FEATURE: Spotlight: Abby Roberts — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Sully

Abby Roberts

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THIS is a rare occasion…

PHOTO CREDIT: GLAMOUR

when I am spotlighting an artist who is pretty much at the start of their career. Whilst Abby Roberts has always loved music, she is best know as a TikTok star and vlogger. In terms of her music, Paramaniac seems like an introduction. Her first music video, these are the first steps from someone who, I feel, will become a much bigger artist. Some may notice that quite a few of my recent Spotlight features (and one or two to come) focus on artists who have found prominence and a big fanbase through TikTok. This is something I will go into in a future feature. Whilst I can only really include one song in this feature (together with a few photos), I think that we will see more music and interviews from Roberts. As she is still very young, there is no rush when it comes to Roberts making her mark. Also, one might assume that her make-up vlogs might mean that she has an instant fanbase when it comes to her music being shared. Whilst many have got behind her new single, it is a different market and reality. Both industries are very competitive though, when it comes to music, I think that you need a set of attributes and skills that cover social media promotion, raw talent and, well, a bit of luck. In the coming weeks, I am feature young artists who I feel are going to make a mark in 2022.

Pop is a genre and side of the industry that is always evolving. I think that it is a sound personified by, made better by and defined by women. In terms of invention and impact, it makes me wonder why there is still imbalance regarding festival line-ups/headliners and radio playlists. In any case, that is a debate for another time! I wanted to bring Abby Roberts to those who read this blog. Whilst there are not many recent interviews surrounding her music and return to her first love, there are one or two. I have been interested and intrigued reading what Roberts had to say about her passion for music and what she wants to achieve. She is a young artist who has already found her own sound and is not following what is deemed popular, commercial or in vogue. Maybe Roberts has changed perspectives during the pandemic. Connecting with music and channelling creative energy into songs is something she has had on her mind for a while, but maybe that need to connect with people and play live has led to this decision. I am going to bring in an interview where we learn how Roberts has used her vlog/beauty platform to speak up for equality and L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ rights. This is something she can bring into her music.

As an influencer and someone who wants to genuinely make a difference in the world, here is someone entering music for more than attention, streaming numbers and all of that. In fact, I feel that Abby Roberts’ main objectives are to connect with people and deliver the finest music she can write. I am going to come to music-focused interviews in a bit. First, GLAMOUR spoke with her last year. We learn a lot more about a hugely talented and influential person who, as I say, has a big future:

“Self-contained and quieter than I expected off-camera, she strikes me as the sit-back-and-observe type, not requiring to be centre of attention, apart from when she’s behind the camera where she was self-assured and fired up. Her quiet confidence is exactly why the 20-year-old from Leeds was never going to bow down to the haters who teased her when she uploaded her first makeup video on YouTube at the age of 11. “If you’re passionate about something, you should stick to it. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to them because look where we are now,” she smiles, referring to the stylist, photographer, hairdresser, videographer, manager and GLAMOUR team members all on set.

A self-taught makeup artist (she credits YouTube videos with helping her hone her skills), she’s certainly come a long way in the nine years since that initial upload. She’d already amassed 200k Instagram followers and the attention of OG makeup royalty, NikkieTutorials before she posted her first TikTok video at the start of 2019. “It was just for fun in the beginning, I never saw it going anywhere,” she says, but TikTok changed the game. “It just blew up, and in the first few months of me having the app, I gained millions of followers. I remember refreshing the page and I couldn’t believe the numbers.”

PHOTO CREDIT: GLAMOUR

Her new-found fame has come as a surprise, though. The pandemic was the perfect storm to push the social media platform forward during a time where we craved connection and entertainment while we were #boredinthehouse. “It blew up so much over the pandemic. I was inside, not realising the 16 million on my screen was a real number of people. When everything opened up again, it was a bit of a shock when people were recognising me everywhere,” Abby says. She recently re-shared a post to her IG Stories with teens screaming her name as she drove down the street with her mates in disbelief.

It makes sense that such an outspoken platform appeals so much to a generation that’s known for being vocal, I say. “What sets Gen-Z apart is probably how fearless we are,” she concurs. “We’re not afraid to challenge society’s standards, or to express ourselves. Gen-Z are such activists because of our ability to communicate. Social media has brought so many people together who would never have interacted before,” she adds. “A lot of my best friends are from the US and all over the world. Allowing people from different communities to have these kinds of discussions brings unique opinions and makes people want to stand up for what they believe in.”

PHOTO CREDIT: danikm

Does she personally feel pressure to speak up? “I definitely feel pressure to speak up on certain issues, but it’s not something I shy away from because there’s a bunch of things that I’m super-passionate about,” Abby answers, referencing her work towards LGBTQ+ equality – something that’s very close to her heart. “I owe so much to that community because it was how I got into doing the crazy kind of makeup that I’m known for. I grew up watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and I was so inspired by all the drag queens,” she adds. “I always have donation links for LGBTQ+ organisations on my pages and I work with The Trevor Project [a leading LGBTQ+ crisis intervention organisation] all the time.”

Another topic she’s hot on is providing more opportunities in creative careers. “When you’re in school, you’re often forced into thinking that university is the only way,” she tells me, revealing her teachers told her she needed a plan B in case her makeup career crashed. “If you’re a parent, encourage your kids if they’re artistic – and if you’re a teacher, don’t force people into getting stuck into Uni,” she says. “I was always a creative. Me and my sister [fellow beauty TikToker, Charlotte Roberts] are the same. We grew up in a house where our parents were like, ‘Do what makes you happy.’ The house always had paintings everywhere. I was the same in school – making stuff and being artistic.”

“I’ve achieved so much with makeup, so I wanted to revisit some more of my childhood passions,” she adds. “As a kid. I would write songs with my cousin and we would perform them to the family. If I can get to where I am with makeup – I was sh*t at makeup when I started, let me tell you – if I put in the same hours and dedication, I can be a good musician. I started learning guitar last year, because it was important to me to be able to contribute to my sessions, and I’m super-involved in songwriting as well”.

Before coming to a great relatively recent interview, DAZED chatted with Abby Roberts in 2020. Discovering what she is most passionate about and her commitment to the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community is a big reason why she is going to be a respected and hugely pioneering and popular artist:

“What issues are you most passionate about?

Abby Roberts: I’m really passionate about LGBTQ rights and mental health awareness. I think being so involved in the beauty community has really opened my eyes to the issues that a lot of LGBTQ people face, especially seeing boys in beauty and the hate that they face online, unfortunately.

And mental health awareness. I’ve struggled with anxiety for a lot of my life, specifically social anxiety. Having to meet a lot of people through doing the job that I do has been pretty tough but it’s kind of allowed me to overcome that, in a way. I’m really passionate about bringing awareness to mental health issues, because it definitely is just as real as any other issue. And a lot of people seem to brush that off, but I think it’s important that it’s something that we all work on.

Who do you think is making real change in the world?

Abby Roberts: I think Billie Eilish. She’s one of my biggest role models, she speaks a lot about mental health and the struggles that she’s gone through and I think her music is doing a lot to help people with that as well. And she also has done a lot for helping the environment as well, which I really admire.

If you were in charge for a day, what law would you invent?

Abby Roberts: I would say that all people worldwide should have the same human rights that we get to enjoy. And this is specifically aimed at LGBTQ people in a lot of countries. Russia still has concentration camps for LGBTQ people and it’s hard to believe that that’s still happening in the same world that we live in where a lot of LGBTQ people in the West get to have a lot more freedom. I just think that everyone worldwide should get to enjoy the same equal human rights.

Explain your Dazed 100 grant idea in one sentence.

Abby Roberts: I will be donating the prize funds to the Trevor Project and using my platform on TikTok to create a TikTok bringing light to young upcoming LGBTQ artists.

Why should people support your idea?

Abby Roberts: The Trevor Project is a charity that helps young LGBTQ people have a safe space and they have a helpline for if they’re struggling with anything and just provide advice and guidance for people who are feeling a little lost, which I think is really positive and really helpful. That’s why people should support my idea”.

This year, surely, will see more singles and an E.P. from Roberts. I think she particularly excels when it comes to videos. The video for Paramaniac is proof of that! She can impress sonically and creatively as much as she can visually. 2022 is a year where Pop will change and evolve once more, and there are a lot of talented artists coming through who are mixing with established acts like Dua Lipa. It will be interesting to see what comes forth. I think Roberts is someone who will soon collaborate with some of the biggest Pop artists in the world. CLASH featured Roberts a few days ago. As one of her first interviews under the moniker of an artist – where the interview is about her music more than her other work -, Roberts is going to waste no time in making a mark and ensuring that she resonates and compels:

“Known for your makeup artistry, one thing I don’t think you get enough credit for is your fashion sense - how do you define your aesthetic?

I feel like I’m all over the place - I kind of just take inspiration from everywhere! I don’t want to put it into one specific box because I know people always want to put labels on it, but whenever I do that people get mad at it. If you say you’re dressed as a certain subculture everyone’s like ‘you’re not part of it!’ So I would just say it’s expressive, I dress how I feel on the day.

How can you describe the music creation process as opposed to creating a new makeup look?

I think it is very similar, and I didn’t realise that until I’d been doing music for a little while. There’s a similar approach, you find your inspiration and your references. The creation is obviously very different but I think the creativity still applies across in the same way of creative thinking.

The way I would write a song lyrically is similar to how I would come up with a concept. You don’t just want to do the first thing that comes to your head, you want to think of a smart way to do it. So it’s quite similar.

Talk to me about your musical influences. What did you listen to growing up and has it changed at all since creating music yourself?

Growing up I didn’t find my specific musical tastes until quite late – I kind of just listened to whatever my parents would play, which was a lot of 80s, a lot of Queen, that kind of stuff.

It was not until 2012, my dad showed me Lana Del Rey for the first time and I was totally obsessed and in love with her for the rest of my life. So Lana Del Rey for sure is a big influence, especially lyrically. I like that she talks a lot about brutally honest emotional subjects, and you can really connect with that as a listener, and I try to do the same in my music as well.

Arctic Monkeys I love as well, a bit of a rocky influence which you can definitely hear in tracks like ‘Paramaniac’.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sully

Can you talk me through some of the tracks and your inspirations for them?

My favourite track ‘Paramaniac’, the first single, I am very excited about. It’s my favourite because it’s the one where I felt more developed as an artist when I was creating.

I had a lot of experience in the studio at this point and it was the last song I made for the EP. I knew what gap I wanted to fill for the EP, we had some emotional, sad songs on there and I wanted to make one that was a bit more of a bop, bit of a banger. I feel like it summarises the EP quite well with it just being about my thoughts, a stream of consciousness, that whole vibe.

What would you say the overall presentation of the EP is?

The overall vibe is Abby’s emotions and brain. I touch on mental health also, there’s a song ‘Band-Aid’ that I wrote for my best friend who was really struggling with mental health issues, and it was the only way I felt like I could speak and connect with her on a level that I would be able to help – like not being there physically for somebody.

I think music has such an impact on people emotionally that it was the best thing that I could have done in that situation”.

A definite standout artist that people should keep abreast of, there is no doubting Abby Roberts will do great things in music. I am not sure whether this career will become her main focus going forward. Clearly, putting out her own music has been something she has wanted to for a very long time. She has a massive fanbase on social media platforms like TikTok - and she has a lot of subscribers on YouTube, so abandoning her other commitments and career is not something that will happen. Instead, the two can marry and inspire the other (though I suspect that music will become more of a main focus as her songs and material takes off). Go and follow Abby Roberts and listen to Paramaniac. In the growing and increasingly varied musical landscape, the hugely popular and passionate Abby Roberts will be…