Despite having success on country radio and wearing a cowboy hat, Aspen Black is not a typical “country singer”. She does not have a classic “twang” nor write or sing about the typical country music subjects of falling in love, breakups, dirt roads, drinking beer, dancing in the moonlight, etc. She also doesn't dress like a modern country singer. Not that any of that's bad - it's just not her choice of style. Instead, Aspen reflects her roots and passions through western-meets-Appalachian clothing, skilled live instrumentation, award-winning writing, and a unique voice that's purposely avoiding a twangy, sultry delivery. She prefers to portray a sound that captures capabilty, freedom of the open roads, clear mountain streams rolling over smooth rocks, smooth horse hair against your skin, the warmth of a campfire, and starry nights with no one around but tree frogs and the wind.
According to her mother, Aspen began writing songs shortly after she learned to speak, evidenced by cassette tape recordings her mother made of Aspen wandering around the house and farm singing original words and melodies, stream of consciousness.
Her formal music training began at age 6 with classical violin. She continued to play violin through early college, in school orchestra and the Maryland Youth Symphony. She also joined school band (percussion and xylophone/marimba), took piano and voice lessons, sang in the school and church choirs, and performed in community theater.
As of summer of 2026, Aspen is 5X returning performer through Artists of Note to the Humanities Program in Coffeyville, KS, has performed in multiple states at a variety of venues this year, has a #2 song on western radio and #4 song on Australian country radio, is president of the IWMA-TN chapter based in Nashville, DJ's Western Air Waves - a show of all western music that is growing in popularity all over the world, is returning in October for the 3rd year as part of the South Dakota Touring Artists grant, and is scheduled to perform and run stages at the IWMA convention in Albuquerque, NM in November.
Aspen Black was first introduced to folk music while still in the womb. Her mother played folk guitar, banjo, and ukulele. Aspen grew up listening to John Denver records and 8-track in her nursery and later sitting cross-legged at her mother's feet singing along to Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, Pete Seegar, and a gazillion other songs her mother played.
Aspen began writing poetry and stage plays at age 6 and penned her first full-length song at age 12. Inspired by John Denver's use of imagery and love of the land, her songs often speak of freedom, travel, people & places, and love.
Aspen went to Nashville at age 18, and was signed to a development label. She had two singles that charted on commercial country radio, a music video on CMT, and a song placed on hold by Trisha Yearwood. She branched into western music after hearing Ian Tyson's “All the Good ‘Uns” album, featuring strong country production qualities with folk storytelling. she began touring the country in 2014 in a duo now called “The Western Troubadours”, and soon added solo touring as well. Her 2015 album “Eastern Western Cowgirl” won the Rural Roots Music commission’s Traditional Country CD of the Year, her poetry received a silver will Rogers Medallion in 2019, she was a Western Writers of America Spur Finalist winner in 2024, and “As Cowboy As They Come” went to number 1 on western and indie-country radio, played on mainstream country radio, and won the 2025 IWMA Working Cowboy Song of the Year. She was a top-4 finalist for AWA Western Country Female Vocalist and Western Country Single in 2024 and will receive a Will Rogers Medallion Award in Oct. 2026 for songwriting for As Cowboy As They Come.