A new voice has joined the local musical scene with 11-year-old ASHY going from strength to strength since he began performing last year. ASHY, who is known as Ashton Biles when not performing, got into music three years ago after acquiring his first guitar through an after-school care competition. He followed through with learning how to play the instrument with Dave Cutler at the Forbes Guitar Academy. In 2025 ASHY branched out to improve his musical repertoire by learning how to sing with Musica Arioso. ASHY said he wasn't initially into singing but decided to include it in his performances because it formed such a big part of his life. ASHY put his musical skills to the test not long after, taking part in the Forbes Eisteddfod, where he placed first in the 11-13 age category of the own choice solo section. Since then, ASHY has performed at a range of venues and events including the Galari River Arts festival, Forbes Street Dreams festival, and the Christmas carols. He said a major reason why he enjoys performing is the people in the audience and how supportive they are. ASHY usually performs in the country and pop genres and while he does play several covers he has already released his first single 'Who We Are'. He said he began working on this single after receiving a new electric acoustic guitar for Christmas last year. ASHY said once he worked out the chords, the lyrics just came to him for the single. While he has only recently released his single this year, ASHY is already working on more original music. Earlier this year, ASHY also took part in the third season of New Voices Australia from July through to early September. New Voices Australia is a vocal ensemble for singers aged 8 to 18 and sees the artists rehearse with industry-level directors, record in real sessions and appear in professionally produced releases. During the season ASHY was able to socialise with other artists and improve his musical skills. Looking ahead, ASHY will perform at the Teddy Bear's Picnic on 31 October, along with the Musica Arioso end of year performance on 1 November. Later in November he will perform at a hospital charity event before returning to sing at the Forbes Christmas Carnival and Carols By Candlelight.
