Hailing from Brighton (UK), Abi Clements is a singer-songwriter known for her influences ranging from Adele to Olivia Dean and Lola Young. After 2 first singles, she finally unveiled her debut EP ‘I’ll Be Honest Boy‘. Following the release, we got to chat with her about her music background, artistry, and live performances.
– What made you want to pursue a music career?
I think being in a local theatre group from a really young age and just being on a stage kickstarted the love for music and performing! Also having a mum that was forever my biggest fan, cheering me along, even when I genuinely sounded awful, definitely helped me keep at it!
– Congratulations on the release of your debut EP, “I’ll Be Honest Boy”! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the title and what it represents to you?
Thank you so much, I’m so excited it’s finally out!! My EP is called ‘I’ll be honest boy’, as it’s the title track and represents the lyrics overall, which together tell very honest stories. I’m basically expressing to ‘the boy’ in question, exactly how I feel when faced with the emotions of being in competition with other girls. One unfortunately, I’m sure many can relate to! (btw bin them off!!) The lyrics across the EP are intended to be very authentic and honest, almost as if each song is a different diary entry.
– Could you take us through your creative process when writing and producing the songs on this EP? How do you translate personal experiences into music that resonates with others?
My process when I begin writing new songs usually starts at my piano. I think of what I want to write about, the emotions I’m feeling in that moment and use this as a source of inspiration. Whether it be relevant to me currently, or emotions I’ve felt in the past. I often use writing as an outlet for my emotions, drawing content in my songs that I wouldn’t even say out loud. Providing me with a space to be open, and in turn, connect with an audience. I find a chord pattern, draw on an emotion, and sing random stuff on repeat until something I like sticks or stands out. Throughout this process I am constantly recording little voice memos on my phone. I honestly have hundreds of random voice notes, which is also handy to go through if I’ve ever got writer’s block, to see if I’ve forgotten about any bangers! Once I’ve got a solid draft of a song, I tend to send it to my producer Scott (Poykin), get his opinions, and if he likes it, we get to work! I often send Scott some reference tracks of artists alongside drafts that I’m loving at the time, so he can understand the sort of vibe I’m going for, to aid him in making a banging track! Then it’s off to record vocals, we tend to get in the studio for this process, and to be honest the rest is a beautiful blur!
– Your music has been described as having influences from Adele to Olivia Dean and Lola Young. How have these artists influenced your sound, and what other artists inspire you?
I grew up listening to Adele! Who hurt 9 year old Abi? I have no idea! I have so many videos of me singing all her songs, with such intense emotion, despite probably having no clue what I’m singing about!! However, I like to think my writing style and lyrics are the way they are because of my love for Adele. Lyrically, her songs always tell raw, authentic stories, which I carry as one of the most important aspects in my own music. More recently, Olivia Dean has been a huge influence for me, not only do I love her voice, but the groove behind her songs are just so sick! The basslines of her music are so groovy, which was definitely a big influence for my track ‘Get Go’. I went to see Lola Young live recently, and she just blew me away. Her stage presence is unmatched and you can just tell every word she sings is the complete truth, something I hope to carry within my own performances as an artist.
– The EP features collaborations with producer Poykin, bassist Junior Vieira-Dawes, and keyboardist Sam Wilson. How did these collaborations come about, and what was it like working with them in the studio?
So I met my Producer Poykin, at a BIMM University networking event. We had a quick chat, exchanged details, then went for a coffee a week later, which lasted 5 hours, the rest is history! There’s a bit of a love story behind how I met my bassist. But long story short, I met him at University, showed him some stuff me and Poykin were working on, and he came up with an absolute banger of a baseline for ‘Get Go’. So after that, he had no choice, straight in the studio, and got it recorded! Being in the studio with Junior and Poykin, is just my favourite thing ever; it’s like being with your best friends who all share a huge passion for music and genuinely enjoy creating magic!
When developing ‘Middle Name’ and ‘I’ll be Honest Boy’, we soon realised my simple piano arrangement just wasn’t cutting it! So, that’s when Poykin introduced me to Sam Wilson, an incredibly talented pianist. We had a pre production session to go through arrangement and to get to know each other and straight away we just clicked. Once we were all in the studio, my producer decided that our goals were to capture the emotion and authenticity behind the tracks within the recordings. Solidifying our decision to record the piano and vocals live simultaneously, without a click, which created such a natural and raw recording that perfectly suited the song. I am so grateful and lucky to have worked with such talented musicians, the experience was just perfect.
– As a live performer, you’ve played at renowned venues such as Patterns in Brighton. How does performing live compare to recording in the studio, and do you have any memorable experiences from live shows?
I find performing live to an audience, and alongside my band so different, but just as fun. All my recorded tracks, besides ‘Get Go’ are quite slow and ballad-like. Meaning that in a live band setting, they carry a more upbeat feel to them, with a fuller vibe. Giving me two completely different versions, which I both love equally. With Junior as my bassist and Scott (Poykin) as my drummer, a great atmosphere and connection on stage is created. We all know the tracks and each other so well, that our enjoyment is evident on stage. My guitarist Harry Amos also brings such a good energy, providing those guitar hooks heard in the recorded versions. Performing at Patterns, our first live performance of the full EP, was amazing, and having a full crowd only added to the experience. Hearing some of the crowd sing the words with me was a moment I’ll never forget, as well as the huge cheer that filled the room. We absolutely love performing as a band, and can’t wait to continue performing together!
FOLLOW ABI CLEMENTS
Facebook: Abi Clements Music
Instagram: abi.clementss
TikTok: ajcclements
