A prophetic morning glimmers over a haze of trailing smoke. Harnessing the power of a floral wreath, Abbyās journey is explored poignantly through a sound that radiates assertive inquisitiveness and blue flame ignites in the latest EP Fears of Yours&Mineā¦where six unique petals dance with a dizzying elegance and Abby lets us contemplate deep in thoughtā¦ all while falling asleep in our best party clothes.
How would you trace your current process?
My most common process is that I start it acoustically, either on guitar or piano. Iāll start with a lyric or an idea, and kind of build off of that one. For āResiding in the Skyā, it was a little bit different cuz it was kind of like a breakthrough momentā¦I was in an Uber ride on the way to the studio and I thought of that first lineā¦ā Iām making love to my future.ā I wrote it on the way there and it took shape after that. So sometimes itās just something that will just randomly come to me and then itās good timing where Iām able to just get it out.
āIām scared you wonāt like what I thinkā?
I think that one was just about me growing apart from someone and recognizing that and your kind of in this space where youāre afraid to speak your full truth in that sense, so it was fear on my part to explain exactly what I was thinking, and it was a period of growth for me, and I wasnāt looking to be attached to anyone at that moment. We had become symbiotic, and I think that was a tough thing to express to someone that youāve kind of grown besides and then you realize that you kind of want to be on your own for a little bitā¦
Would you say that that time on your own was necessary?
Sometimes when youāre in a room with a bunch of different opinions and ideasā¦itās not fully your own. This is my story, this is how I want to tell it, this is how I want it to be done. When I spent those two months on my own it was just fully an internal expression. Iām in LA right now but I spent half a year in London, three years ago, and I wanted to get back out there for that same sense of solitude. I have a few songs that Iāve been working on with some friendsā¦I feel like I like going somewhere else because you feel separated from your everyday life and your everyday movements.
How would you describe a quiet confidence?
I donāt talk all that muchā¦I feel like at a party Iām normally sitting down. Iām very anemic so I just kind of sit places and just talk with people that are around me. I would say Iām a good listener, but I do have good confidence in myself, so Iāll talk kind of when I feel passionate about something and I feel like I didnāt have that before, and I feel like finding that has been a beautiful thing for me. I definitely overshared in my youth, you overshare quite a bit, but I think finding that confidence in yourself…you kind of choose your words a bit more carefully. I practiced Buddhism for a while, and I think that that helped me a little bit tooā¦doing everything mindfully.
Would you say that thereās a spiritual element to your music?
I think itās always lurked beneathā¦moving here Iāve felt detached from that recently. Through COVID I would go to temple every Tuesday and then the temple shut down, and Itās hard to kind of regain that sense of community, but I think when Iām alone is when I find it again and I go into those rituals of listening to myself and taking care of myself.
Have you ever fallen asleep at a party?
I almost did! I mean thereās been a few times where Iām talking to someone and Iām standing for a long time and thatās when I feel like Iām gonna faint so then I have to sit down. Itās a thing that runs through my familyā¦we have really low blood pressure, so it happens at concerts and partiesā¦Iāll be dead sober and just faint! Thatās why I prefer to be onstage instead of in a crowd.
Vice to Virtue?
I feel like it differs with the song, sometimes Iāll write about giving into things and sometimes Iāll write more revelational songs where youāre doing it for yourself. I feel like itās predominantly virtue but I do tend to write about more somber topics so I guess that would be more towards vice.
Do you like poetry?
I havenāt read much, but I would say Ocean Vuongā¦he wrote this book called On Earth Weāre Briefly Gorgeous, which I think is one of my favorite books Iāve ever read, but he comes out with a lot of strictly poetry pieces as well.
Your favorite piece of clothing currently in your closet?
A robe that my mom gave meā¦I think I wear it around the house, like literally every single day. I wear it all the timeā¦itās my favorite thing!
Your sound?
I would label my music as therapeuticā¦I think thereās a lot of deep feeling in it. If youāre looking to drive on your own thatās a good way to listen to my music. Itās not party music but it has a bigger message and I think that itās for people who really wanna listen to something.
CONNECT WITH Abby:
FACEBOOKĀ //Ā INSTAGRAMĀ //Ā SPOTIFY
Story/ Alexander Mays
Photos / Cloudytots
