FEATURE: Spotlight: Abby Sage — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Abby Sage

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I am going to bring us…

PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Alexander for 1883 Magazine

more up to date when it comes to Abby Sage. The Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based artist is someone you should know about. I will come to an interview from 2022, as it makes for interesting reading. We also get to learn more about this amazing rising artist. I will end with news that Abby Sage has announced a debut album. One that you will certainly want to look out for. First, here is some background from Primary Talent that takes us up to 2022:

“Abby Sage has a voice that demands attention. A tender soul with an observational eye, this pop artist seems able to tap into her innermost feelings, all while helping to express the lives of those around her. An empathetic spirit, she recalls the flamboyant theatre of Florence + The Machine, as well as the hushed intimacy of Clairo. Someone who is rapidly making waves on both sides of the Atlantic, she remains humble and softly spoken, burning with a subtle intensity.

Brought up in Toronto, Abby Sage was obsessed with music as a kid. Memorizing Disney themes and staying hooked to the radio, she started writing cute little ditties as a pre-teen. Indeed, her first song was about falling for Harry Potter’s schoolyard nemesis, the blonde-haired bad-boy Draco Malfoy. “Music was always the dominating factor in my life,” she says, “I just didn’t really realize it was an actual thing I could do, necessarily.”

As she grew, Abby continued to write. Few outside her closest friends had any idea of her talents, initially refusing to let people hear her sing. “The turning point was meeting new friends in Toronto. I began to record things, and make new songs, and gradually I began to recognize that this would be something I could take out of my room and pursue.”

The sessions continued, with Abby honing and refining her skills. Moving to LA, debut EP Fears Of Yours & Mine arrived in 2021, an incredible six-tracker brimming with potential. Hushed opener “Smoke Break” gives way to the pop potency of “Fever Dream,” while “Wasting Away” shows astonishing maturity. “I wanted to write about my own experiences,” she says. “That project was really cathartic, and I got a lot out of it.”

But now she’s ready to switch it up. Abby’s mother is British, and a visit to London saw her encounter the production team MyRiot. Real names Roy Kerr and Tim Bran, they immediately saw Abby’s incredible potential, and used their experience – garnered from smash hit sessions alongside the likes of Aurora, Halsey, IDER, and Rae Morris – to help her.

Relocating to London solely to focus on the project, she would travel on the tube into the studio each day, watching the crowds rush on and off the carriages, wondering where their lives were leading them. “I love music that dives into other people’s minds. Often, it’s only after writing those songs, that I’ve realized how closely connected to me they were. Everything you create is somehow connected to you.”

All of this culminated in her most recent offering, 2022’s The Florist EP, a project that represents a real shift, an evolution in her artistry. Moving away from the first-person perspective of Fears Of Yours & Mine, Abby instead drew from her unfamiliar surroundings opting for a more observational writing style. “I feel like a lot of my favourite artists move from project to project. It’s cool to move between those spaces, so you can compare and contrast as you evolve.”

Focusing intensely on her future, Abby Sage is ready to speak directly and eloquently to her audience. A rare, rare talent, she’s the quiet voice that speaks an undiluted truth. “Everyone is in motion, whether they know it or not,” she says. “It’s always there, deep inside of us”.

Promoting the exceptional E.P., The Florist, Sheesh got to know Abby Sage better. I do think that this year is going to be one where she truly breaks out and reaches around the world. This is an artist that needs to be on everyone’s radar. Such a huge talent with a distinct talent. She has some incredible tour dates set out already. Heading across North America and Europe, Sage plays London at The Lower Third on 24th May. If you get the opportunity to go and see her than make sure that you do:

“Abby Sage has a ruthless authenticity. As a fellow brit-music obsessed anemic, talking with her was one of the most seamlessly genuine and fun interviews I’ve had. Her latest release, “Backwards Directions,” follows Abby Sage’s two previous singles “The Florist” and “Pool Party.” “Backwards Directions” sees Abby Sage continuing to amaze with sheer sonic beauty alongside an earnest vision that draws listeners deeply in.

With her highly trusted team of creatives, Sage has crafted an art that beams originality, both visually and musically. Alongside London-based producers Roy Kerr and Tim Bran, Abby Sage is ready to speak directly and eloquently to her audience. A rare, rare talent, she’s the quiet voice that speaks an undiluted truth. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to speak with her about creative intimacy, the youthful angst of suburbia, and Scandinavian children. Get to know Abby Sage below:

Let's just dive into where you started roots-wise. Where are you from?

I'm from Toronto originally, but didn't really grow up there. My family moved when I was pretty young to the Bay Area, but we would go back to Toronto, Canada every summer (which I always thought was lovely). That is where I technically started with music, mainly because my dad played in a bunch of bands there when I was growing up and I was always curious. Before that point, I was putting out little snippets on SoundCloud, as one does.

Toronto and the Bay Area are relatively different culturally, would you say your influence is from Canada or more California?

That’s interesting because when I was in Toronto, we were pretty much in the thick of the city, whereas in the Bay Area, very suburbs. So I did have the youthful angst of a suburban child. My mom is from the UK, so I spent a lot of time there too. I feel music-wise, I pull a lot more from the UK style.

Who are your favorite UK inspired artists?

This is a recent one, Her name's Nilüfer Yanya. I think she's so sick, super super sick. She does things that are a little bit darker, and I love that. Of course, Amy Winehouse is my got-to as well. Last time I was there I met with someone who worked on a lot of her early stuff with her, and I just picked his brain for the whole hour. It was insane.

I would have lost my mind for sure.

I really did.

With this new album, did you find yourself branching out from your current style? Are you still looking for your sound? Tell me more about that.

It's definitely different in that I’ve genuinely figured myself out more. The first project was very telling of situations that I was currently in and the reflection on that. Whereas the new project is more observational in a way. I did this one in London, spending a month there in January, and finishing it there. I was just on my own for a while, and I feel as though you listen a lot better when you're really on your own. During that process, I did find a sound that I love so much; it feels really good to find.

Live music-wise, do you have any plans? What’s your gauge on performing?

I love it. We just played a show with Suki Waterhouse a few months ago in San Francisco, which was insanely cool. I do love playing live, and definitely want to do more of it. It really is the most immediate way to connect, and my biggest enjoyment of it all is seeing people face-to-face and their response.

And what are you excited for in the future?

I'm just excited to build a visual brand on top of everything. It feels really special when you hone into exactly how you want to present your music, whether that's on stage or just a video or something else. Aidan Dick (who does all the visuals with me) and I are in the midst of creating a little short film as well. On top of that, I've also been drawing my own merch line, and it helps that I have a heat press and a screen printer to actually make it too. I feel like that's a cool way to represent your music as well, through personalized merch”.

There are a few more interviews and features I want to check off and include before wrapping up. Vents Magazine chatted with Abby sage in November about the new single, Milk, and news of her debut album. This year is going to be a very exciting one for this simply tremendous artist:

“Word ‘round industry campfire has it that you’re gearing up for the 2024 premiere of your debut album – Yet another big congrats! Can you give fans a hint or three as to what they can expect with your debut LP?

Thank you! It’s far more reflective and vulnerable than my previous work. While The Florist was observational work, everything I’ve written in the last year feels so much more introspective and about me. And part of that too was keeping the body of work I was trying to create in mind. To me, a debut album feels like a true introduction to ‘you’ as an artist, and I wanted to introduce myself properly through these songs.

What does your touring/performing dance card look like in the coming weeks and months?

I just finished a lovely run with Gus Dapperton. I spent a few days in New York to relax and now I’m at the airport ready to go home and rot in my bed for a while.

Who inspires you musically?

Feist, Portishead, Nico to name a few.

You were born in Toronto and are now based out of Los Angeles. How do those seemingly disparate roots inform you as an artist and as a person?

I don’t feel a deep closeness to LA but have loved my years here, but I don’t necessarily feel that with Toronto either since I didn’t spend much of my life there. I’ve lived in a few different places so far but I’m very much still figuring out where I want to plant my roots for the next little while.

How is Milk similar to some of your past music? How is it different?

I think in general my writing always has a through line. I like to deliver messages in my music in subtle ways. I like the idea of an audience interpreting these songs in a way that feels true to them without needing to come back to me to find the meaning. That said, with “Milk” being one of my more introspective tracks I wanted to make sure I was able to show some more of ‘me’ than usual in a way that was comfortable for me, and I think we did that really well with the music video”.

Back in November, Abby Sage was interviewed by Her Campus. Having released the amazing single, Hunger, Sage talked about the songwriting process for it. She also revealed the hardest part of being an artist. And what it is like being a woman in the music industry. I would advise anyone who has not heard Abby Sage and her music to give her a listen as soon as possible:

“HC: Can you describe the creative aspect a little more?

AS: I love being very hands on with it, so me and a friend have been making a lot of papier-mâché for this project. We kind of view the period of this project as a theater kid resurrection. It’s a lot of breaking the fourth wall and showing the process behind the visuals and how things move behind the scenes a bit more.

HC: Could you describe your songwriting process for “Hunger” and how it has been different from previous songs?

AS: I think with “Hunger,” I definitely knew I wanted to write for a while, but I never had the nerves. I think the big difference is that this year, I felt brave enough to write a song like this and it just felt like a good time to be honest and make that introduction. It’s definitely one of the more personal songs I’ve released.

HC: What message are you trying to express through the song?

AS: I think a lot of it is how, in a lot of people’s lives, sex kind of gets dumbed down to something that is shameful. I think that the big message of [the song] is removing that shame because sex is such a natural and beautiful thing. So I think that the message is just to treat everyone as a beginner in some capacity and not be afraid of something that is beautiful. The visuals behind the music video have a message as well, with my journey of sex with others and then the respect I have for myself.

HC: How does your personal experience from your life drive your music?

AS: I think, especially this year, just spending a lot more time on my own, I felt a little bit more introspective. I think that for this project, specifically, I definitely looked at a lot of instances in my life and kind of built the songs around those.

HC: Can you describe this new project a little bit more?

AS: I think it took me a while to realize that all the songs were connected. But once I did, it just made so much sense to me where a lot of it follows. What I learned throughout my life, within childhood, and up until now in this point, this project basically just deconstructs a lot of the knowledge that has been passed down to me and what I choose to take away and what I choose to ignore. So yeah, it’s just about learning and growing and everything just piecing together during those very developmental stages.

HC: What do you think is the hardest thing about making it as a musician, especially being a woman in the industry?

AS: I think there’s a lot of expectation on artists to wear so many hats these days. It’s not necessarily just about the music anymore, but I feel lucky that I love to do a lot of the visual side of it too. But I think that it is quite a different landscape now where there is more expectation on artists to do everything. As for being a woman, it’s kind of just more of a respect thing. I think that it’s maybe a little bit harder to make that space for yourself. But, I think if you lead with honesty and truthfulness in everything you do, then there isn’t a massive difference”.

Abby Sage’s The Rot is out on 1st March. You can pre-order it here. The Los Angeles-based artist is taking her music on the road. An artist you simply cannot miss out on, it is going to be well worth getting her debut album. It will showcase her incredible gift. I will try and catch Sage when she comes to London. I can imagine that her live performances are sensational. The Line of Best Fit spotlighted Abby Sage’s new single, Obstruction, last month. They gave us some more information about The Rot:

“The track, along with the rest of her debut album, was produced by MyRiot (Halsey, London Grammar, AURORA).

When asked about the inspiration behind the single, Sage shared, “In "Obstruction", I wanted to personify a pestering thought. I think it was an important song for me to release a memory I had been holding on to for a while. It’s a thought that doesn’t leave you no matter how hard you try. It shows up in your living room, in your day-to-day tasks. I wanted to use very literal and realised language to describe the process of getting rid of it, ‘cut it out with a knife’… That felt like such a beautiful visual to me, physically cutting out a memory with a sharp knife.”

The accompanying music video echoes the sentiment, as the conflicting duality of the push and pull between holding onto a memory or killing it off comes to life. She explains, “When I tried to picture what a video for "Obstruction" would look like, I always imagined the setting of me having dinner with a personified version of the memory, the puppet, and going through those inner monologue motions. We dance, we fight, but ultimately I kill it off and mourn the memory but finally learn to let it go.”

Tracklist:

Milk
Three Floors, Three Doors
Jude
Phantom Arm
Hunger
Soak
Obstruction
Little Dove (interlude)
Back & Bone
The Rot”.

If you are new to Abby Sage, go and check her out. She is a phenomenal artist that has a long future ahead. I have recently discovered her work, though I am now compelled to follow her further. Go connect with Abby Sage on social media and check out The Rot when it arrives. It is clear that this amazing artist is going to go…