Simone Ashley has spent years inhabiting the lives of fictional characters on screen, but her new music project is entirely her own. The Bridgerton actress has released her debut EP, Songs I Wrote In New York, a collection of intimate tracks that represent a creative chapter she kept private for years before finally deciding to share it with the world.
Music came before acting in Ashley's life, though she treated it as something sacred and separate from her professional work. The turning point arrived this year. "I finally felt ready to share this side of myself," she explains. "Music has always been part of my life, even before acting. Acting lets me step into someone else's story, whereas music is a chance to tell my own."
The EP was entirely written during a period when Ashley was living in New York, with the city itself becoming a source of inspiration and even a character within the songs. She explores themes of love, romance, and those small moments that linger in memory. "There's something about New York that makes you feel completely anonymous one minute and incredibly inspired the next," she says.
Rather than chasing a specific genre or imitating other artists, Ashley focused on creating music that felt authentic to her journey. She describes her sound as cinematic and emotional, qualities she attributes partly to her background in acting. "I love creating a world around a song, not just musically but visually too," she notes. "Hopefully people hear something that's intimate, soulful and a little dreamy."
The lead single Free emerged with particular ease. "It rolled out from my heart very easily and wasn't something I had to search for or think too much about," Ashley says. For another track, Sublime, she leveraged her film and television experience to maintain creative control over the entire production. From mood boards to styling and overall aesthetic, every element carried her vision.
That hands-on approach extended to collaborations. A partnership with Hendrick's Gin grew naturally from Ashley's recent visit to an immersive theatrical experience the brand created in New York. "Every room revealed something unexpected, and there was this lovely sense of curiosity and playfulness throughout," she recalls. The experience aligned with the energy she wanted to capture in her visual work.
Beyond music videos already in development, Ashley plans to take her music on tour. The prospect of sharing live performances with an audience appeals to her as something irreplaceable in its immediacy and connection.
The question looming for Bridgerton fans remains unanswered: will Ashley return as Kate Bridgerton for Season 5? She's staying noncommittal for now. "Bridgerton will always feel like home to me," she says. "I'm so grateful for everything it's given me, and for the audience who've embraced Kate so wholeheartedly. I love seeing where the story goes each season."
Ashley insists she's not abandoning acting for music. "There's space for both. They're both storytelling, just through different mediums," she explains. She's even open to finding a project that merges both talents, such as a musical. The idea of one of her original songs receiving a Regency-era adaptation for Bridgerton amuses her greatly.
Author Jessica Williams: "Ashley's refusing to pick between acting and music because she's smart enough to know she doesn't have to, and that honesty is exactly what makes the EP feel so genuine."
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