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Featured Artist of the Day: Abi Farrell

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Abi Farrell / Photo Credit: @williampavliphotography

 

Indie Music Women’s Featured Artist of the Day is…

Abi Farrell (@abifarrellmusic)

Photo: @williampavliphotography

Abi Farrell is a London-based soul artist from Oxfordshire who was raised on a female-driven musical intake ranging from Aretha Franklin to Eva Cassidy to Chaka Khan. Her full-band debut EP ‘The Only Way I Learn’ was released in November 2019 and has amassed over 46,000 worldwide streams to date. On its release, Abi was named Richer Unsigned’s ‘Artist of The Week’. Her debut single, a piano version of her track ‘Ivy’ was released in August 2018 and received support from BBC Introducing in Oxford.

Abi has blended soulful vocals and carefully crafted melodies since she was 8 years old, when she found her older brother’s copy of Christina Aguilera’s ‘Stripped’ and quickly found her own voice. While studying History at Birmingham University from 2012-2016, Abi spent her evenings performing on the city’s live circuit and won an award for ‘Best Original Song’ before moving to London in 2017. In London, she balanced a marketing internship at RCA Records, Sony Music with late nights writing and planning her future releases.

‘The Only Way I Learn’ EP, featuring the full-band version of ‘Ivy’, was recorded by up and coming producer Philip Marsden at Black Frog Studios not far from where Abi grew up in Thame, Oxfordshire. It features elements of old soul reminiscent of Carole King and Aretha Franklin, whilst showcasing neo-soul and R&B influences (Sade and En Vogue). Yet, it also incorporates layered harmonies and an authentic, melodic rock production that takes inspiration from Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna.

Abi and her band have performed London shows at the Spice of Life, Camden Assembly, The Bedford in Balham, and headlined Notting Hill Arts Club. In May 2019, a one-shot live church video of the EP title track ‘The Only Way I Learn’ amassed over 1,000 views in its first day of publication. 2020 is just the beginning for Abi: as well as having released her EP on November 8 she is gaining traction as a multi-genre songwriter. In October 2019 she provided melody, lyrics, and vocals for emerging US-producer Osclo’s electronic track ‘Breathe’, released on independent label Transmitto Records. On 23 January 2020, she will kick-start the year with a headline show at The Camden Chapel.

Abi shared with me what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist:
“Being an independent female music artist basically feels like freedom to me. As much as I have the support of my band, friends and listeners so haven’t done this fully alone, I find it so empowering to be managing my own music project. Lyrically a lot of my music talks about my difficulties with self-doubt, and taking action with my music career has definitely helped to minimise those unhelpful thoughts! I find it so rewarding to always be looking for my next opportunity – even if that involves dealing with rejection, because it means I’m always trying, whatever people think.
It’s especially rewarding as I do also have a full-time job in the charity sector, which helps to fund it all. It’s tough balancing my day job and my singing and writing but it just goes to show you can hold down a steady salary in a rewarding field as well as kick-start your dream – until I’m able to be a full-time singer of course, which is something I’m working towards every day. It’s also taught me a lot about budget management as I’ve funded the entire thing with my own earnings. I do aspire to work with even more people who share my vision in the future, especially management and a label, but until that day this phase of releasing my debut EP has done wonders for my wellbeing and self-confidence, just to say I’ve completed something close to my heart. Even better, I’ve done it in a way that feels 100% true to myself.”

You can hear Abi’s single, “Ivy”, on the Indie Music Women’s Spotify playlist.

© 2020, Indie Music Women