Bratt Szn: Stalk Ashley’s Time Is Now

It was late evening when I visited Stalk Ashley on a quiet residential street in Kingston. Her manager, Jaxx, came out to open the gate and warmly greeted me and my crew. As we entered the soundlab where one of the brightest artists of Jamaica’s new generation makes most of her music, we had no idea what to expect. I’ve been listening to Stalk ever since she first came onto the scene. She’s always had an edge. “While we’re young, let’s just have fun,” she sang on her 2019 debut single “Young,” making the case that “sex without ties a the best.” That same year, she popped up alongside British rapper Stormzy on a live rendition of Beyoncé’s “Brown Skin Girl” for BBC 1Xtra. Today, Stalky’s sound is fresh, unpredictable, and impossible to put in a box.

As I wandered through the studio, I passed an indoor waterfall beneath a colorful artwork depicting the legendary Bob Marley. Further inside hung portraits of younger Jamaican artists—Koffee, Shenseea, Capleton, I-Octane—along with drums, guitars, and colorful abstract designs. As we admired the view and set up our cameras, Stalk quietly appeared dressed in a white tank top, pink Juicy sweatpants, and a matching wig. Her energy was calm, welcoming, and watchful, taking everything in. She doesn’t do many interviews and is mindful that her bond with her fans is based on 100% authenticity. And while she prizes her freedom, she’s accepted the fact that her success has made her a voice for young girls. “I think that’s so important,” she told me. “We don’t have a lot of that right now.”

At the time of our conversation, Stalky was still working on the music that made up her dynamic debut album, Stalky the Bratt, which was released on August 30, just before Labor Day and the end of the so-called “Brat Summer.” “To be a bratt is to be real all the time,” Stalky explained. “It’s a vow to oneself to be the realest truest version of themselves.” It’s not too far from Charli XCX’s Brat definition: “me, my flaws, my f— ups, my ego all rolled into one.”

While Stalky always stays true to her Jamaican roots, she respects no creative boundaries. Her 2021 major label EP, Excuses, Pt. 1, was categorized as R&B/Soul. In true bratt fashion, Stalky cut ties with Atlantic Records when things didn’t go her way. Instead of allowing herself to get stuck, she took back her power and used that energy to let her creativity flow. The results can be heard on her latest project—a blend of dancehall, R&B, trap, and electro-pop.

Maybe Stalky Ashley’s approach is so unique because nobody ever taught her the “rules.” After studying media and communications, she dropped out of college to follow her passion for music at 19. Traveling from the rural Jamaican parish of Manchester to Kingston was a major leap of faith. “I had no idea what the hell I was doing or how I would get there,” she admitted. Somehow, she linked with Jaxx and his team and taught herself how to write and record. She voiced many of her earliest songs in her bedroom.

“I can’t wait to drop this new set of music,” Stalky told me. “It’s definitely genre-bending. It’s shape-shifting… It’s still Jamaican culture at the base of everything, but it’s like a boiling pot of different, different things.” From ska to the Sleng Teng, Jamaican music is always reinventing itself. As the generations evolve, so does the music, but the core stays the same. As Stalk has evolved, she’s created a sound that’s unique to her. Everything is clearly rooted in dancehall, but she’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. Bratt dancehall style is done in a new fashion. Stalky’s signature stamp is all about her vocal sound and the honesty of her songwriting.

“Sometimes I feel scared,” she reveals on the album opener “Humble,” pleading with God on bended knee. A few tracks later, she gives us “Senseless,” a crazy shotta collab with Skeng and Kraff Gad, where she warns opps she’s far from defenseless. On “Brixx,” Stalky’s all about the paper. On “Really Like U,” she’s sprung for dancehall hot boy Skillibeng, admitting she needs him like her right hand. “Stay With Me” is a dreamy duet with Sean Paul that sounds like it has major crossover potential.

“I draw inspiration from everywhere and everyone,” said Stalky, “regardless of gender or genre.” 

With respect from all genders. Stalky was the first female artist to collaborate with three of dancehall’s hottest male stars—Alkaline, Skeng, and Valiant. Having said that, she’s aware that young women are making waves in the male-dominated dancehall arena like never before. “If there’s ever a time for females doing it, it’s now,” she said in our sit-down. From Spice to Jada Kingdom to Pamputtae, from Hood Celebrityy to Shenseea, female voices are louder than ever. Don’t ask Stalky why this is happening now. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, I hope it continues cause we need more female voices out there.”

“Narcissistic,” her duet with Valiant, unfolds like a dancehall version of Usher’s “Confessions,” speaking on emotional trauma from both sides of the gender divide. “Somebody pinch me now, me think me dreaming,” she spits. “Yuh f**k a gal and now she breeding?” Valiant replies, “You’re too insecure up inna yuh feelings. A wah yuh mean yuh a leave me?” The song clearly touched a nerve, topping the Jamaican charts for weeks. Stalkey was struck by how many fans reached out to her saying, “This is my entire situation right now. How did you know?” Although the word “narcissistic” is never used in the song of the same name, Stalky is very clear about who the title refers to. “The narcissist in the song is definitely Valiant,” she clarified. “I think he would agree. He should agree. He’d better!” she added with a laugh. She teams up with the breakout star once again on the sexy new album cut “Big Vibes.”

To stay the test of time in dancehall, you must be great at your craft, respected by your peers, loved by the streets, and supported by the industry. As a female artist, you need to push your way through, put your foot down to be taken seriously, and let everyone know you are for real. As Stalk says in her own words, “Me short, but we reach tall.” Looks like the Bratt is here to stay.