The Flourishing Journey of Abby Sage

Wendy Rosales

Meet Abby Sage, Toronto’s hidden gem who just released her newest EP, The Florist. We had the pleasure of spending an evening with Sage to talk all about the special moments and importance behind the project.

Bad Wreck: Introduce yourself! 

Abby Sage: I am Abby Sage and I am an artist from Toronto originally. I lived in the Bay area for a while then I moved to LA about 2 years ago. I currently feel like I'm having my late theater kid blooming right now and I just released a project called The Florist.

BW: For the process of making this project, how is it different from your previous one?

AS: Different and similar, but for this one I recorded it all in London – my Mom’s side of the family is there and so I stayed with them. I was alone for a very long period and nothing felt too substantial was going on in my life. I was in a very observational period. I spent a lot of time with my Nana as well because she lives in the British Countryside. So I would take the train to see her. So it's basically just like a lot of reflection, a lot of catching up with people I haven't seen in a while like friends and family over there. I basically wanted the project to be a take on just the stages of life and who you run into in those stages especially running into my Nana was very important to me and she's also speaking in the project which is really cool. I felt like a lot of people tend to capture lots of firsts and I wanted to capture some lasts instead for a lack of a better term.

BW: What are some songs from the project that you are excited to perform and you think translate differently live? 

AS: “Backwards Directions” and “The Florist” do that. We kind of developed two ways of playing those two, they are much more stripdown and a little bit different. I think “The Florist” especially is a little different from the studio. I just changed the finger-picking style so it took a little more twangy which I think it's really fun and I like how it sounds live!

BW: What do you envision when you tour The Florist?

AS: I love creative directing everything. So doing all the visuals and stuff would be so fun. I would really want to have something very fun with an interesting setup that comes with a play. Like I was saying, I feel like I'm reaching my theater kid moment in adulthood. I think I just really want to make it something special in the way where it’s stripped back and feels very intimate but like a large one at the same time. I listened to a lot of Florence and The Machine when I was younger and I like how she does such a beautiful job of just quiet moments and loud moments.

BW: How do you think your younger self would feel viewing your current, adult self?

AS: I think back to my Dad because he taught me how to play guitar and all about music and I would play sometimes with his band growing up. So I think it's just like a special moment to look back at those little moments. When I think of him it makes me teary-eyed because I know how much he loves music. I hope to someday be able to take my Dad on the road.

BW: When making the EP what was the hardest and easiest song to make?

AS: I would say “Backward Directions” was the easiest to make, I normally like to start all of my songs off as poems, pre-write them then write melodies. Before “Backwards Directions,” we stopped a session mid-way through the day and started doing something else, and then we kinda just found the melody and it just came out seamlessly. The hardest was “High Five” because I had a concussion that week. The artist Miya Folick came in and made it easier for me to finish the song because I just had all these anxieties in my brain but it still came out fine!

BW: How would you describe your sound to a new listener?

AS: If I could describe it to somebody… I don't like the word ethereal but I will say it and I would also say dark, mystical. I think a lot of the songs lean into that, “Pool Party” and “High Five” are in that lane. I think “The Florist” and “Backwards Directions” fall more into that mystical sense where it’s a little brighter outside and having a little bit more fun.

BW: To conclude our interview, what's something you would like to say to the people reading this? 

AS: I just hope to continue doing this and create more music that feels right to me. I think honesty is a big thing so I want to be honest to listeners and to myself and that's kind of what I'm starting with this project.