By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer
Ashlyn Tegos is a queer independent recording artist based in Vancouver. Her music is a soft pop orchestra of gentle yet intentional vocal layerings over lyrics that explore love, heartbreak, and identity. On October 1, Tegos released “Garden Ghost,” a tender song she wrote by weaving her emotions into a story that became a tangible emotional soundscape. Additionally, two of her singles, “Feels Like” and “Autumn Lover,” are out on all platforms in anticipation of her debut album, The Way That I Am. This album, which has been in the works since 2020, is scheduled for release by the end of 2025 and focuses on love, breakups, and above all, self-acceptance. The Peak spoke to Tegos to learn more about her music journey.
“The album has had many different lives and many different names over the past few years,” shared Tegos. The original album, titled Hiraeth, contained six songs. “And then I got my heart broken for the first time,” she recalled. This formative breakup served as the initial catalyst for change in the album, which was then renamed, reworked, and reimagined with every breakup in Tegos’ life. “But in the past year, it’s evolved and changed into more of an album of this is just who I am.” Although the album is very “breakup centred,” Tegos said
“There is an undertone of acceptance and self love and finding the magic in the mess that is you. And so the album is called The Way That I Am.”
Even for solo artists, releasing an album is a group project. Tegos released a music video for her single “Autumn Lover” on September 5, enlisting some close friends and artists she had previously worked with to make the vision come to life. “I’m really lucky that I have such talented, amazing friends who are so willing to help,” she expressed. Her debut album is now fully recorded, but requires mixing and mastering before release. Her main producer is Mac Ramsay, who she met six years ago, outside an Ariana Grande concert. “He walked me and [my friend] home and was like, we’re gonna make music together one day . . . and now here I am, releasing my first album, and he is the main producer. It’s so cool and full circle,” shared Tegos.
Tegos’ influences are not simple, and neither is her songwriting. “It’s a mixture of folky pop meets musical theatre, harmonies galore.” Citing songwriting and lyrical influences from the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Adrianne Lenker, Tegos said, “I write the best after I’ve listened to their music a lot.” For her sound, she focuses on vocal layering, inspired by the likes of Imogen Heap. Tegos added, “A lot of the songs don’t have the typical format of a song. A lot of it is kind of free verse . . . and not as predictable as some other songs.” Despite this, she reassured me that “there’s going to be something for everyone in there.”
Find @AshlynTegos on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for up-to-date information on her album.
