Asha Banks radiates the kind of quiet confidence only found in artists who've mapped their own path with absolute clarity. The 20-year-old Hertfordshire native moves seamlessly between music and acting, refusing to be boxed into a single lane. "I don't see why they should be mutually exclusive. I love them both so much, so I could never just pick one path," she states with refreshing directness.

Her creative journey began with the purest of inspirations - family love distilled into melody. "The first mini song I ever wrote, at about 3, was called 'Mummy Is My Darling', I guess about how much I love he. The second was called 'I Love The Way', which was for my grandma," Banks recalls. "So nothing has really changed; I'm still writing about the most important people in my life and how I feel about them or how they make me feel at any one point."

The foundations of Banks's artistic sensibility were laid early, in a household where creativity flowed freely through both literary and musical channels. "My parents are music lovers, so I grew up listening to artists like Joni Mitchell and Nora Jones, and that definitely adds up when looking at my music taste," she reflects. "My dad used to play violin, and my mum is a brilliant creative writer, so maybe my love for writing music was somehow the product of that, but I think the passion for performing was a bit random, really!"

Her first stage wasn't a glittering theatre but Britain's oldest pub, where destiny arrived in the form of an unconventional music school. "It's so funny because back then, the bar manager Martin - who is now the landlord - only taught me and one of my friends at this 'music school', so I feel very lucky that I was one of the two!"

Under Martin's guidance, Banks built her repertoire with enduring classics: "Martin is a brilliant guitarist, and I basically just learnt all of his favourite songs that were easy enough to play when first starting guitar. They were songs like 'Wonderwall' by Oasis, 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash, 'I Love Rock'n'Roll' by Joan Jett and 'Valerie' by Amy Winehouse."

Those intimate pub performances carved out a special place in Banks's heart. "I just loved being able to sing and perform to my friends and family at these open mics, and it was really my first experience of live music, so that will always be my favourite venue!"

Between these cosy gigs, she was already making waves in West End productions - her many roles including young Éponine in Les Misérables, the eldest orphan Duffy in Annie, and Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The theatrical roots run deep in her artistry, with these contrasting stages shaping her approach to performance, each venue offering its own masterclass in audience connection.

"I think my love for music and performing just grew more and more every day whilst being in these productions, so it's had a massive influence on me in so many ways," Banks reflects. Her theatrical background informs her musical sensibilities profoundly. "Musical theatre songs are there to tell more of the story and often be the internal monologue of the characters, so I think hearing music like this has influenced the songs I connect to the most."

The stage became her second home from an early age. As she puts it: "I got to be on a stage and be around amazing creatives all the time, from the age of 7, so all that energy just fuelled my love for it all even more." That foundational experience continues to shape her, too. "I'm so excited to perform my own music and do more shows, and I think this definitely has to do with sort of growing up on the stage."

Before stepping out with her own material, Banks built a following through intimate cover versions of Frank Ocean and Daughter songs. The experience proved instructive. "I think posting covers online made me realise what other people connect to the most, and that's been super valuable when writing," she notes. Her philosophy towards interpretation stems from a deeply personal place. "I love listening to confessional stuff, where I feel like I am experiencing the personal feelings of the songwriter, and I write in the same style myself."

Her latest single 'Feel The Rush' sparkles with the giddy vertigo of fresh romance, emerging from the confluence of her acting and musical pursuits. "I wrote 'Feel The Rush' about a week after I wrapped filming on [upcoming British romantic drama film] My Fault: London with an amazing, talented woman called Olivia Broadfield, with whom I write a lot," Banks explains. "It's about the honeymoon phase of a relationship when everything is all excitement and every moment is a thrill."

This single sets the stage for her forthcoming EP 'Untie My Tongue', following her debut release 'So Green', which is set to arrive during a year that will see Banks step into her fullest creative expression yet. "My Fault: London comes out on 13th February and my EP on 7th March, so I am just prepping for both of those a lot at the moment - I'm so excited that my music is finally out there!"

Those twin releases mark more than mere career milestones - they represent the culmination of Banks' patient crafting of a multi-disciplinary artistic identity. Her natural gift for narrative finds its perfect complement, helping her to forge a creative identity that's both expansive and entirely her own.