Meet Country/Pop Singer Abigail Neilson. Abigail has been writing and performing material since the age of 13. By 15, she had already released her first EP entitled ‘For The First Time’ which received much media attention and resulted in her touring the Pacific Northwest. She released her debut Nashville studio single ‘Without You’ last September 2019 which hit over 100k streams in the first 4 months. This month she released her track “Space.”
Hi Abigail, Congratulations on the release of Space. What inspired the track?
Thank you so much! This song was inspired by an experience that happened with a boy a few years ago. He wanted to date me, and I did NOT want to date him. I told him I didn’t want to date him, and he continued to ask me out and try to persuade me into changing my mind. A few texts turned into thousands a day and he started showing up at my house. This experience was something that has stuck with me for a long time, so I decided to finally write a song about it in early 2019 and that’s when “Space” was written.
You’re a singer/songwriter. How important is it to write your music?
It’s probably the most important thing to me. I wouldn’t feel like a song was my own if I didn’t write it either myself or have co-writers writing with me. Songwriting is something that I’m always going to do because I have to. When I feel something, I have to write about it, when something happens to me, I have to write about it; it’s my way of dealing and processing emotions. I don’t think I’m able to not write songs.
What is your approach to songwriting and choosing a topic to sing about?
Usually, I’ll be feeling a certain emotion and I’ll want to explore those feeling more, or a new experience will happen to me and I’ll want to write about it. Other times I’ll think of song ideas for other artists whether it’s something I’ve gone through or haven’t yet. I always write down ideas or lyrics into my phone or notebook, and a lot of the time I’ll sing melody ideas into my phone as well just in case I forget. I’ve found that writing every single idea, even if it’s not a great one, has helped me so much as a writer.
What has been your biggest challenge as a singer/songwriter?
I think recently, finding new ideas for songs I’m writing for other artists and co-writing has been my biggest challenge. I just started co-writing last summer and it’s been so much fun but very different. Normally when I write alone, I’m very quiet and I think a lot in my head, and I switch between playing the guitar and piano. Co-writing, I’ve been learning to vocalize my ideas more to others. Seeing how other people write songs and their process has been so eye-opening and has helped me grow as a writer as well. It’s a challenge, but it’s such a great learning experience and a fun thing to do.
Who are your musical icons/influences?
Taylor Swift will always be my #1. She’s so talented and her lyrics are just so amazing. I also really look up to Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Twenty One Pilots, and Jade Bird. They all write or co-write on all of their songs, and everything about them from vocal technique to lyrics to stage presence is all just so amazing.
You’re developing a reputation on the Nashville music scene, collaborating successfully with producer Robbie Artress. Please tell us more about this experience?
Working with Robbie has been the best experience. He’s been able to take the gibberish of what I say I want a song to sound and feel like, and make it come to life. We recorded at Gideon and Gabe Klein’s studio, as they also played on the tracks we recorded, as well as Ellen Angelico. They are all insanely talented. Working with such talented people was just incredible. Learning from them was such an eye-opening experience. Getting to talk to them about the sound I wanted and really get to be in control of the room was so amazing. It gave me a lot more confidence to feel proud of my work and ideas when working in the studio, and anywhere else.
Tell us more about the music video?
We filmed in Snohomish Washington with Kyle and Taylor Olthoff filming and directing. I filmed alongside Alexis Fahlman, Sierra Renee’ Christensen, and Hunter Johnson. It was a 1-day shoot and we had the best time. Getting to be silly and have more personal items in this video was really important to me. My stuffed animal “Stitch” made an appearance, as well as a record of Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour” album, and many more things if you look close enough! Everyone who was a part of this video did such an amazing job, it really was a super fun day.
How can fans-to-be gain access to your music?
My music is everywhere online such as Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Music, Etc.
▶Follow Abigail Neilson Online Website: http://abigailneilson.com/ Facebook Instagram & Twitter
▶Listen to Music by Abigail Neilson Spotify: Apple Music iTunes & YouTube
Photo credit: Kyle Olthoff
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