An unknown Aussie cracked the Billboard Dance Top 20 this week

For the past six weeks, an Australian artist has been working her way up the Billboard Dance chart, overtaking the likes of Justin Timberlake, Marshmello and Halsey in the process.

Australian singer (although she dabbles in acting as well) Ashley Waterman is becoming known by her pseudonym AZURE, and her debut song Too Late has been gaining momentum over in the US ever since it entered the chart at number 50 on January 13.

Adding to the wave of female empowerment anthems of late, the track was co-written with Vanessa Campagna and produced by Bryan Todd, while the Dirty Werk remix enhances the vocals and lyrics. 

"Being a savage is a bit in right now," AZURE explains.

"Too Late is about everything that you wish you said at one point." 

A self-described hometown girl, she was one of the youngest students in her year while studying musical theatre at Queensland Conservatorium of Music, and credits that education with teaching her the techniques required to perform. 

And while the young singer-songwriter is taken aback by the success so far - "I’m as shocked as you are," she adds - Azure does believe that luck has played a small part in it all.

"Right place, right time with all the right ingredients. Everybody has a time I guess."

"My situation is a little bit different, because I accidentally did it backwards - normally people make it here [in Australia] and then make it in the US I made a little splash over there and then came back, and haven’t really done much here."

KAOS Management owner Russell Thomas signed Azure after she was referred to him, and is excited about the future of the young artist.