Ashley Roberts is an American singer, dancer, model, actress and television personality. She is nicknamed "Angel Doll".
Early years[]
Roberts was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended Shadow Mountain High School. She is of English, Irish, Welsh, Swedish and Spanish descent. She began dancing at the age of three and singing at eight. Roberts' father was a drummer for the Mamas & the Papas, later becoming an auto dealer and her mother was a Pilates instructor. They both inspired her to be a part of the entertainment industry.
Roberts' hair was brunette during her teenage years, as shown in Aaron Carter's "Oh Aaron" and "Not Too Young, Not Too Old" music videos.
During high school summer breaks, Roberts traveled to California to study modern dance. After high school, at 19 years old, she moved permanently to Los Angeles. Roberts has appeared in television commercials and music videos such as Counting Crows "Accidentally in Love", Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up", Jane's Addiction's "True Nature", Aaron Carter's "Oh Aaron" and "Not Too Young, Not Too Old" and Pink's "Trouble". Roberts cites Goldie Hawn, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Gwen Stefani:as her main role models and inspirations.
Career[]
In 2001 Roberts moved to Los Angeles to study modern dance and appeared in various television commercials and music videos such as Counting Crows "Accidentally in Love", Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up", Jane's Addiction's "True Nature", Aaron Carter's "Oh Aaron" and "Not Too Young, Not Too Old" and Pink's "Trouble".
The Pussycat Dolls[]
Within six months of her move to California, Roberts auditioned for The Pussycat Dolls. At that time the Pussycat Dolls were an underground modern burlesque troupe. Following their growing popularity, music producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair became involved with the group helping them to transform into a franchise. The former dance troupe evolved into a Pop music recording group. The only troupe members who remained after the re-casting process were Roberts, Robin Antin (taking on the creative, executive and managerial roles), Carmit Bachar, Cyia Batten, Kasey Campbell, Kimberly Wyatt, Jessica Sutta. After a few more auditions, singers Nicole Scherzinger, Melody Thornton and Kaya Jones were added to the line-up. In 2004, they recorded "We Went as Far as We Felt Like Going" for the Shark Tale soundtrack and recorded the single, "Sway" which is featured on the soundtrack of Shall We Dance?. Jones left the group in 2005, while Batten and Campbell left later in the year.
The Pussycat Dolls were launched into mainstream recognition following the release of PCD, which contained the number-one singles "Don't Cha", "Buttons" and "Stickwitu". Roberts sang co-lead with Bachar and Sutta in the "Stickwitu" single B-side, "Santa Baby". Bachar's departure from the group preceded the release of their second and final studio album, Doll Domination, which contains hit singles, "When I Grow Up", where Roberts provided background vocals in the music video version of the song, "I Hate This Part" and "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)". Roberts recorded a solo song called "Played" for the Doll Domination's deluxe edition.
On January 29, 2010, Jessica Sutta revealed to E! Online that she had been ousted from the group, following a broken rib she sustained whilst on tour with the group, and thus confirmed her exit. On February 26, Kimberly Wyatt confirmed she was also leaving the group. The following day, Roberts announced her departure from the group via her website. In a letter to her fans, she made the following announcement:
Yes, I have left the Pussycat Dolls. I love you all sooo much!!! I am so grateful to have the love and support of all of you. It was an amazing ride and I learned so much! You all mean the world to me and I'm excited to take you all on a new adventure. An adventure full of creativity, inspiration, learning, growing and lots of fun.
Eventually, Wyatt confirmed all the members have left the group and despite reports of a third line-up joining Scherzinger, she would also leave the group to pursue a solo career, officially disbanding the original recording group line-up. The group has sold 54 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
Roberts later appeared in Nicole's VH1 Behind the Music episode and was interviewed about her time in the group, the eventual downfall of it, and her relationship with Scherzinger.
The Dolls would eventually reform in 2019 for a reunion performance and a planned world tour for 2020. They released their comeback single, "React" in February 2020. The tour was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the dates being rescheduled for 2021. However, Antin and Scherzinger came to a dispute over the contract that was signed for the reunion, eventually leading to a lawsuit and the cancellation of the tour.
Solo discography[]
Studio albums[]
- Butterfly Effect (2014)
Songs[]
This is a list of songs Ashley can be heard in.
Songs from PCD:
Songs from Doll Domination:
- "Played"
- "Top of the World"
- "When I Grow Up" (music video version)
- "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"
- "In Person"
- Love the Way You Love Me
Other:
- "React"
- "Santa Baby"
Personal life[]
Following her stint in Strictly Come Dancing, Ashley was confirmed to be dating Strictly professional Giovanni Pernice, despite not being partnered with each other on the show. They broke up in 2020 after a year of dating.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Ashley Roberts/Gallery
Trivia[]
- In October of 2018, Ashley lost her dad due to suicide after a long battle with his health.[1]
- She, along with Melody and Jessica, was a bridesmaid in Kim's wedding.