UNDISCOVERED VOICES: ABI LACEY
So this is something new I'm doing. I don't want this blog to be all about me and my opinions on things, I want it to be about music but most importantly, musicians. In recent years I've really started branching out from just Spotify and iTunes and started looking at local gigs/Youtube for people who I believe are great artists but as of so far, remain relatively undiscovered. I thought I'd do a post series where I reach out to these undiscovered artists and give them a platform to talk about themselves and promote themselves a bit. An interview of sorts. I may not be the most prominent blog out there, but every little helps, and I want to help upcoming artists in any way I can even if it just gets them one more supporter, then I feel like I'll have done something to help.
The first artist I have spoken to is Abi Lacey.
Abi is a singer/songwriter that I found when I subscribed to her on Youtube a couple months back, and although she may be only 15, her Youtube is filled with covers and original songs, and she's even had her first gig already. For someone so young to be able to write songs and put emotion into her covers as if she's had a lifetime of experiences, I was intrigued to chat to Abi about her music and inspirations and where she sees herself being in the future.
So, we might as well begin at the beginning, when did you start playing the guitar/singing/writing music?
I started singing when I was 5 or 6, playing the guitar on my 13th birthday, and had bits and pieces of lyrics here and there but didn't write a full song until I was 12. I've also played the violin and piano since I was like 7 too.
Wow! That's a lot of musical talent right there. So who would you say are your current musical inspirations to create your own music?
See, here's the thing. I have artists that I love with my entire heart, like Coldplay, 5 Seconds of Summer, Nirvana etc but none of them truly inspire me musically unless I get into the music theory of the song. Like I can't just listen to a song and be like "yes! wow!", I'll get inspired by the chord progression or a cool glissando they did in bar 96 or the 12/8 time signature or that clever wording there. I have to pick apart songs for them to inspire me.
I love that answer! I've never heard any artists answer a question like that, I'm surprised! So, if the inspiration doesn't necessarily come from artists, where do you get that inspiration from?
Uh anywhere to be honest. Like it could be a colour or it could be this cool concept/analogy but most of the time I'm writing from my own experiences or feelings. Also, I try and write for other people, i guess. Like I've written a couple songs about like LGBTQ+ couples feeling trapped...I don't know really.
That's a very cool thing to do. So, after you've been inspired, what is your personal process for song-writing? Do you prefer to have a melody first or lyrics?
It depends. Usually, I have chords first but I kind of write lyrics and the chords at the same time and then the melody just comes naturally.
Just out of curiosity, who are just some of your favourite music artists in general?
Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, One Direction, Pre-split Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, 5 Seconds of Summer, Pink Floyd, Coldplay... there's so many!
That's certainly a diverse bunch!
My tastes are changing. I think I'll always love 5SOS and One Direction (and them as solo artists) in reality. An issue at the moment (unrelated to 5SOS and 1D) is that in recent times some of the artists I truly loved turn out to be terrible people. I just can't separate music from the artist because they put so much of themselves that you can't separate passion from what the passion created. So, yeah, tastes are changing but also so do perceptions.
That's an interesting take on things. I agree that it's difficult to separate bad people from their music, even if their music is great. It seems to be a prominent issue in the industry right now. To go back to the artists previously mentioned, as an up and coming artist, an obvious way of gaining momentum is to support someone on tour. Which of those artists in an ideal world, would you want to support on tour?
In reality, probably 5 Seconds Of Summer or Harry Styles. That might just be because I want to talk to them about their music so badly though. Ed Sheeran too though, because his music is mainly acoustic too so I feel like I would suit his audience best.
Being a young artist right now must be difficult, with there now being so many ways that people can gain recognition but also being a huge lack in encouragement from the government/society in general to take an artistic path rather than an academic path. How do you feel about this?
I still feel pressured to get a normal job and to keep music as a hobby. I get so terrified about time because I know when I leave high school it's going to be so difficult to get anywhere. It's definitely better than it was even a decade ago but if you say you want to be a singer, people think you're a naive seven year old who says they want to be a famous pop star when really...that's kinda what I want. Even people my age don't support it so I had to try and gain motivation when there's just no support in real life. I feel like the internet is more supportive.
I agree with the real life/internet thing. It's easy to see why people close to you are worried about you aiming for the industry, but if it's something you want to do and something you believe you can do, then why shouldn't people support it! Finally, let's end on you and the music you make. What is your favourite cover and original that you've uploaded? What would you like the people reading this to see first?
My favorite cover is probably Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover) or Dancing on My Own (Calum Scott version cover) because they both mean a lot to me and make my mum cry. Original I would say Coffee Cup. It has some cool vibes and there's a lot I could do with it in the future. Close, too, as it was the first song I ever wrote that was...like...cool.
(If you want to check out the covers, click on them!)
Sidenote: I would also highly recommend Abi's cover of Medicine (Unreleased Harry Styles cover), which is my personal favourite!
That concludes my interview with Abi. If you want to check out her social media then they're all linked below. I know any support in the form of views/subscriptions/follows would be greatly appreciated by her!
WHERE TO FIND ABI LACEY:
YOUTUBE
Written by Ruby Crowhurst
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