Words & Interview by Kieran Webber | Header Image: Charlotte Rudd
Today is a special day for Abbie Ozard as she releases her new single ‘TV Kween’, a dreamy slice of indie-pop pie. It continues the ethereal soundscape that Abbie creates with her angelic vocals and deeply honest and raw lyrics. It follows on from a string of successful single releases earlier in the year and her impressive 2019 ‘Growing Pains’ EP.
Listen to ‘TV Kween’ here:
We recently caught up with her to discuss life in lockdown, the inspiration for her music and life post-pandemic.
Kieran: Hey Abbie, before we start i just want to say thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!!
Abbie: No probs thank you for having me!!!
Kieran: How has lockdown life been for you? What did you get up to?
Abbie: It’s been a wild ride tbh. I’ve still been working doing takeaways in my parents cafe so i’ve been dead busy!! i’ve also been doing some FaceTime writing sessions, i wrote my newest tune tv kween on FaceTime with my friend rich and recorded the vocals in my room so it’s been challenging in a cool way doing things a bit differently! I’ve been trying to adapt to this corona sitch as much as possible, it’s been cool doing things a bit differently.
Kieran: How has this pandemic affected you as an artist?
Abbie: Well obviously there hasn’t been any gigs which has been shit but i feel like i’ve had loads of time to just think haha it’s been a bad and good in different ways. I feel like i’ve had a lot of time to just hone in on everything and look at my overall style as an artist and kinda perfect it a bit more (although it is definitely far from perfect!!) I did find that i had a lot of writers block as there was nothing going on, it was very up and down i’ll be honest.
“I’ve been trying to adapt to this corona sitch as much as possible, it’s been cool doing things a bit differently.“
Abbie Ozard
Kieran: Can the music industry recover from the current Covid-19 crisis?
Abbie: I mean i’ve had my down days about this one, but i woke up the other day to see that the government are giving the arts industry a ton of money so that’s really cool. I think the saddest thing about covid is that gigs will be the last to return, its just the uncertainty about it all that’s the most gutting thing. If we all work together and support artists as much as we can by attending gigs, buying merch etc i think we can overcome it, in my opinion anyways!
Kieran: How did you get into music and why?
Abbie: Well mum and dad love their music so i grew up listening to bowie and blondie and artists like that. From there i got really hooked on music so i used to be in choirs and stuff when i was at school and i sung classically, i got really bored of that and began to get embarrassed and thought it was really uncool hahaha so i started teaching myself guitar and wrote my own songs from there, i’ve always been obsessed with musicians though it’s just the sickest thing being able to create stuff that people could potentially like and listen to.
Kieran: You have a very DIY lo-fi bedroom indie pop sound, were there any artists that influenced this sound?
Abbie: I guess there is! I love artists like Clairo, snail mail and Gus Dapperton, i think when music comes from yourself and your bedroom it just seems a lot more relatable and real to the people that are listening.
Kieran: What’s your favourite thing about being a DIY artist?
Abbie: Being able to be in control ! I am a bit of a control freak and having to do most things myself like visuals, videos etc just means that i can be extra happy with it knowing every part of it was me. I work really closely with my friend charlotte on videos and visuals and we have exactly the same vision on everything so i feel super lucky that i have someone to help all the strange ideas come to life.
Kieran: Your ‘Growing Pains’ EP hit a million streams recently, how did that feel and is that something you ever expected?
Abbie: You know what it was so weird seeing that figure on my phone, i still can’t get over that that many people wanna listen to the tunes. Its honestly not something i ever expected, i just do it because it’s so much fun and i’m rubbish at everything else haha so yeah, very strange but so sick at the same time.
Kieran: Where do you find influence when writing new music and why?
Abbie: When i’m stuck for inspiration i usually sift through all my spotify playlist to find stuff that i feel really passionately about. Artist wise, Bon Iver really inspires me. His style changes so much and he just does whatever the fuck he wants, he has concepts for each piece of work he creates and i just think that’s super inspiring.
Kieran: Post-pandemic what are your plans?
Abbie: I’m just gonna play as many gigs as i can!!! i properly miss just going around the country in a shitty van with all my friends, i can’t wait to have a meal deal in a van again and be able to play to a cool little crowd.
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