Abigail…A STIRRING OF THE SOUL. Like most humans, she can’t remember life before the age of three. After that she can’t remember life without music. It was as if one day beau coup chords, rhythms and melodies began floating around in her head. Abigail heard voices, too, particularly her own. It told to her sing, listen, discern, practice, be teachable and seek that uncharted atoll of the music world. Then, the voice said, turn it into a stage and don’t quit singing until the world hears your heart. For once in her life, Abigail obeyed. Why question the air if there’s nothing else to breathe?
If she had her way (and she often does) Abby would be content just to have you listen to her music and figure it out for yourself, in your own interpretation; you know, no judgment, just a private intimate encounter between her original compositions and your ear. For Abby, it’s all about the conundrum of music. It’s like a subjective planet split into two half spheres: the dark side, the light side. Tunes you love and tunes you don’t. Lyrics that move you and lyrics that could bore the hum off a Gregorian chant. ”To me, good music ignites, intoxicates, loosens, arouses, pisses, and gladdens,” explains Miss Johnson. “Good music should rip you a new one.” Though settled into a soul groove Abby remains open to all forms of good music. In her heart of hearts she loves to sing gut-bustin' soul, more specifically Neo Soul. To hear her sing, you’d swear that’s a sister cranking out those notes. She’s been singing since she was four…“I was probably wailing in E something right out of the womb.”
She’s not kidding. Her parents have the blackmail tapes of her singing little scats in the bathtub, which impressed them enough to plop her into classical piano at the North Raleigh Conservatory of Music from age 7-12. “I owe them much for laying those first bricks,” she adds. Abigail did the whole sports thing through middle school and high school, but still there was always that song to sing somewhere, somehow. She was trained in gospel before moving into secular music; over time, she developed a virtuosic singing style given over to swooping, flashy melodic embellishments. By age 13 she was singing in church, along with choruses throughout middle school and high school. There were assemblies, national anthems, a couple of plays, Governor's School, the daily shower. Her senior superlative was: ‘Most Likely to be on Broadway‘. So, Abby took that dream and ran with it all the way through one glorious, half-drunk year in college at UNC-Greensboro School of Music, working on a BA in music with a focus on vocal performance. But for her it was WAY classical; mastering Puccini¹s La Boheme did not inspire an undiscovered, Caucasian soul artist to peel back the layers. And the thought of hacking her way through the jungles of the classical circuit playing someone else’s music felt like a stay of execution. Abigail’s classic heroes were Mariah, Whitney, Janet, Toni.
“You can¹t live in the Sahara and expect to harvest mangos.so at age 19 I moved from Greensboro back to Raleigh, worked my tail off, saved money and in 7 months I was in Nashville.” During that time, Abby returned to piano and got serious about writing her own music focusing on a new form of rhythm and blues. She arrived in ‘Music City’ on July 1st, 2002, and began playing all kinds of places: BB King‘s, Bluesboro, 3rd n Lyndsley, 12th and Porter, Rhythm Kitchen, and Mercy Lounge. “I have endured a lot more struggles, shattered dreams and broken promises than most people my age so I guess I’m a combat veteran. My Christian upbringing taught me to look adversity in the eye and keep the faith, you know, stay strong and live life with purpose.”
Since recently escaping an exclusive production contract (Abigail moved out to Phoenix, AZ following the promise of a label. Do the words ‘fizzle’ and ‘lies’ transmit any signals?), Abby has been back in Nashville, highly visible, wielding her own sound that is disarmingly cool. "Yeah, I'm just sort of enjoying being jaded and not really caring about performing for any other reason than for the love and therapy of music. I just can't seem to live without it. Why should I?”
From the ashes of past crucibles has emerged a distinct style that is pure Abigail -a unique collaboration of jazz-infused soul, old school hip-hop, and R&B. So from what deep well does she get her "soul"? “Let's see.growing up, my parents insulated me from ‘secular’ music. Nothing but oldies, jazz, gospel mass choirs, and Christian music were allowed; all contraband was summarily pounded to dust. So, whenever I could lock my door and keep the radio down, get out of the house, or pop in a CD, I'd listen to rap or R&B. I guess it was the ultimate rebellion for me. Once I hit college, though, I began to really discover everything else.ic rock, progressive, alternative, even a little country. I never really loved country, but I do appreciate it! I have much respect for their songwriting skills and musicianship. It just doesn't make my head nod, you know? I feel I'm a complicated person, but I write pretty straightforward and simplistic lyrics, mostly about personal experiences, struggles, hopes and dreams. So I have plenty of material. I've found all types of people can relate to the rhythms of my DNA. Knowing that there are people out there who love my music is enough for me.”
Music is Abigail’s life and joy, and the only thing she’s ever wanted to do. And you have to appreciate that. Those who know her have high expectations, that the fireworks of her earlier years will turn out to only be the curtain riser. Well, we'll just see. Better yet, we¹ll just listen.
