by mariah estran
photo by noah tidmore
Heartbreak is never fun. This whirlwind of emotions takes time to overcome, a familiar feeling to some, and one that could be hard to forget. But for singer-songwriter Abigail Osborn, she’s giving heartache a much-needed makeover.
“If you're going to break my heart, let’s make it a good time,” she declares in her new single, “Break My Heart.” The three-minute empowerment anthem is taking back control from the ones who did the damage. Through its bubbly-pop nature, the track would enchant anyone to stand-up, and dance through the feelings.
That visual that Osborn paints through her lyrics came to life shortly after the single release. She rented out a pink house in Nashville, gathered ten friends, and filmed a music video. “I wanted to create something that visually looks like how the song feels to me,” she says. “I wanted to get a bunch of my friends together and make a visual of a bunch of girls flipping the script. From heartbreak being sad, victimizing feeling to being like ‘no, we are actually in control of this, and we can make it a good time if we want it to be.'"
“Break My Heart” follows up her raw, nostalgia-filled debut single “Drive All Night.” In just two tracks, she’s shown her versatility. Initially a folk singer, she’s now diving into the universe of pop music. Osborn is finding the balance and is ready to take listeners on a journey through her upcoming discography.
We spoke with the singer on her beginnings, the single “Break My Heart,” how she has worked to develop her sound, her songwriting techniques, and what she hopes listeners take away.
You’ve been writing and playing music for some time. But when did you realize you wanted to pursue music full-time?
Abigail: “I didn’t start writing until I was seventeen. When I was nineteen, I transferred to Belmont University to finish my degree there. I quickly realized (while I was trying to finish my degree there) that music was the only thing I wanted to do. So, I ended up dropping out of Belmont and then started music full-time in the Fall of 2019.”
“Break My Heart” is such a bubbly comeback for boys who have a habit of messing with girls’ hearts. What was the creative process like while creating this track?
A: “It was unlike any other one. I had an experience with a boy, and it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I had the melody come to me while I was almost asleep. So, I brought my voice memo out. I woke up the next day, called one of my co-writers, named Joshoua Nichols. We were in the studio finishing the song together in a matter of a couple of hours. After that, we sent it off to be mixed and mastered, then filmed a music video a week after.”
You’ve recently released the music video to go with the track! What can you tell us about the visual?
A: “I wanted to create something that visually looks like how the song feels to me. It’s the most fun song or the most fun-sounding song I’ve ever written. It just feels empowering. I’m singing about how ‘if someone’s gonna break my heart, they better do it the right way.’ I wanted to get a bunch of my friends together and make a visual of a bunch of girls flipping the script. From heartbreak being sad, victimizing feeling to being like ‘no, we are actually in control of this, and we can make it a good time if we want it to be.’ I rented out this big pink house in Nashville and gathered ten of my girlfriends together. We all dressed in pink and had a little party.”
It’s clear you have this way of developing lyrics that tell a story. Your previous single “Drive All Night” is a perfect example of that. How do you keep inspired when songwriting?
A: “I am inspired by visual things. I love the idea of experiencing a story and getting to bring other people right into that story with me. I think the best way to do that is by giving a lot of detail. I always have a notes app running on my phone of random details. For ‘Drive All Night,’ specifically, there was this street near the house I was staying at for the summer in Colorado. When lacking inspiration, I’ll go to my notes app and see something like ‘7th street’ and be like, ‘okay, what was the story there?’”
You have this sound that’s pop with an indie-twist that brings in an almost raw type of softness. How have you worked to develop your sound?
A: “That has been a journey for sure! When I was seventeen to about twenty, I was making a lot of folk music. So, I have made a big transition into the pop world, but I’ve stayed true to my storyteller self, I believe. This new sound feels very nostalgic to me, nostalgic-pop. I think it's because of my folk influence. It’s been a journey to find a happy medium between the two. But ‘Drive All Night’ was the first song I made where I was like, ‘okay, this feels like me.' I can have natural elements in the song while they still feel big and powerful.”
Compared to the folk beginnings you had; do you feel like you are more comfortable in this new pop genre?
A: “I think for a while, I was scared to get out from behind my acoustic guitar. Ever since I have, I think it’s opened up this whole new world for me. It feels empowering and exciting to know that my songs can be bigger than just me and my guitar. I still write a lot of things; I start them out on guitar and piano. As an artist, I feel like I’ve developed confidence quite a bit. I can say things I couldn’t say before. That’s been exciting. I’m still pretty fresh into the musical project and genre I am living in now. But it feels so much more like me than anything else has.”
These two songs have been your introduction while showing listeners your versatility. What do you think these tracks say about you as an artist so far?
A: “I hope that it shows, I’m as real as possible, specifically with my heart. But as an artist, I want to pinpoint specific emotions and communicate them. When I listen to music, my favorite thing is hearing artists that make you feel like you are with them. I feel like I am not the only person that has felt that way.
That is my goal as an artist and a songwriter. By having so much detail in my story, I want people to feel like they are not alone in a feeling. ‘Drive All Night’ is a feel-good song, but I want people to feel brought back to a nostalgic feeling of being in high school and being with their favorite person, and not caring about anything else, being in the moment. I’m hoping to do that more with all these songs coming out after ‘Break My Heart.’”
Lastly, what do you want our readers to know about you as an artist?
A: “I’m just excited to put out stuff that I hope people connect to. Everything I am talking about in my songs is very verbatim, a stream of consciousness. I hope that people can listen to them and feel the honesty of me. Be able to relate and feel like they are right there with me in these stories. I’m excited to put out more. Hopefully, see everybody on the road someday!”
