Asher Angel

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A new era is unfolding for actor and artist Asher Angel with his new single, “Flip The Switch.”

Born and raised in Paradise Valley, AZ, Asher Angel has been destined for stardom from a young age. He honed his acting chops in local community theatre before getting his big break in 2017 on Disney Channel’s Andi Mack. In the years since the now 21-year-old Asher has continued to come into his own as an all-around creative force. He has starred in films like Shazam!, and Shazam! Fury of Gods, On Fire, and Darby and the Dead (which featured his original song, “One on One”), and has released several hit singles.

His 2019 collaboration with Wiz Khalifa, “One Thought Away,” became the number one trending YouTube video for 3 days, and has amassed over 12 million streams to date. He followed up the release of “One Thought Away” with singles like “Chills,” “All Day,” and “Guilty,” under the supervision of music legend LA Reid and his Hitco record label.

Angel created “Flip The Switch” with an impressive team of GRAMMY-nominated producers and songwriters, Felisha King Harvey, Kenneth “KP” Paige, and HARV. All three collaborators boast impressive resumes with credits on songs by Justin Bieber, Usher, Summer Walker, and more. The track seamlessly blends R&B swagger, catchy beats, and universal pop appeal. Fueled by steadfast determination and an abundance of talent, Angel is ready to unveil the next chapter of his career with new music that highlights his impressive musical range and vocal skill. Backed by his fast-growing fanbase, Angel is for sure on his way to superstardom.

Asher Angel sits down with 1883 to chat about the latest single, his acting aspirations and his plans for the future.

I had a chance to listen to your song “Flip The Switch” that’s out now. Why don’t you tell me about the story of the song?

I think what I love most about “Flip The Switch” and why it’s just so connected to me is that it’s all about having confidence and being comfortable in your skin and I think over the years I’ve always said on my social media and in interviews to just be courageous, be kind and always be yourself. That’s always been my motto. Social media is such a negative place. You always have people hating on you who are doubters or people who don’t believe in you and I feel like it really can have a large effect on you, especially on your mental health. I finally just decided to flip the switch and just not listen to the haters, not listen to the doubters, not listen to the people that don’t believe in me, but just do me and grind and you can achieve whatever you want with hard work and dedication. So, I think the song just highlights positivity and I flipped the switch.

I love it. It’s such a bop! You mentioned London. Maybe that’s why I like it. [Laughs] What are your favourite lyrics from the song?

I’m not gonna lie, it’s “Fly her out to London just to have a little fun.” [Laughs] That’s probably my favourite lyric.

You mentioned mental health earlier. What do you do for yourself to take care of your mental health?

Over the years for me, it’s just always been my family. They’ve kept me so grounded and so humble, and I just really enjoy time with them when I’m not working. It’s just spending time with them and spending time with my parents I think really helps and also being so secluded and out of California and really in the mecca of the music world and all the things that are happening there, helps a lot. So, just being home and being with my family keeps my mental health good.

You’re also an actor. Do you prefer making music or acting?

I started off doing musical theatre. Then, acting kind of just happened first, but my main focus, has always just been music. I just love music. I’ve always wanted to be an artist, to go on tour and just make songs that connect with people and put on a full-blown live performance. I just love entertaining people. So, I’d say music has always been the main focus. That’s a great way to start the year. New things and a new era.

How would you compare acting and music? What do you think can be found in each?

I’d say there is not a large difference in them, there are a lot of similarities. I think the storytelling component is very similar to music. I’m speaking from my experiences in life and talking about myself as opposed to talking or being a different character who’s the polar opposite of who I am. So, I think that’s different. When I’m going to the studio, I’m writing songs about me and things that I’ve experienced and when I’m on set, I’m playing someone who’s living a completely different life. So, I find that very fascinating and it’s very interesting.

I’ve spoken to loads of actors who said that they love to play pretend but when you write songs, is it from personal experiences or do you also play pretend when you write music?

That’s a good question. I think I do both. I think what I mean by that is, that I speak from a lot of personal experiences, but then also there are certain experiences I haven’t gone through. I kind of just try to, since I’m an actor, jump into someone else’s shoes and try and imagine what that would look like and how that would be. So, I think that comes into play very well with that.

Do your family and your friends inspire your music?

I think it’s just everything that I do in my personal life. I find joy in implementing that into my songwriting just because I feel that I get a place to vent. If I’m feeling a certain way or there are certain emotions I’m not able to articulate my words with and the only way for me is really to jot it down into a song or write a song. That’s kind of how I express myself.

“Flip the Switch” is truly the beginning of a new era because you haven’t released music in a while, right?

So as you said, it’s going to be a completely new era, which is so exciting. Last time I was releasing music, I got a couple of songs and I stopped for a while so I think now music is coming out back to back. I have so much music and I’m just so excited to release it. I think the fans and everyone out there can expect an album coming very soon.

Do you have anyone that you dream of working with music-wise?

I’m a big fan of the Weekend. Justin Bieber is amazing. I love Bruno Mars. The list goes on. I’ll tell you that. Who doesn’t love Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift? So yeah, I have a very long list of future collaborations.

You just have to manifest that it will become true! What do you like to do in your personal life, when you’re not writing music? What do you do on your off days?

I love sports. I love playing basketball. I love being super active, going to the gym, hanging out with my friends, taking my dogs on walks. So, that’s my favourite thing to do when I’m not working. I’d say it’s just being active and golfing. I love to get out there and enjoy the pretty Arizona landscape.

It seems like it’s so warm there, do you not have winter? [Laughs]

So we have, I would say, this chunk of time for the next two months, it’s going to be perfect weather like unbelievably perfectly. If you’re going to visit Arizona, you should come around this time. Just don’t come in the summer. It gets to 115 maybe 120 Celsius. It’s so hot. The aeroplanes can’t take off the tunnel. This time is beautiful here and you should visit.

I find the US fascinating because, for me, it’s the deepest winter. It’s so cold and snowy and I talked to people who are in LA or Arizona and it’s just not cold. [Laughs] What is one of the greatest achievements of your career so far?

I think on the acting side, I’ve always wanted to be a part of a superhero franchise. That’s always been a dream of mine and that came to fruition which was surreal for me. Then, for the music side, I’ve been able to meet so many different producers and work with so many different people and just experience so many different things that were just really awesome and helped me during my recording process or even writing songs. Just meeting and learning from all these different people was the best experience by far.

What is one of your favourite projects that you worked on as an actor?

I recently did a project with Ashley Chun. It’s just a really fun movie. A super fun thriller. I played a character I never played before. So, I was stoked to be able to do that.

How do you keep yourself challenged?

I just want to do everything. The acting, the dancing, the singing. I never want to just stick to one career. I want to surround myself with so many different things, so I can’t get stuck. Especially in the acting world, it’s transitioning. I never want to play the same character. I want to play loads of characters. For the music world, it’s just writing a bunch of different songs. I just want to do everything, I even want to go back to Broadway. I have so much that I want to do. So, I think I can’t get stuck.

That’s so inspiring. Recently I spoke to so many people and I find it so inspiring when so many young people say: “I want to do everything.” Because every time someone asks me what I want to do with my life I’m also like: “I want to do everything. I don’t want to do just one thing.” So it’s always cool to hear when other people think the same way.

Right? We have the same mindset!

What would be your dream role?

I would love some sort of auto-biography. Like Frank Sinatra, a young one for instance. Something along those lines would be super interesting and a challenge for me and that’s kind of what I’m looking for as far as dream roles in the acting world.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I mean hopefully just being happy and making music that connects with people all around the world and hopefully getting to go on tour and give everyone a beautiful live experience that they’ll always remember. It’s just to continue being happy and just continue to be a good person and make music and make projects that can connect with people. That’s kind of my main focus. I just want to make people happy and spread love, happiness and positivity.

What’s your dream venue to perform at?

I have more than one. Madison Square Garden, of course, is super iconic, and I think it’s the O2 arena in London. Those two would be spectacular.

I’m sure it will happen! London is a great place for gigs. That’s what I love the most about it. What can we expect from you shortly when it comes to acting and music?

I have some projects coming out in 2024. Some acting projects, I am super excited about them. And then besides that, I just love music and acting. That’s kind of my main focus for this year.

What is the advice that you live by?

Um, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. It stuck with me ever since I started in the industry and I’m gonna live by it for the rest of my life. It’s so accurate.

That’s a good one! Are there any other things that you want to manifest for yourself this year?

Just positive vibes. Just great energy. Not listening to all the negative energy and just focusing on the good and spreading that. In this new year, just love and positivity, because that’s all we need. We don’t need hate. Just more love.

How do different places inspire your writing?

I think it’s a huge influence. I’ve written songs where I experienced something eight months ago and talked about that moment in my head. It doesn’t have to be the moment type of scenario. I could be reading about something that I experienced five years ago, or eight years. So, I find that very fascinating, and that’s why it’s so important to travel and experience as much as you can because it elevates the songwriting process.

Do you have any inspiration when it comes to songwriting?

I think Bruno Mars is just an incredible storyteller when it comes to his songs, which I love and I want to see him in concert. I love listening to him and listen to his lyrics and see what I can pick up from that. Because he puts so much emotion in his voice and he is such a good songwriter. I try to pick little things here and there that I can implement into my process.

What is something that you want to be remembered for? So if you could leave a legacy behind what would it be?

I just want my legacy to be always making people laugh. I am always trying to be that guy that uplifts and makes others feel good. That’s how I want to be remembered. I don’t want to be remembered for anything that involves my career. I think it’s just as a human, as a person. That’s how I like to be remembered. As someone always happy and just spreads that happiness to the world.