Today, we’d like to introduce you to Abby Holliday.
Abby, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. I lived there until the fall of 2021 when I moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Cincinnati was a great place to live, and I look back on my time there very fondly. Music has always been a part of my life, even if it wasn’t the main focus until more recently.
My dad is a drummer, and I grew up going to church with him early on Sundays when he’d play the drums. My older cousin Jessica and I would burn CDs for each other all the time with the new music we were listening to. I definitely owe a lot of my early taste in music to her.
I went to an ungodly amount of concerts in high school! I grew up playing basketball. That was definitely my “thing.” Then, I eventually had the desire to learn an instrument. When I turned 15, I started taking guitar lessons and did that for about a year. My guitar teacher, Devin, made learning the guitar so enjoyable. We never really focused on the technicalities; he just walked me through songs that I wanted to learn, which was very beneficial for an impatient 15-year-old.
As the years passed, music was a constant. I never really knew what I wanted to do for a career. I studied social work in college and worked in coffee during that time. As graduation approached, I started to realize that I didn’t feel like I was cut out for social work. I kept playing guitar and eventually started singing and writing songs. The satisfaction I found in creating something out of nothing pushed me to keep chasing music.
After graduating abruptly during the pandemic, I moved back home with my family for the summer. I had more downtime than I’ve ever had in my life and just started writing a lot of songs. I think 2020 was the year when I started taking it more seriously and started to see the potential of really doing this thing, not just on the side. Even still, I had no idea how on earth that would be possible. I just knew that I loved it and felt like I needed to do it.
In May of 2020, I posted a song I had written called “8 Hours” on Instagram. My friend (and musician) Tim Carpenter heard it and suggested I work with a producer named Jon Class. Jon and I spoke on the phone later that week about recording some music, and I pretty instantly knew we were going to be a good fit. I gathered the batch of songs I had written during this time, and Jon and I sifted through them to find the strongest ones.
I had enough songs to record an album and knew I couldn’t do it without help, so I did a Kickstarter. I crowd-funded my first album, “When We’re Far Apart I FALL APART,” and recorded it in December 2020. The crowd-funding experience was a little stressful, but it was so humbling and important to see my community support this dream of mine. There was something about asking for support that made me believe in myself and the songs even more.
Since then, I’ve moved to Nashville, recorded a second album called “I’M OK NO I’M NOT,” and have been touring as well! Most days, I’m in awe that I got to do this!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
In the grand scheme of things, writing songs went from being a passion to a career fairly quickly, which is such a privilege to say. I think any creative endeavor comes with its challenges, and it’s super important to stay grounded and remember why you started it in the first place. Making music my job was sort of a slow-burn, and then a sudden ramp-up after I moved to Nashville.
Some days, it feels like I was dropped into this new way of living, and I’m playing catch up. I think the struggle I’ve felt the most has been self-doubt/imposter syndrome. I did a small amount of touring at the end of 2022, and then in 2023, I played 65 shows. As much as I love touring, I’ve learned that it can be tough on my brain and body. Learning my limits and listening to my needs has been really helpful.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
More than anything, I love songwriting. There’s really nothing like it. I write out of necessity, and then to be able to share my songs with others is the cherry on top. When I’m writing, I feel like I’m digging out information that lives in the depths of my soul (not to be dramatic, lol). And then, when I release songs into the world, I am constantly surprised to hear how others relate to what I’m saying.
That’s also what I love about live shows. I’ve had the privilege of opening for a handful of artists I really admire over the last year or two, and it’s been really special to sing to audiences that are eager to listen and connect to an artist that they maybe previously didn’t know about. I truly cherish the interactions that I have with people on the road. Hearing individual’s stories has been transformational in my life.
I am very involved in creating the visuals around my project. My brother Luke is a cinematographer, and he’s partnered with me since the beginning. I think it’s ignited a passion within me to tell a full story with visuals alongside the music. I’ve worked with such talented and passionate people along the way, and am constantly reminded that I can’t do any of this alone!
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
The best way to support me would be to listen to my music, buy my merch, and come to a live show!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://abbyholliday.os.fan/?fbclid=PAAaZVogSiXEl36egtw6EjLKLqlVFOC-wriNG5_dChhNSG3V6Z_ERmLMVPjRg_aem_AXOwGTnhM3LB5tYQEpnkRa5MBqBJqdC7s4E8gHrmppsjA2NH3G2ZFA9JkVbP489sXDc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyholliday/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbyhollidaymusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbyhollidayz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgnzpjH2u_io-_yTDiMFpzA
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/zkfHpriFwrRd8vCf6
Image Credits
Luke Holliday, Sam Wilson, and Samuel Greenhill
