In the three years since millions tuned into Ruder’s tear jerking Idol audition, Ruder’s written songs with Nashville’s best, pitched for Morgan Wallen and now has her very own song on CMT.
It was early on in 2020 when Ash Ruder’s husband (also an Azusa Pacific alum) secretly submitted her application to American Idol. Being in the acting business at the time led him to the show’s application and consequently changed their lives. Ruder never wanted to do any singing competition shows. However, as she made it through months of preliminary round auditions, interviews with producers and song selection meetings, November came and it was time to start filming.
In front of Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, Ruder sang her own song, dedicating it to her father that day, which also fell on his birthday. The song told the true story of her father’s addiction and their renewed relationship following it. Not many were auditioning with original songs at the time but the risk paid off. The judges unanimously gave her a golden ticket to Hollywood.
“I didn’t sleep at all during Hollywood week, so I became very sick,” Ruder recalled. On top of the show’s rigorous hours, Ruder had her finals at APU. One of her professors wouldn’t reschedule her final, which meant Ruder had to take it at 3 a.m.— an hour before filming started for the show. She was sick all night long and decided it was wisest to leave the show and walk through the next open door.
Nashville producers and writers started calling Ruder, prompting her to take numerous flights to the Music City. Ruder and her husband found a Nashville house on Zillow and they expressed their interest. They had five days to make a decision. Two weeks later they drove across the country to their new home.
The songwriting world instantly welcomed Ruder. Some of her first songwriting sessions were with Lauren Hungate and Dallas Wilson who have written for artists such as Bailey Zimmerman, Dylan Scott, Lainey WIlson and Anne Wilson.
“They [the songwriters] just kind of became instant friends because right out the gate for me the song that I wrote for American idol was very intimate… I was vulnerable very quickly as an artist, so going into rooms I was pretty quick to share about my life and they become like therapy sessions, so you just bond with people really quickly because you’re writing about each other’s lives,” Ruder said.
Ruder’s the first to admit she was nowhere near her counterparts level, but this made each session the best classroom.
Gradually, she made the transition from solo writing to writing with a team. Ruder said, “When you’re new in songwriting it kind of shows because you don’t really know what you’re doing and you don’t know where to chime in and contribute, or what you hold back or refrain from saying. I think I was shy at first in that dynamic and in that way I think I wasn’t really writing the song. I was just kind of observing the other people writing, but I’d still get credit on it.” Adding jokingly, “Part of the Nashville saying is write a word, you get a third.”
She might’ve been the newbie, but Nashville didn’t hold that against her. Unlike other cities she’s been to, she found most in Nashville weren’t trying to merely get something out of a person. Instead, Ruder describes it almost as a college town where “Everyone is just sorta holding their guitar running into everyone and coming together to create art at its highest and best form.”
It took time to figure out her corner of the market; what she had to say that somebody else wasn’t quite saying. In the beginning, it was tempting to give into the stereotypical country twang, but it wasn’t quite Ruder. She grew up in farmland country, but she also was influenced by California sounds like Fleetwood Mac, John Denver, The Eagles and The Beach Boys. Record labels were hesitant to accept the hybrid sound. Now though, country with a bit of a pop inspired sound is all the rage.
Her goal became to be “the country artist that people who don’t like country music can tolerate and listen to.” She wasn’t rushing the process to become that though. Ruder focused on the craft of writing for other artists. She even pitched for artists such as Morgan Wallen and recently one of Ruder’s songs that she intended to release herself, was noticed by a record label. You can now listen to the track titled “Foreclosure” on Mackenzie Porter’s recent album, “Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart.”
Upon leaving American Idol, there was an instant pressure to put out her own music. However, Ruder knew it wasn’t time. She had to patiently hone her craft and grow up a little first. A year and a half ago she wrote “The Valley” and knew it was time to write more of her own.
“That was the first song for me where I was like ‘that’s the one. That’s the one I’m going to put out first because it’s everything when I think about who I am and where I’m at in life. It was the first song I had a guttural reaction to like ‘oh that’s it.’”
Around that time, Ruder had her first child and because of that, she now sees why she had to wait for a song like the “The Valley” to be born.
“My daughter’s made me realize how short life is and how short of a time parenting is. The majority of your life is not raising a child. It may feel like it because it’s long days but that’s such a small window of your life…so it just makes me very protective of life and time. The little things are so important I think it’s made me way more intentional about what I write because now I have a little girl looking up to me who someday will listen to my songs.”
Believing that what people listen to affects how they see the world, Ruder wants her daughter to find hope, excitement and truth in her songs.
Ruder could write just about every song about her daughter and she’s already working on a second album that features more about her. However, her first album isn’t going to be released until 2025 and will focus on life’s earlier stages. “The first one is important to write through growing up. I think I had to grow up pretty quickly so part of this is reminiscing and going through childhood since I didn’t have a lot of it,” Ruder said.
It’ll also highlight her move from California. “Miss California,” is one of the unreleased title tracks. While her family and college roommate also moved to Nashville, leaving California for good still took a leap of faith—a key theme of “The Valley.” “The Valley,” her first single, was released August 2, 2024.
Photo courtesy of Ash Ruder
Since writing it a year and a half ago, “The Valley” has grown to not only tell the story of leaving California, but how she came out of a spiritual valley as well.
“When you’re in the writing room, it’s what do you want to write about? It’s what’s your sound? So I think it’s really easy to start thinking about yourself all day long. It’s what the devil wants,” Ruder said.
Being in a secular business can present challenges for a Christian, Ruder believes. While at APU she wrestled with her decision to not pursue a traditional ministry route. Some feared the music industry would lead her down a bad road, a fear she explored in her various APU papers. She’s seen though, how by choosing to not solely sing in church, she’s also able to reach those who wouldn’t step foot in one. Plus from singing simply about her experiences, she’s had young girls open up to her about their hardships with their dad or those struggling with addictions have admitted to her they want help.
Ruder found a way to leave the spiritual valley without leaving the industry. She did this by reaffirming one, that apart from God she could do nothing and two, she focused more on the good she could do for others. The result: “people ask me ‘when did you find your voice?’ But I think it was in finding not my voice but in finding God’s voice that I truly found it.”
On September 16, “The Valley” aired on Country Music Television as part of them spotlighting her as Next Up Now Artist for the month. For an independent, grassroots artist, CMT taking a chance on her first ever music video and song was a huge deal. It was also special because Ruder’s husband directed it in LA, a month after their daughter was born. To know how her husband got involved in this, a person has to travel a little while back.
Photo courtesy of Ash Ruder
“I wouldn’t have my Mrs. Degree if it weren’t for APU’s Heritage building,” Ruder said. She was a freshman doing homework. He was a junior who chased her out to ask for her number. She was just happy he didn’t ask for her snap. She preferred calling over seeing a picture of a ceiling with a fan on it and some text font. A year and a half into their relationship they were engaged and three months after that, at age 20 she married him.
He’s now a director which only adds to him being the perfect mate. “I couldn’t have had it better than him. He’s just the best of the best.” Ruder feels it’s one of many blessings especially as they both find success in their respective industries.
“My husband and I were just talking about how we’re in the eye of the storm and everything is going on around us and we’re just standing there looking at it,” Ruder said. Right now she’s at peace with no expectations of what’s going to happen next. In the present moment she’s celebrating all the little wins, still finding it cool that people are listening to her music.
Ruder’s also looking forward to releasing her tour dates and says there are really good things happening too that aren’t public knowledge yet.
“It’s just the beginning of all that’s going to happen,” she said.
However, at the end of the day what remains is only one main goal. That is, if she can help one person; if one person’s car is filled with her music and it helps their day as music has helped her, then she believes that’s enough to satisfy her every vision and every dream.
Photo courtesy of Ash Ruder