Abigail Ory

Interview: Entering the weird-pop world of Abigail Ory

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We e-meet Indie singer/songwriter Abigail Ory in the wake of the release of her music video for her single Waves. as she announces her debut EP, “Don’t Mind Me” due for release on October 7th, 2020. A genre deviant, Ory set out to create her truest interpretation of what was going on inside of her head, and in doing so, made something unlike anything she’d ever heard before. Unlike many of her peers, Ory cites the differences between her songs as the center of her EP. While each song has their own distinct sound, they all push confines and defy the classic pop sound. Weaving the eeriness of her small-town New England upbringing with her present-day perceptions, Ory’s music is familiar and innovative, binding the past with the present. Self-described as “weird-pop”, Ory has curated a unique sound all of her own.

1InMusic: What is unique about you and your music?

Abigail Ory [AO]: I think I write about topics that not many other pop artists are writing about. On my upcoming EP there’s a song about teeth! And I write about topics that are more commonly touched upon (such as Christmas) with a unique sense of humor (“All I Want For Christmas Is Emotional Stability”). I also think the collection of sound effects used throughout the songs is pretty original. I don’t hear so many pop songs with that type of ornamentation, such as jaw harp or laughter.

1InMusic: What/who shaped your music and who supports you?

AO: It would be impossible to name all of my influences musically, but I was lucky enough to have been raised in a musical household. My dad gifted me a serious appreciation for all types of classic, hard, grunge and punk rock. My mom imparted upon me a love for folk music, and is an amateur folk musician herself.

I would say my number one supporters are my family (shoutout to my mom and my grandfather, my volunteer PR email team)! My mentor Donna Lewis and producer David Baron have also been incredibly supportive of me through this process and I’m eternally grateful to them for that. I also have many incredibly supportive friends and collaborators, including David Grant and Arturo González Barrios (my most recent music videos’ co-director and director), and Jason Sibrian (who’s helped me with a little bit of everything on this project).

1InMusic: When did you realize you were going to make music professionally?

AO: I had wanted to explore it all through high school, but this past November 2019 it started to show up in my mind. When I released my first music video, I realized I should probably set up a website. That was my first inkling that oh wow, maybe this could be serious for me, maybe somebody might want to look up my name or more of my art. Of course, I’d recorded my EP prior to that, but I didn’t have faith in myself up until that moment that someday it might find an audience.

1InMusic: What type of music do you listen to?

AO: SO many different kinds. There’s probably not one genre I don’t like at least a single song from. My favorite album is Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses, and my favorite band is Brown Bird (a folk band from Rhode Island). But I’ve been on a pop kick lately.

1InMusic: Who, to you, is the most undervalued music artist?

AO: Another impossible question! In terms of people who I listen to regularly, I’m a big fan of the band Sloppy Jane and I’m always surprised by the friends of mine who don’t know them. Every time I expect somebody should have heard of them they haven’t, and every time I go to introduce the band to somebody new they’ve already heard it. So maybe Sloppy Jane.

1InMusic: How do you prepare for your performances?

AO: I haven’t performed a lot recently (thank youuuuu 2020) but generally I’m in the “practice makes perfect” camp. Also I sing a lot in front of a mirror. I don’t have a lot of spatial awareness so seeing myself make certain movements helps me imagine what they must look like to the audience.

1InMusic: What do you do when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about?

AO: I’m hugely passionate about film and have had a large creative role in all of my music videos to date. I directed my first two. Waves was directed by animator Arturo González-Barrios (arturogb.com), but I produced and edited it, so I put my vision into it that way. I also like to unwind by painting or drawing or dancing but I don’t pursue those things as seriously as music and film.

1InMusic: What would Success be to you on this project?

Abigail Ory Don't Mind meAO: Success to me on this project would be finding an audience that really resonates with the weird stuff I like to write about, and the way I like to write it.

1InMusic: What do you wish you were told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?

AO: Find out what’s unique about your voice: what makes your voice sound like you? And playaround with that more than trying to sound like somebody else. Human voices are so unique sounding, it’s not worth trying to fit some kind of mold.

1InMusic: Any upcoming projects?

AO: Absolutely! I will be releasing my debut EP, “Don’t Mind Me,” on October 7th.

1InMusic: Abigail, thank you for taking the time to share your world. Where do we find your music/music project?

Click to view my most recent music video for the single “Waves” is out on YouTube here. Subscribe if you like it! You can Pre-Save my EP at this link: https://smarturl.it/aodmm. Please follow me on Instagram to stay updated with everything I have going on: https://instagram.com/abigailory

Thank you!