skin and Code Orange’s Reba Meyers guest on Thursday (5th March).
Kerrang! Radio’s International Women’s Week series concludes with Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale on Friday (6th March) before we air a one-hour special on Sunday (8th March) on International Women’s Day itself.