Interview: Gabbing with Abi

A: This song is so special to me for so many reasons. When I embarked on this chapter of my life in music, I had discussed multiple times with others about finding a song to honor the late Andrew Dorff. I was a fan of his work, and after losing someone special to me, the whole tragedy itself really compelled me to want to honor him. With all that said, this song fell into my lap and my heart started racing even before I knew Andrew had written on it—to discover it was one of his songs only made it that more special to me.

NG: One of the writers on “A Day Without” is Andrew Dorff, passed away in 2016. Did you feel any extra pressure recording and releasing a song that speaks of his legacy?

A: Of course. I wanted nothing more than to showcase his, Lucie Silvas, and Jimmy Robbin’s incredible talent. As a fan of all of those people, and with Jimmy producing it, I practiced that thing 500 times before showing up to record it.

NG: You’ve said that your dad passing has made you more of an emotional writer – Can you talk about your process for writing songs?

A: Absolutely. I think every song takes you on a different journey, and therefore has a slightly different process each time. I do typically like to co-write, but write alone when I’m particularly in the moment with some emotion that I want to either process or work through. Writing is truly my therapy.

NG: Do you have an all-time favorite song that you’ve written?

A: I do! It’s called “Yellow Rose.” It was the first song I wrote after I lost my dad, and it’s about my parents’ love story. It’s by far my most emotional and heartfelt, and I was lucky enough to have the incredible Bonnie Baker’s talent to embark on it with.

NG: What’s a song by another artist that you wished you had written?

A: Basically all Brandi Clark songs; I’m obsessed with her. Lyrically, she gets me.

NG: For those who aren’t familiar with your music, can you describe your sound in three words?

A: I’d say emotional, twangy with a pop flavor (I cheated, I’m sorry—I couldn’t figure out one word!!) and relatable.

NG: What artists out now are you inspired by? And who were some of your biggest inspirations growing up?

A: Currently I’m really loving Frank Ocean—I was obsessed with his first album, and I’ve gone back to listening to it a lot recently. I try to dabble in every genre – his R&B fusion has definitely opened doors for me, and I just love the sonics in that album. I have to thank growing up in Texas for giving me such a fiery passion for Country. I grew up listening to Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, and delved into classics like Waylon and Johnny as I got older. As a musician, it’s important to be familiar with great works of all genres—you can draw inspiration from all of them.

NG: You’ve toured with some huge artists, including Kelly Clarkson. What do you learn from touring with someone like Kelly?

A: Being on a tour that big hands-down showed me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Touring really puts me in my happy place. Kelly has this wonderful and enticing banter on stage, her stage presence is truly what I admire most about her. She’s hardworking, and all of her success is well deserved and I hope that people will think the same of me.

NG: When can fans expect new music from you?

A: I have been working day and night, I’m so excited—I have a few songs ready to go, so stay tuned I’m about to drop another one shortly!

NG: If you were stuck on a desert island, what 3 albums would you take with you?

A: Shania Twain “Come on Over,” Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange,” and probably Brandy Clark’s “12 Stories.”