Voice coach calls Dupré talented, ambitious

BY ANDREW STRICKLER | andrew.strickler@newsday.com

11:18 PM EDT, March 14, 2008

In the lyrics of her self-penned song "What We Want," call girl and aspiring pop star Ashley Alexandra Dupré refers to the doomed criminal lovers Bonnie and Clyde and issues a challenge: "Can you ride with me, boy?"

For Dupré's voice coach and friend, the lyrics are fitting for a young woman she describes as a hardworking, tough-minded talent doing what she could to break into the music industry.

"She has a tremendous natural talent in conjunction with the fact that she worked hard at it," said Amy 'AmyG' Gruszewski, a Manhattan musician and teacher.

Dupré, 22, who grew up as Ashley Youmans in the affluent Wall Township near the Jersey Shore, gained notoriety when she was identified as "Kristen," who investigators said was paid to have sex with Gov. Eliot Spitzer. On Wednesday, just two days after allegations emerged that Spitzer paid for sex with Kristen and attempted to hide the money trail, he announced he would resign Monday.

Gruszewski, 35, said she first met Dupré about four years ago and has since led her through sporadic but intense bouts of training, typically as Dupré prepared for a show or recording.

Dupré worked with her as often as four times a week for lessons that would stretch to three hours or more, Gruszewski said.

Gruszewski said her ambitious student was willing to tackle technically difficult pop tunes by Christina Aguilera and Mary J. Blige, and also worked on rock and R&B songs.

Dupré also sang her own songs and worked with her teacher to arrange Dupré's dance track "Move Ya Body."

That song and "What We Want," had been heard 326,020 times on the online music site Amie Street as of 10 p.m. Friday.

Gruszewski declined to discuss her student's alleged alternate career and said she has not been in contact with Dupré since the scandal broke. Images of Dupré, some of them of her scantily clad, dominated Web sites and the front pages of newspapers this past week.

"Out of respect for Ashley, I'm waiting to hear from her," she said.

Dupré's attorney, Don Buchwald, said some publications have exploited Dupré for commercial reasons by using photos without consent. He stopped short of saying they would sue media outlets.

Friday, one of Dupré's childhood friends described her upbringing as out of synch with Dupré's online description of hardships. It was, she said, "a typical Wall Township life" of privilege: nice cars, big homes and boyfriends.

"We used to love going over there because her house was huge and she had everything," said the friend, referring to the house where Dupré lived before moving to be with her father in North Carolina in her sophomore year of high school. The friend did not want to identify herself.

"She liked the boys, but that was just Ash and that was just the age group," the friend said. "Ashley was a pretty girl and she liked the attention and she ran with it, but no more than a lot of girls."

Dupré has avoided the media glare by reportedly staying out of sight, holing up in a Manhattan apartment.

Gruszewski said she has not seen Dupré since late last year but spoke with her by phone in recent weeks.

"Ashley is a strong person and whatever has happened in her life, she's been able to turn into something positive," Gruszewski said.

This story was supplemented with Associated Press reports.