Abbey Cone is a fast up and coming star, signed to Big Machine Music Group. Here, we interview Abbey about her debut single ‘Rhinestone Ring’ and her forthcoming future releases.
Lovely to chat to you Abbey and congratulations on ‘Rhinestone Ring’. It must be so refreshing to finally have some music out.
I mean, yes, a billion times, yes.
Yeah. I know you wrote this one with Heather Morgan and your producer Nathan Spicer. Can you talk a little bit about how it came together and how you decided that this was going to be the lead out song?
Heather Morgan and Nathan Spicer are two of my favourite people. We wrote the song in 2019 and obviously knew it was going to come out but at some point I think as far as the songwriting goes, I was driving down the road and thought about the title ‘Rhinestone Ring.’ Obviously, I liked it and I brought it to Nathan and we started it but then Heather Morgan came in and just dumped magic on it. The idea of ‘I’d marry you right now with the ‘Rhinestone Ring’ was Heather Morgan. She’s a genius.
Yeah, I don’t know if 2020 hadn’t happened, if that would have been the first song that we would have put out from the group, interestingly enough. I felt like I couldn’t personally ignore the parallels in the song – thinking for a long time that you want a certain thing and then realising that you don’t need as much as you thought you did and that paralleling with coming out of this. Whatever happened to us last year – the trauma – and going into fall, it’s nice season and I’d like a really good cap on 2021 to lead into 2022.
It just felt right and everyone agreed and felt that too and so we put her out. I had zero expectations at all. I’ve never done this before with a label, so I didn’t know how playlisting works. I didn’t know if you got added that day or a week later, but it literally just got uploaded to New Music Friday that day.
I wanted to ask you as well – I read an article where you refreshingly were very open about the trials of the pandemic. It was difficult because we didn’t have live music, but people sort of made light of it, but I find it really refreshing that you just talked about how much of a struggle it was because I think people haven’t really been talking that vulnerably, so I really appreciate that. Can you talk about how you think it’s altered the way that you’re viewing these releases and the way you’re viewing your songwriting going forward?
Last year was really transformative for me, but also really terrible. I moved here when I was 16, I got my record deal, which was what I was trying to do. It’s not that I wasn’t aware that there was like a shit ton of work that happens after you get a record deal, I do know that, but I really do feel like I was a kid that just woke up every day, and I just did whatever I needed to end up with a record deal. I got that record deal and a pandemic happened, I was just, like, ‘Why? Why is this happening?’ I was just talking to somebody else about this, I kind of worked my way up through the industry here, the community and I feel like that’s how I got my record deal. I have always struggled with presenting myself on social media and feeling authentic doing it. It’s just always been something that has been really hard for me. People always say ‘be authentic’ and I feel like, what does that even mean? What does that look like when nobody else is doing it? We started having conversations about the single and having to create something. I felt like I already did that before 2020. It was almost having to do it all over.
I can imagine that being so frustrating.
I could have given up and I didn’t , I think I’ve been super privileged in life and I haven’t faced a ton of adversity. They tell you that this is a 10 year town and you’ve got a billion ‘nos’ before you hear yes and that is true. I hadn’t really faced any massive things that I had to overcome. I’ve worked really hard and it’s taken me 16 to 23 but I got a record deal, I got a publishing deal and because I was strategic and patient and worked really hard. The pandemic for me was the biggest roadblock that put itself in front of me.
Do you find that it’s made you more intentional with which songs you’re going to put out and given you a renewed sense of gratitude for where you are?
I hold things so much lighter now, like, I want it the most I’ve ever wanted it. All my worth is not in it anymore, because I had no option but to find worth in other things because it literally like went away from me. I think when you’re young and you’re female here, and you’re an artist here, I got really comfortable, I knew who I was in a room full of adults. I knew who that person was, I knew who Abbey was. I had to bring the rest all together because I just didn’t know myself as much as I thought I did when everything stopped. I just really took last year to just instil in my mind this new mission in life to put out music that I really love and just get to know myself and have a good time.
I love that. My final question was whether you knew what was next?
Yes, I am giving the people what they want. I am going to release another song early next year. If it were my world and everyone else were living in it, I would release two more singles and then an album. Obviously it doesn’t work out like that, but if I could, that’s what I would do. I’m going on tour with Brittney Spencer in January and February. I haven’t even met her yet, but she’s amazing. It’s going to be me and my acoustic guitar and I’m super excited like this.
Well, I’m super excited for you and thank you so much for the time today.
Let’s talk again soon for sure!
