We are so fortunate to catch up with musician Abi Mia following the release of ‘Here To Stay’ (Remix). She is a formidable artist who is continually playing live and working hard. Read the full interview now!
Hi Abi, what is your earliest music memory?
My earliest music memory is when my sister and I got really into the spice girls and would play their tape – yes, a tape! – in the car on the way to school every day and sing along very loudly! My poor mum! I was probably around eight at the time!
Who influenced your latest release, ‘Here To Stay’?
Musically I was somewhat influenced by Evanescence/Amy Lee, but often I don’t really write with particular music influences in mind. It just comes out how it wants to!
In terms of the inspiration for the song concept, it was influenced by something going on in my life at the time, which is often the case with my music!
You are really active on Instagram, is that your preferred social media platform and if so, why?
Yes, I love being active on Instagram. I find it such a great platform to build real connections with people I wouldn’t have likely met in real life! People with similar interests and who connect with my music, which is fantastic.
I also find the format easier and less time consuming than other platforms, but perhaps that is because I am more used to it. It’s a great balance between sharing photos, videos and going live!
I do like YouTube as a platform as well, but there are definitely different expectations with the quality of videos and type of content. Perhaps one day, I will fine-tune that platform more too.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
If I am aiming high – which I like to do, I would love to collaborate with Kelly Clarkson. It was her music that really lit my spark for creating powerful and authentic music, and I would learn so much from that! I feel our powerful vocals would blend well together, and I just think she is fantastic!
What’s your dream venue to play?
I would love to play at the 02 arenas one day, but any bigger venue or stadium would be a dream right now!
Other than music, what are you passionate about?
I am very passionate about health and fitness – I also work as a personal trainer and love helping people become the healthiest versions of themselves! I love to lift weights and feel strong; there is a huge sense of empowerment to that!
What changes would you like to see in the music business?
I would love for it to be easier to connect with more established artists/labels/publishers etc, as a newer independent artist. I often find that unless one has a well-known manager or agent/ connections already in the industry, it is very hard to get one foot in the door with professionals that could potentially really help my career improve at a faster pace. So many places don’t take unsolicited work.
I would love it to become more about talent again and less about how much you are willing to pay to promote yourself, but I guess that is just the nature of it being an actual ‘business’. Either way, I shall keep doing whatever is in my power to move forward and be heard by more people!
How do you feel about how the internet plays a role in today’s music business?
I have mixed feelings about the internet’s role in today’s music business.
On the one hand, it makes music more accessible for everyone and allows independent artists to distribute their music and build a following.
On the other hand, I feel it takes away the real in-person connection that people used to share more with the music. It makes it into more of a popularity contest with ‘how many followers you have’ or ‘how many beautiful photos you can post’ rather than the actual music and live performance.
I guess, like with anything; there are pros and cons. I shouldn’t complain as someone who only started during the pandemic; the internet literally enabled me to start my career!
What would it be if you could choose one thing for fans to take away from your music?
That is it ok to feel what you feel and to be unapologetically yourself.
What is your favourite song to play live?
At the moment I love playing my song ‘Enough is Enough’ live. It is one of those songs that really connect with the audience and vocally is a lot of fun to get into with some ad-libs and good old fashioned power vocals!
Have you started working on your next release?
I am in the early stages of working on both a collaboration with a fantastic producer and what I had wanted to be the first single off an EP. At the moment, I am unsure realistically when I will be able to release more music as it is financially so draining, but it won’t stop me from writing and working on the projects that I can! In the meantime, I am focusing a lot more on live music and developing the best set I can!
FVMusicBlog March 2022
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