Ashnikko

Ashton Nicole Casey (February 19, 1996), better known as Ashnikko, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper who jumped into the spotlight in 2019 with the viral single “Stupid.” Raised in the city of Greensboro, North Carolina, Ashnikko was exposed to a wide variety of music genres from an early age and developed a taste for hip-hop after listening to M.I.A.’s Arular at the age of 10. After spending her teenage years in Latvia, she relocated to London to pursue a career in music. Produced by Raf Riley, her debut EP Sass Pancakes arrived in 2017 and was followed by a second EP titled Unlikeable in 2018. Her first brush with fame arrived in 2019 with the song “Stupid” from the EP Hi It’s Me. Featuring a cameo by Yung Baby Tate, the single quickly went viral on video sharing platforms and reached Number 1 on Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. That same year, she toured supporting rapper Danny Brown and issued the standalone single “Halloweenie II: Pumpkin Spice.” Preceded by the singles “Cry,” featuring Grimes, and “Daisy,” Ashnikko’s first Top 40 entry in the UK, her debut mixtape Demidevil hit the shelves in 2021, reaching the top of Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart. A third single called “Slumber Party” featuring Princess Nokia was released shortly after and charted in Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. Also in 2021, Ashnikko came out as genderfluid and uses she/her or they/them pronouns. They put their fully realised vision out into the world in 2023 with their debut album Weedkiller, a genre-spanning meditation on technological advancement and environmental disaster propelled by five singles: "You Make Me Sick!" "Worms," "Weedkiller," "Possession of a Weapon" and "Cheerleader."