“Now, how much is too much?”

That’s the questions Azure Kai—real name Ashley Zingillioglu—asks herself when writing and producing songs. She treats each track like an experimental recipe, mixing instruments and sound effects so each musical build is purposeful and every inch of silence is filled. Boasting whistles, crowd cheers, and the rhythmic thumps of basketball dribbles, one of her latest singles, “Put Me In, Coach!,” serves as the epitome to this testament.

“I’m that type of person who doesn’t like simplicity in music,” she said. “If it’s just a song that has a little bit of drums, little bit of guitar, I’m probably not going to be satisfied. I’m going to always want more.

“That being said, ‘Daises’ by Justin Bieber is a really good song,” she quickly amended, laughing at the unintentional hypocrisy.

In 2020, Azure Kai started at Monmouth University to take advantage of their music industry program. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, barred her from the hands-on experience that is fundamental to the major. To fill that specifically-shaped music industry hole, she founded a songwriting club, where students could come together on Zoom and analyze song lyrics in popular music as well as share their own latest prose. When things shifted to being back in person, though, Azure Kai saw the club attendance dropped significantly. To compensate, she started putting the club’s purpose into practice: writing her own songs.

“Either I spend all my time trying to get this club together,” she said, reminiscing on the moment, “or I start making my own music. It was probably the best decision I ever made.”

Her new major, creative writing, doesn’t sit on the sidelines, though—it’s a driving force behind her lyrcism.

“I like to put characters in my songs,” she began. “The main character [of ‘Put Me In, Coach!’] is sitting on the sidelines saying, ‘Put me in, coach, ‘cause I want to play, and I want to score, and I want to do it all for my girl, she’s watching me.’ So, it’s kind of this desire to be included in a game when you’re just sitting out on the sidelines and watching other people succeed when you want to succeed, too.”

Sonically, she draws inspiration from a range of R&B, pop, and rap artists—think Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, Ne-Yo, Eminem, The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Bobby Brown. Each one is pulled into her music in a unique way, with the help of producer Stevie 808. “Each song has its own tone, or its own voice,” she explained. “I sing differently in one song, and then in another song, it’s a completely different delivery.”

Despite these distinctions from song to song, there is one thing that Azure Kai promises will stay consistent. “I want to replicate a musical through an auditory experience,” she said confidently. “I’m still developing what I really want. Everything is hypothetical until you put it into action in the studio since that’s where the ideas really come to life.”

One musical in particular that helped shape her music is the Broadway sensation Hamilton. Taking inspiration from classic musicals as well as R&B and rap hits, Hamilton mixes unsuspecting music elements into a surprisingly delectable cocktail. “There’s a melody, but then there’s also rap. Then there’s orchestra. So rap and orchestra? Usually, it’s that typical trap hit,” she said, imitating the familiar t-t-tka-tka-t-t sound that most trap songs borrow from one another. “In Hamilton, it’s all these precusisve elements—violins, some saxophones—very immersive. I love rap music, but I just feel like nowadays, it became so bland. It’s taking away the emotional aspect.”

And that’s precisely how Azure Kai wants her music to stand out. “The only emotions I get from rap music are anger, swag, revenge, grit, and power,” she continued. “Those emotions are important, but there’s also a whole other spectrum of emotions that haven’t been encompassed appropriately yet. I think musicals really do that well, especially in Hamilton.”

Encapsulating that theatrical experience is crucial to Azure Kai’s songwriting, and storytelling is not just the conduit to getting there. “I want to hit it hard with music,” she said. “I want to get to the soul. Tell a story, but at the same time, touch people’s souls. What better way to do that than to tell a story?”

Moving forward, Azure Kai stands out from other artists in another way. It’s not the numbers that mean anything to her—it’s the feelings. “Success for me isn’t about the streams,” she said. “I want to be able to craft a song that’s distinct. My goal is I don’t want to blow up [on social media]. Because if I blow up, that means I’m succumbing to the premise of TikTok and short attention spans. I want people to be able to listen to the whole song before creating judgment.”

Nevertheless, Azure Kai’s following continues to steadily grow, not without the help of her staying true to herself and her sound. And that’s, perhaps, the best story of all.

Catch Azure Kai’s newest song “No Regrets” with Michael Anthony Rocks included on Monmouth’s Blue Hawk Records’ latest EP, Letters of Gratitude.

Photo courtesy of Ashley Zingillioglu | Interviewed on July 16, 2025