Before heading off on her UK tour, we asked Sheffield-based neo-pop purveyor Abi Hall – AKA abs – to walk us through her musical journey so far…
The first record I brought…
I think it was Busted’s self-titled album – an absolute banger. I was singing ‘Sleeping With the Light On’ at the top of my lungs like I had relationship issues at nine years old.
My first gig…
My first gig was when i saw Pixie Lott turn on the Christmas lights in Bristol. She did a full acoustic set, though, which didn’t get the crowd hype I was expecting.
The first song I performed…
I think the first one was when I sung ‘Away in a Manger’ at a primary school service, and I got my first solo!
A song I wish I’d wrote…
‘Bad Blood’ by NAO. I am obsessed with the production, the drop and the almost heavy instrumentation paired with NAO’s silky voice. It is *chef’s kiss*.
I first fell in love with music when…
I was one years old. My grandma told me I used to sing to her in the pram. I’m honestly very blessed to have had the same dream and passion for as long as I can remember, and I don’t take that privilege for granted.
A song I can’t get out of my head at the minute…
‘Erase Me’ by Lizzy McAlpine and Jacob Collier. There’s a bit where her voice almost growls and distorts in the production in the bridge, and it makes me melt it’s that good.
A record which reminds me of a specific time and place…
24k Magic by Bruno Mars. Me and my best friends from Bristol would listen to that album before every exam when we were doing our A Levels and when we were revising. If you put us together now, we could recite that album back to front with all the ad-libs.
Oh, and Bruno, if you’re reading this, thanks for helping me pass my A Levels!
Music allows me to…
Say things that I would struggle to say otherwise. It allows me to bring joy and provide a voice for other people; it allows me to strengthen my self-belief and ambition. It allows me to be a better version of me.
abs is heading out on a UK tour this month, stopping in Sheffield on 17 Feb at The Dorothy Pax. Tickets are £6 from ticketsource.co.uk or £10 OTD.
