How Ashley Cooke Built Her New Era From the Ground Up

Every so often, an artist walks into a new season of their life with a kind of grounded clarity that feels earned. That’s precisely where Ashley Cooke finds herself on House Guest with Kenzie Elizabeth.

If you’ve followed the country music rising star at all, you already know she’s coming off a whirlwind stretch. New music, personal changes, and the blend of high highs and low lows that make your twenties feel both cinematic and unmanageable at once. But now, this is the beginning of her rebuilt foundation, and it feels like the perfect moment for it. It’s a journey many of us can relate to, and it’s about to take a new turn.

She created her new era from both the highs and the lows

Cooke’s last couple of years weren’t simple, and Kenzie sets the stage early with a level of honesty that is refreshing. “She has had some of her highest highs and lowest lows in the past year or two, and that is what this project is about,” Kenzie tells her listeners. “She’s gone through a lot of loss and a lot of just family health problems and stuff. So we’re talking about getting through those things while also trying to live a good life and have fun when she normally doesn’t.”

For Cooke, the emotional contrasts were something she wanted to explore. She discusses how surprising it can be when career milestones don’t instantly resolve everything happening outside the spotlight. “You think getting a number one song is going to make everything just go away, but it doesn’t work like that,” she explains. “It felt different because life was still life-ing, and I realized I had to make sure my cup was filled in other ways too. Your success will never make you feel fully happy on its own.”

Ace became the artistic bridge between her old life and her new one

When Cooke talks about her new project, Ace, she notes that it’s part release, part closure, and part creative ignition. “Honestly, part of why I wanted to get Ace out before my second record is because there is so much in this that was so heavy and was so important to me,” she says. 

She also breaks down how the project came together: “It feels important enough to me to put out a project, which basically means an EP if you will. It’s not an album, but it’s a collection of songs. That’s the difference, and this came from everything happening at once—the mountaintops and also the craziest valleys.”

It’s personal without being performative. Intentional without being strategic. And Ace is her bridge—the space between where she was and where she’s going next.

Support and alignment matter—especially in your 20s

Kenzie explains her relationship with Cooke outright. “We’re just very aligned on a lot of things,” she says. “We’re very similar, and after every episode, I’m like, ‘Ashley is the greatest person ever.’ We’re similar in the way we view things, in the way we think, and even in the decisions we make.”

That support and alignment is crucial, especially in the tumultuous years Cooke describes on Ace—the rebuilding years and the redefining years. In such years, you’re determining who gets access to you moving forward.

A significant theme Cooke explores is embracing softness, even when things feel heavy. “You are worthy, and you deserve to still have good days. Even when everything feels heavy, you deserve that. Exactly—that’s something I had to learn too,” she says.

Let this serve as a reminder that self-compassion is an integral part of resilience. Cooke’s journey is a testament to the power of honesty and self-compassion, serving as a message that inspires us all to approach our own journeys with grace and understanding.

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