Singer songwriter Abigail Kay’s debut album comes out August 1. The talented fourth year film and media student spoke to Brig on her upcoming album.
Roof of the Regent is out on all major music platforms on August 1.
The first time I picked up a guitar, I must’ve been around the age of 10. I thought, what the fuck do I do with this? I taught myself the basic chords and played along to songs.
I came across a band called Never Shout Never and instantly fell in love with the way they told a story through a song. I’m quite an emotional person, especially when it comes to having feelings for a girl, and I think Never Shout Never gave me the confidence to sing so openly about being gay.
I study Film and Media. I wouldn’t say (at the moment anyway) that film gets interpreted into my music, but I would say my music has been able to take me further with my degree.
There have been times that I have been working on a group project and I have composed music to go along- side either an audio or video piece. It’s really cool that film is such an open degree and gives you the chance to be creative and push the boundaries a little.
Working on new music is something that isn’t a chore for me. I don’t see it as something to tick off on my to do list, rather something
that is part of my everyday routine now. I think I enjoy it that much that usually, in the past whenever I have had a hard day at uni, I have come back to my flat and sang my heart out. As much as my degree means a lot to me, I have always thought of music as (as cheesy as this sounds) my life.
Abigail said, “If I were to put themes on my album, they would be LGBT+ and mental health. If you can even call those a theme? I think I made sure that I was as honest as I could be, without putting myself in too much of a vulnerable position.”
Abigail Continues, “I remember thinking back to writing songs about being an openly gay woman and thinking, I hope that someone out there who maybe is struggling to come to terms with their sexu- ality, knows that it is okay to be open about it.
Regarding mental health, I will always be open about it in my songs to hopefully break down the stigma around it.”
Talking about top tracks on the album Kay said, “My favourite song from the album is called Last Liners (She’s Not Funny). Within the album, there are three songs that take you on a journey about having feelings for a girl.
Part one is the song I Like a Girl which is me realising I have feelings for the girl. Part two is UNO, which essentially is the confession song where the girl finds out about my feelings for her.”
“Part three is Last Liners (She’s Not Funny) which is the conclusion. For me, making new friends is hard enough. I just went the extra mile and make it even more confusing for myself by falling for a friend. But Last Liners explores the true core of realising that our friendship means more to me than any romantic lesbian love story I wrote in my head.”
It is a tremendous achievement to release a debut album. Abigail told Brig, “It feels incredible to finally have finished an album that will soon be released.
In the past, I have written potential albums, but nothing worth sharing on Spotify and Apple Music. I’m kind of scared to know what people will think, but I am hoping that people like at least one song!
My theory is- if you’re fucking gay and struggle from time to time with mental health, this is your kind of album.”
On what artists first inspired her to get into music Abigail said, “Growing up, car journeys with my mum would usually be entertained by Duran Duran. I could listen to their old albums on repeat for hours on end.”
On her upcoming album and hopes for the future Abigail said, “I hope that Roof of the Regent is well liked for one. I think I tend to look too far into the future and al- most miss the small victories, like writing a full album all on my own, in my room.
But of course, I have hopes of maybe one day touring. Once Covid-19 has calmed down, I plan to do a couple of album release gigs here and there. The one thing I will always remember is my brother introducing me to BBC Introducing. Since 2015, I have uploaded songs to BBC Introducing in hopes of something big.
Over the past five years, my songs have been broadcasted on BBC Merseyside and BBC Manchester which blows my mind! I’ve always loved watching the BBC Live Lounge sessions and I think if I were to set myself a goal, it would be to per- form in BBC Live Lounge.”
There have been questions about Scotland’s music scene with many venues being forced to shut their doors, as a young artist in the industry Abigail said, “Scotland on the whole, I feel, doesn’t get enough music spotlight. There have been times when my favourite artists have toured but seem to have skipped Scotland.
It baffles me because there are some beau- tiful venues, especially in Glasgow (St Lukes, Hydro & Tchai-Ovna) and Edinburgh (Caves & Sneaky Petes). Stirling doesn’t have the best venues unfortunately.
I supported a gig in Mediterranèa which was very cosy and intimate, which are the kind of gigs that I like doing, but other than that, there aren’t many places to perform other than open mic nights at a few select pubs.”
Abigail’s album Roof of the Re- gents is out on all major music platforms on August 1.
Film Media and Journalism student at the University of Stirling. Editor in Chief at Brig Newspaper. Edinburgh / Stirling
You must log in to post a comment.