Wish Me "Merde!"4/12/2026 Whether you speak French or not, you may have come across the French word "merde" in pop culture... (It literally translates to a favorite four-letter swear word we Americans might also use to refer to doggie doodoo, but figuratively, the French say merde in a POSITIVE way to wish performers good luck before a show.) "Why???" you may be wondering :) One story I've heard is that, before cars, people would take carriages to the theater. And if lots of carriages showed up for a performance, it created traffic. This meant that the horses would eventually have to relieve themselves while waiting in front of the theater. So merde being tracked inside by attendees was a sign that attendance was great and the show was a success! But why might you want to wish ME merde? This Sunday I'll be performing two 45-minute solo sets ENTIRELY EN FRANCAIS this spring for Le Grand Pique-Nique 2026! (And by "entirely" I mean even everything I SING AND SAY at the microphone needs to be in French :) It has been a few years since I've been immersed daily in speaking this beautiful language, but I am excited about the challenge! So what's Le Grand Pique-Nique? Le Grand Pique-Nique is an annual free festival hosted by Louisiana Parents for French Immersion that brings together French immersion students, their families, friends, and Francophone enthusiasts from all over the state to celebrate French language complete with Francophone activities, food, music, games, and competitions. This will be its 31st year attracting students from all 25 French Immersion schools across Louisiana. If you speak French, too, or just enjoy supporting the French language in Louisiana and want to check it out, here are the details:
With gratitude, Ashley 
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New Show Announced!3/16/2026 Looking for something special to do Mother’s Day weekend? Join me for an intimate evening of music and storytelling at the Manship Theatre: The Songs She Sings: A Joyful Jazz Tribute to the Women Who Raised Us My band and I will bring to life beautiful classics made famous by iconic female vocalists, including Nina Simone (Feeling Good), Eva Cassidy (Over the Rainbow), and Norah Jones (Don't Know Why). We’ll weave songs together with personal stories as we celebrate the mothers, grandmothers, mentors, and women whose love shapes our lives. If you’re looking for a warm, nostalgic, and joyful experience to share with your mom, a friend, or someone you love, I’d be honored to have you there. FEATURING:
WHEN: Saturday, May 9 - 7:30pm WHERE: Hartley/Vey Studio at Manship Theatre - 235 North Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70801  When You're Feeling Stuck2/19/2026 Over the past few months I've been quietly learning something new: The art of songwriting. And...it's going well! I'm leaning into the "lyricist" side of things and am grateful to have a very experienced teacher who knows how to explain this nebulous creative process in ways my brain can understand. It feels both fulfilling and somewhat old-school to be reconnecting with the writing skills I honed way back in high school English class (that writing style was a bit more descriptive/flowery/artsy than the more precise/concise media writing style I had to switch to in college for my public relations degree). But, as with any artform--especially a "new-to-you" one--sometimes creativity stalls. I found myself late for a homework deadline due to the dreaded "writer's block." I emailed my teacher and asked if he had any words of wisdom. Thankfully, he did: "A lot of times you need to fool your adult and embrace your child. It doesn't matter if what you're writing is good or bad. Just do it. Make it fun. Bad is a good place to start." As soon as I read those words, I smiled, knowing exactly what he meant. Because a couple days earlier, 30 minutes of boring chores to me--watering the plants--unexpectedly turned into 30 minutes of pure bliss for my son, Ethan, who decided to chase the hose, play in ALL the puddles, and have the time of his life just getting soaked while I worked. I drew a line at letting him drink the mud, but he happily shrieked around the yard so much that he was completely wiped out by bedtime a couple hours later. "Fool your adult and embrace your child." Ethan certainly fooled me that day into thinking a mundane (to me) chore could be fun. May we each find a way to fool our adult and embrace our child this week. With gratitude, Ashley  Back to the Beginning2/2/2026 One perk of being a freelance musician is exploring different parts of Louisiana and the interesting architecture of the spaces where I am invited to play. Friday night I received a last-minute request to cantor for a funeral at a church I hadn’t set foot in for more than 20 years. The next morning, I bundled up for the frigid (but thankfully dry) weather and made the 45-minute drive to my hometown of Ponchatoula. I grew up singing in this sacred space.
The parish closed this building soon after I left for college and built a larger church nearby. Since then, each time I passed the “old church” on visits home, I’d wonder what it looked like inside. Yesterday, I finally got my answer. It’s both strange and familiar to go back to your beginnings—for me, this was where I first learned to sing in public (you could barely hear me even WITH a microphone. lol). It looks the same in many ways, though half the pews have been taken out. The iconic pendant lights still hang from the ceiling. Dark wooden beams still hold up the roof. Mustard-colored light still filters through the yellow-tinted windows. They recently re-opened it as a chapel, but it makes me laugh to think of this building as “quaint.” It seemed so big when I was a kid. The small town of Ponchatoula has grown a lot since then. We all start at the beginning, but we don’t stay there. Every once in a while, life brings us back—not to repeat the past, but to honor it and remind us how far we’ve come. I still need a microphone to sing, but now with it, I CAN project my voice over the old organ! With gratitude, Ashley
“I had NO idea what you were capable of!” Have you ever underestimated someone? Have you ever underestimated yourself? The quote above came from a gentleman who talks to me each time I play at my local farmer’s market. He always compliments my music and chats for a bit as I sit in a folding chair on the sidewalk, trying out new songs on my ukulele, saying hi to friends, taking requests, and getting kids to smile or wiggle as they pass by. For me, the market is fun community time and a chance to experiment. It’s small portion of my schedule. But from this gentleman’s perspective, it’s all he has seen me do. So apparently he thought it was ALL I could do. Until last month. “My whole family went to the big band Christmas show you just did,” he said excitedly when he saw me this month at the market. “I had NO IDEA what you were capable of. You looked so comfortable up there on stage. I’ve always enjoyed your voice, but you’re an entertainer, too! We were blown away.” “Thank you!” I said, smiling, and letting my favorite part of his compliment sink in: “You looked so comfortable up there.” (I’ve worked my whole life to access that comfort.) This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last time that someone has underestimated me. And I still battle my own “Selfus Doubtus” on a regular basis! But it’s always a thrill to see the delight in someone’s face or voice when they realize that you are capable of so much more than they originally imagined. So dream big, my friends! May we all keep outgrowing the boxes people unknowingly place us in. And the ones we place on ourselves.  The Holiday Spirit12/4/2025 I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! Ours was low-key, tasty, and the just right amount of family time + fun (ex. Imagine a 16-month-old walking around the Louisiana Renaissance Festival in an adorable red baby dragon costume--wiggling yellow tail and all--picking up pine needles and sticks to his heart's content ;)) If you don't have plans yet for this weekend and would like some help getting in the holiday spirit, come swingin’ into the Christmas season with me Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7pm at the LSU Union Theater for Ned Fasullo & His Fabulous Big Band Orchestra’s “Holiday Sinatra,” a beloved big band concert featuring your favorite songs from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and more. Get tickets here. I can't wait to see you again soon! (More details below) With gratitude, Ashley  Making Dreams Come True11/24/2025 "PASSPORT TO PARADISE" WAS A HIT! I'm so grateful for all of you who came out Thursday night to support me and enjoy a true labor of love--my latest show, "Passport to Paradise"--at the Manship Theatre's Hartley/Vey Studio. It was a magical evening (truly a "stars aligning" moment if you knew all the puzzle pieces that had to fit in place during the planning stages to bring it to life the way I envisioned--which, amazingly, is what came to be). And the incredible feedback we have received all weekend is blowing me away:
Thank you so much for coming along on this wild ride. Your encouragement and support means the world to me! Click on the photo below to watch a behind-the-scenes video from the night. Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving, Ashley  It's Showtime!11/17/2025 I can't believe "Passport to Paradise" is THIS WEEK. We're in full-on show-prep mode now, so tying up loose ends and getting wardrobe ready. Here's a sneak peak of my beautiful (new-to-me) vintage cape that is sure to make a brief appearance Thursday night even if the weather is unusually warm for "fall" in Louisiana. The jitters of excitement are flowing--this is my first full show since maternity leave--and I am so looking forward to seeing your smiling faces there, enjoying the music and cheering us on! And I can't wait for you to hear this incredible band... :D With gratitude, Ashley Still need to buy tickets to "Passport to Paradise"? Click here!  It's Not Always Easy11/12/2025  The outward impression of being a musician, performer, public persona is usually one of energy, excitement, and fun.
And making music is certainly ALL THOSE THINGS! But it also takes a lot of commitment and preparation behind-the-scenes to make those special, public moments shine. You work a lot of evenings and weekends when friends and family are off and want to have fun. Many times you play for people who are having fun right in front if you. Needless to say, you’ve gotta think MAKING MUSIC is fun, too! And, like an athlete, you’ve gotta always be honing your CRAFT, conditioning your INSTRUMENT, which—for me—happens to be the most personal of all: my voice. So waking up to incredible feedback like the text (above) from a bride this week means a lot to me. During this month of November, I hope that you are able to share a little appreciation of your own with any musicians you come across who are making beautiful LIVE music that you enjoy. Whether it's background music at a restaurant or on a big concert stage, let them know you appreciate them with your applause, your cheers, your kind words after the show. It could be just the morale boost they need to get through a rough patch. With gratitude, Ashley P.S. We're just a week away from my very special FULL BAND SHOW on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the Manship Theatre's Hartley/Vey Studio! Click here for more info and how to purchase tickets. Kids at Heart10/27/2025 When playing solo background music gigs, it's fun to go through a variety of mental games to expand your musical knowledge under pressure and test your people-reading skills:
But my favorite farmer’s market game is always: ”How long can I hold this baby’s attention?” (It’s so cute to see them crane their tiny neck around the side of the stroller to stay focused on the music as long as possible while their parents try to push them on to the next vendor.) Also, my very official, real-time-audience-reaction research confirms that “Part of Your World” has no age limit :) We’re all still kids at heart! With gratitude, Ashley P.S. Unfortunately my set got rained out at BOTH the Ogden Park Prowl two weeks ago and the Yellow Leaf Art Festival yesterday, but please join me Nov. 20th for a very special FULL BAND SHOW at the Manship Theatre's Hartley/Vey Studio! Click here for details and to purchase tickets today.  AuthorAshley Orlando is a jazz vocalist/ukulele artist and joyologist on a mission to help 1 million women find their voice through music, inspiring stories, and communication skills. Archives
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