Asher Monroe: A 'Fresh Phase' ... And A Fresh Name

Asher Monroe can do it all. He's an actor, a dancer and a singer, and even if you don't know his name, you might have already seen him in action.

Monroe got his start on Broadway, starring in the 2009 adaptation of "Fame," while also working as a member of the boy band V-Factory. Now, Monroe is stepping out on his own.

His first single, "Like I Do," was viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube within its first week of release, and his latest track, party anthem "Here With You," is already gaining Monroe a lot of attention.

Monroe recently stopped by MTV News, and in addition to his many other talents, he's also an accomplished guitarist, so we had him give us a brief lesson on how to play the first few chords of "Here With You" while he told us how it all came together, with the help of OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.

"He knew a little bit about me, he wanted to hear my music, and so I sent him a bunch of songs that I had done myself and got a call the next day, and he was super excited," Monroe said. "I was working on the track, and Ryan produced it, so we were just going through sounds and just wanted a fun, party feel."

Monroe revealed that Tedder, who has made tracks with Beyoncé, Demi Lovato and Adele, produced another track for his debut album, which he plans to release by the end of the year.

Fans who have been following the singer since the beginning might notice something a little different about the 24-year-old: his name. Until recently, Monroe went by the name Asher Booker but decided to drop his last name since he felt his solo effort marked a new beginning in his career.

"It's still my name, so people don't have to completely freak out," Monroe said. "Asher Monroe Booker is my full name, and I've always loved my name. But for me ... it was kind of a rebranding phase, and I was doing all new music and it was all new, and I just felt it was a fresh phase of my life and I just felt something had to give, something had to change, and I wanted to do that. It was my decision, and at the end of the day, I still stand by it."

Another thing he stands by is his new music, which he is excited to share with his fans and a whole new audience. "There's so much in me that people haven't seen yet, and I'm so excited to show my real artist side," Monroe said. "To just show people some other things they haven't seen."

What do you think of Asher Monroe's "Here With You"? Let us know in the comments!