Interview: Abby K + Single Review: “It Should Have Been Me”

16-year-old North Carolina native, Abby K’s goal is to “punch people in the face” through her music and she certainly accomplished that with her debut single “It Should Have Been Me”. Abby’s vocals make me think of Avril Lavigne, with the bass, guitar, and drums sounding full-on Halestorm-style heavy rock ‘n roll. Through the lyrics of “It Should Have Been Me”, Abby and her band convey a feeling we’ve all felt, rejection. She makes it more personal when she says things like, “was it worth it giving up the best just to please”, in telling the story of how she got rejected when auditioning for a band that said she was their best option but they chose another guy over her anyways. Abby then shows how she overcame that by saying, “Look at me now, I’ll take my bow, I’ll prove myself somehow”. 

The chorus comes full-on ahead like a freight train. During the bridge, Abby says, “Playing for sold out crowds, you wish you had me now” and then soon after has a guitar solo played by local guitarist Logan Foland. Not many songs in recent years include guitar solos, but Abby stays true to her roots and she grew up with songs with guitar solos and hers are no different. In Abby’s music video, she shows a younger version of herself running to her room and upset by the rejection from her audition. Abby K has taken over and is no longer just a teenager with a dream, she is a full fledged rock queen! 

Shannon – You opened for Nita Strauss for the first time last year. What was that whole experience like?

Abby – “My first time opening for Nita Strauss in Spartanburg, South Carolina was what I say would be the best night of my life. I ended up getting to play onstage with her when my band played “The Trooper”. Afterwards she invited me out to her tour bus and gave me lots of words of encouragement.”

Shannon – Can you compare the first time you opened for Nita to the second time you opened for Nita to put it in perspective how much you changed in that time?

Abby – “The first time I opened for Nita Strauss, I was there as a big Nita Strauss fan. The second time, my band and I were there for business. We wanted to show up and punch people in the mouth with our performance. I believe we did that based on my conversation with NIta Strauss after the show.”

Shannon – Your new single “It Should Have Been Me” comes out today. How do you feel about that?

Abby – “I can’t sleep at night, I am so excited for ‘It Should Have Been Me’ to come out. I wrote the song one year ago and I can’t believe it’s finally going to be out for everyone to hear.”

Shannon – Are you at all nervous?

Abby – “I’m not nervous. It’s really everything that I’ve wanted. This moment is going to kickstart what I want to end up doing.”

Shannon – Can you take us back to when you first got the idea to write “It Should Have Been Me”, and talk about what artists you consider to have influenced you when writing that song?

Abby – “About a year ago, I auditioned for a band. They told me that I was their best option but they still didn’t pick me and I don’t know if that’s because I am a girl or if it’s because I was so young, but I was hurt and mad. On the way home from the audition “It Should Have Been Me” just came to me in my head. I got home and went straight to my bedroom and put it to chords and all of the sudden I had a song.”

Shannon – What gave you the idea to include a guitar solo in “It Should Have Been Me”?

Abby – “I included a guitar solo in “It Should Have Been Me” because it felt like it needed one. I listen to a lot of old school hard rock and metal and there is rarely a song without a guitar solo and it felt like it needed one to be true to what I love to do.”

Shannon – What sparked the idea to show a version of yourself as a child and showing how that rejection made you who you are?

Abby – “I included a younger version of myself in the music video for “It Should Have Been Me” because I wanted to show the amount of change from when I auditioned for that band and got rejected, into where I’ve come from that.”

Shannon – You invited your fans to be a part of your live crowd in your music video. Was that really fun or more nerve-wracking to shoot?

Abby – “It was a really cool experience to have my biggest fans, friends and family be a part of the video. They all got to hear the song early and I got a lot of great feedback from them and I’m glad I got to share that moment with them”

Shannon – Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Abby – “My dream goal, that I think I can accomplish in 5 years if I work hard enough, is to be in another country on a huge stage and have a sold out crowd with everyone singing my songs back to me. That is what I want for my music career.”

Shannon – What is something you consider to be unique about yourself?

Abby – “My work ethic. For a while I would wake up at 4:00 in the morning and play my bass, then I would take it to school and play through lunch and study hall and I would come straight home and play my bass. After I did that for a few months, I was accepted to Grammy Camp and Berklee College Of Music 5-Week Summer Program.”

Shannon – You love musicals. Do you think you would ever want to write music for one?

Abby – “I’ve never thought about it before, but I would absolutely be open to writing music for a musical in the future.”

Shannon – What is coming up in the future for you?

Abby – “My debut single “It Should Have Been Me” is out today on all streaming platforms and we are currently writing and recording new music to be released following “It Should Have Been Me”.”