“Raise your eyes, one for each direction, I’m the guide of your intention.”
“Crossroads” by Aster Rhys
About Aster
Aster Rhys is a singer, songwriter, and recording artist based in New Haven, CT. Raised across the Eastern Seaboard, Rhys has and always will be a wanderer. She draws from many roots in her multiracial heritage to tune into ancestral memory and transcend genre. As a vocalist, Rhys ranges from ethereal falsettos that transport you to another world of myth and folklore, to powerhouse vocals that are evocative of the ‘60s era. She moves seamlessly between the two in her songwriting for a singular sound.
Rhys released her first EP, MÆTA, in 2021, as an embodiment of ancient myths of transformation, featuring songs like “Echo” and “Pygmalion.” Following this debut, Rhys was selected as a “Break Out Artist” by Off the Row Studio in Nashville where she recorded her latest EP, Four Directions, set to release in 2024. Four Directions channels each element (air, earth, water, and fire) and their corresponding cardinal direction (east, north, west, south) to navigate loss, love, resilience, and desire.
In addition to her solo career, Rhys is touring with the rock opera show The Mercy Velvet Project as the lead vocalist. Produced and directed by KAMRdance, The Mercy Velvet Project features an all femme cast of musicians and tap dancers that, in nine songs, ask and answer the question of how to transcend differences, divisions, and disembodiment: through mercy.