With the help of Country Music Television, Ash Ruder finally found the right time to take her fans on her 1970s West Coast road trip.
That’s how the Turlock native described the visuals that accompany her debut single, “The Valley,” that was released on Aug. 2. On Monday night, the highly anticipated music video made its debut live on the CMT Music channel and became available on YouTube. The rollout is a part of Ruder being highlighted by the network throughout September as their Next Up Now Artist for the month.
“Grateful is an absolute understatement,” she said after announcing the news on social media.
Ruder, who attended Turlock Christian and Pitman high schools before finding stardom on Season 19 of “American Idol” in 2021, certainly seems “next up” in the country music scene. In just under two months since its release, “The Valley” has accumulated over 10,000 listens across Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. She told the Turlock Journal in July that it will serve as the title track of her debut album, slated to come out this spring.
“I think what's also super interesting to me about this song and the majority of the project is that the arc of the whole thing is kind of a contradiction of what the world says. Usually people are running to LA or California to chase their dreams. For me, it was leaving California. This title track, and it's the first track of the entire album, talks about me leaving this place, and the songs to come after that reflect on me missing it. It's just a big nostalgia bomb of what California is, from the coastal life and living by the water, to being able to go to the mountains and see all these beautiful things, to me growing up in the Valley. I think it’s all encapsulated into this song and into the entire project,” she said.
The four-minute music video was filmed at the famous Middleton Movie Ranch in Los Angeles. Her husband, Dylan, served as the video director, Duncan Smith was director of photography, Colin McElaney was the director of color and Jason Odell photographed the shoot.
Ruder is shown in one scene at a gas station and inside a convenience store and diner getting set to take off on her road trip out of the state. In others, she is driving a 1994 Porsche 911 through the winding mountain roads. The video shifts again to Ruder becoming happier and more playful as she realizes that, although leaving her home is intimidating and there is very much a fear of the unknown, everything will turn out fine.
“It's like a lucid journey,” she said. “I wanted it to be open for interpretation, for it to be whatever people want it to be. I want it to be this big metaphor that people can relate to and find themselves in. But as far as like, logistically speaking, I always knew that I wanted it to feel like some sort of fun, road trip experience.”
Amid the recognition by CMT and the release of her debut music video, Ruder continues to build momentum as the arrival of her album nears. Earlier this year, she contributed vocals on Vinnie Paolizzi’s cover of MacKenzie Porter’s “Foreclosure,” which the two wrote alongside Jared Hampton and Harper O’Neill. Ruder told the Journal Monday afternoon that fans should be on the lookout for new music very soon. She will provide updates on new music, including her album, in the near future on Instagram page at @AshRuder. Information on live shows across the Central Valley in 2025 will also be announced at later dates.
