Asha Sydney Burtin is a singer-songwriter and oral historian who grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music production at Rider University in New Jersey, with a double minor in African American studies as well as gender and sexuality studies. During her time in undergrad she took advantage of opportunities to shed light on the plight of Black American people, specifically Black women, such as being a recurring panelist at her university’s events surrounding gender, culture, sexuality and race.

She is interested in finding the ways that music and oral traditions connect in order to build and strengthen community. As a Black American and a creative, she is continuously interested in amplifying marginalized voices in order to shed light on stories and perspectives that she believes deserve to be heard and shared.

Her recent thesis, titled Black DJ Renaissance: An Oral History of Black Women DJs; DJing as Storytelling and Art Practice is an ongoing project that aims to explore and preserve the history of Black womens' presence in DJ and dance music history.