Abby Anderson has new music out, and a new outlook on her life and career. The 24-year-old left her longtime label, Black River Entertainment, to gain creative freedom to release the kind of music she wanted to make, including her song, “Bad Posture,” out now.
“2020 was a weird year for everybody and for me,” Anderson reflects to Everything Nash. “I’m so thankful for it now looking back, because it was finally one time in my life where I got to sit still, be still and ask myself what I want. And I don’t think I’ve ever really asked myself that before.”
Anderson, who has six siblings, learned early on to do all she could to keep peace in her large family, a tendency that carried over into her music career, sometimes to her detriment. The inner struggle became the inspiration for her thought-provoking tune.
“You just try to survive and be the peacemaker, and make sure my sisters get along,” Anderson shares. “And then going into my first record deal, I was 19 and all I wanted to do was make everyone around me happy. The people pleaser in me just was untameable. That’s all I wanted was to make everyone happy. The problem with that is when I’m busy, trying to make sure everybody else around me feels at peace. I’m a mess. That’ll make you sick. And so, 2020 was the first time I got to ask myself, ‘What do I want? Do I like this music? Am I happy at this label? What are we doing? What are we doing with our life, Abby?’ It was just about me finally not shrinking myself to make everyone around me happy anymore.”
Anderson is quick to point out that she has nothing but love for the people at her now-former record label, but realized that, for her, it was a relationship that no longer worked.
“No one ever thinks, ‘Gee, I’d really love to leave a record deal,'” Anderson says with a laugh. “I mean, girls my age would kill for a record deal in Nashville. It wasn’t really a thought for a long time. I think it was probably the beginning of 2020. I was in Europe. I had this feeling that something was gonna happen. I didn’t know what it was, but I was like, ‘Something’s not sitting right with me anymore.’ it was probably April. I was starting to feel like this part of my story might be coming to a close.'”
Anderson knew in her heart that leaving her label was the right thing to do, but that didn’t make the decision any easier.
“I knew I had to do it,” Anderson says. “Black River did so much for me at the same time, and yes, there was hurt, and I was angry sometimes. It’s all those emotions. It’s very nuanced; It’s not black and white, On one hand, I could be angry. And on the other hand, I’m still thankful. I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. If it weren’t for the history we’ve had. I have a history in the industry because of them. And so I’m really, really thankful for that. At the same time, it was just time to time to shake hands and say we had a good run and part ways.”
For now, Anderson is happy recording and releasing new music on her own, but she is keeping her mind open for whatever possibilities might unfold in the future.
“I’ve got an amazing team of people, and so we’ll see,” Anderson shares. “I feel like right now my heart’s open. I’d be a fool to say, ‘I’m independent. I’ll never sign a record deal.’ Who knows? Maybe it’s the deal that really gets me soaring. You never know. And maybe I’ll never sign another one. I don’t know. I feel just open to everything.”
All of Anderson’s music is available at AbbyAndersonMusic.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media / Alex Berger