Kassi Ashton on 'Taxidermy' and Using Her Voice For a Purpose

Kassi Ashton might be one of the fastest rising stars in country music. The Missouri native is climbing the charts with her current single, "Taxidermy," a country-meets-rock song that was tailor made for her.

"It is the only song so far that I didn't write myself," Ashton told PopCulture.com. "Natalie Hemby, Luke Dick and Rosie Golan wrote the song, and they said they wrote it for me. When Natalie called me and she said, 'Hey, we wrote a song for you today, and it's called 'Taxidermy,' I was like, 'What?' I deer hunt, but I was like, 'I can't sing that.' But as soon as I heard it, and heard the sass, and how it perfectly marries my roots and my artistic brain, I had to have it. And plus, who doesn't click on a song called 'Taxidermy'?"

Ashton is passionate about more than just her music. The singer-songwriter, who appears on "Drop Top" from Keith Urban's Graffiti U album, wants to use whatever notoriety she achieves to bring light to causes that are important to her – especially St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"I think it's really important because if you have a voice that more than the usual amount of people are listening to, you need to use it," Ashton explained. "And I think children are probably the most important thing to talk about, and advocate for, so that will definitely not be my last trip to St. Jude. I would go there every day if they would let me."

Ashton, who had thyroid cancer as a child, joined PopCulture.com and other media at St. Jude's annual Country Cares event earlier this year, where Ashton used her own experience to inspire other patients in the hospital.

"f I'm in a bad mood I just wanna come hang out here and like, be better and like hangout and volunteer and make Lego trucks," Ashton said. "I'm like, 'Listen, you can, because I went through the same thing you're going through right now so when you finish and you come out like a strong superstar that you are, we'll get you some of this lipstick."

Ashton is hard at work on her freshman album. Find updates on Ashton, and download "Taxidermy," by visiting KassiAshton.com.

To donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, or find more information, visit their website.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Erika Goldring