Country singer-songwriter Ashton Shepherd, a native of Coffeeville in Clarke County, is set to open for Lee Ann Womack at The Steeple in downtown Mobile on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets range from $28 to $45 through the venue’s website.
Shepherd, who grew up in the small Clarke County community before building a career in Nashville, is currently working on her fifth studio album. She was signed to MCA Nashville after the label was won over by her heartfelt songwriting and classic country delivery. After parting ways with the major label, Shepherd launched her own independent imprint, Pickin’ Shed Records, named for the space at her home where she writes much of her music.
In a conversation ahead of the Mobile show, Shepherd reflected on the winding path her career has taken, from balancing motherhood with life on the road to learning the business side of the music industry from scratch after leaving her major-label deal. She said the shift to independence meant learning everything herself, from distributing records and getting music onto platforms like iTunes to designing her own promotional materials.
“It was literally like going back to school,” Shepherd said of the transition. “I had such a large team doing it for me through Universal. They connected the dots with the manager and the booking agents and business management and different publicists inside the label. The good news is that I paid attention to all of it through my career, but I never had to hands-on do it.”
Shepherd also manages her own social media accounts, something she says has helped her build a closer relationship with her fan base. “The fact that how much the fans appreciate it… they know I’m going to be the one to answer them or respond, and I’m reading their comments,” she said. She believes that personal connection has become more valuable to her career than simply reaching the widest possible audience.
The singer said fans picked up on hints she has dropped about new music, which she confirmed is in the works. She has been performing a mix of brand-new songs and older, unreleased material at recent shows and said she is sorting through 15 to 20 songs to determine which four or five to record first, with an eye toward choosing a single.
Shepherd said she has a photoshoot scheduled in Nashville to kick off promotion for the new project, with plans to record several songs by the end of September and potentially complete a full album before the end of October. She is also considering releasing a companion set of stripped-down “work tape” versions of the songs alongside the finished, produced tracks.
“I’m super hopeful too,” Shepherd said. “I don’t know if it means another major deal or that I’ll grow extra legs in the independent market. I know it means something special.”
Wednesday’s show pairs Shepherd with headliner Lee Ann Womack at The Steeple, located at 251 St. Francis St. in downtown Mobile. Tickets are available through the venue’s website.