A MAN on a musical mission will be making his mark in Thurrock today (Friday, 31 January).

Ashley Gordon, known to fans as DJ AG, has amassed a huge following online for his DJ sets which feature members of the public out in the streets of London and other places he visits.

When Ashley quit his corporate job to post videos on TikTok instead, his family was understandably concerned.

However, the gamble ended up paying off and he is now making a real mark in his field, having been invited to huge events and worked with world-renowned celebrities like Idris Elba and Skepta.

Ashley with Idris Elba

He says: "I was doing really well, but I had become a bit disgruntled with my job." 

It was his children who suggested he try out TikTok in 2022, but the now-39-year-old initially said it was an app for kids and "they don't want to listen to what I've got to say".

However, after tuning in to creators like DJ SUAT on YouTube, he decided to give it a go, and it has proved a pivotal life switch as he says: "I tried it one day and realised there were people my age on TikTok and the rest is history."

Starting out was difficult at first, as he explained: "I had eggs thrown at me, water thrown at me, I was heckled, it was tough. But I think that's because people didn't understand what I was doing, they thought it was a joke...

"When I told my mum I was leaving my job, she nearly had a nervous breakdown. My mum took it badly. She was like, 'you got a mortgage, you've got kids, what are you going to do?' It was hard on her but she's happy now."

And the age gap he is bridging continues to expand.

Ashley spends some of his time working with older communities.

Ashley also volunteers at care homes, where he DJs for the residents. He explained: "My gran had dementia and I thought once I got to a point where I was financially able to volunteer that it made sense to do so. Many people don't visit care homes, some care home residents don't get any visitors."

Today he will be talking to the younger element as part of his community initiative.

He will be at the Bass Hub Studio, part of the service offered to young people by the Evolve Youth, Education and Training Academy organisation operating from Towers Road on the Globe Estate, in Grays. It is an affiliate of the Stronger Together Thurrock network.

His visit will bring an immersive experience to the local children who use the service. 

The session will consist of allowing service users to showcase their talent on his platform, so whether that's singing, dancing, rapping you their name will be out there!

The work of Evolve in supporting young local people was featured last year, when Thurrock Nub News called in to see how it is supporting former Treetops School student William James, who is also making his way through life via his musical talents.

And the work of Ashley continues to grow and gain recognition. In December he was awarded Time Out's Londoner of the Year accolade